#77 - Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Emeralds - Kathryn Kenny

#77

Title:  Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Emeralds

Author:  Kathryn Kenny
Illustrated by:  Paul Frame

Genre:  Mystery

Category:  Fiction

Rating:  B

Published:  1965

Dates:  11/14/16– 11/26/16

Trixie and the Bob-Whites, minus Dan, are on their way to Williamsburg and the Clivedon area of Virginia.  Trixie has found a mysterious letter in the Belden attic.  She, Moms and Bobby were searching for items to donate to the Heart Association’s White Elephant sale.  When Trixie rips open a stuck drawer in a chest she crashes into the wall behind it that leads to the crawl space above the kitchen and finds a canteen and some old clothing in the small room.  The Trixie we know, on closer inspection, wonders about the letter that falls out of the Civil-War era pants pocket.  True to her thoughts about the item, it’s the beginning of something interesting.  Trixie shares with Honey and they visit Miss Julie Sutherland in nearby Croton who provides information they need from her father’s diaries.

Fast forward a day or so later, and we find the Bob-Whites hot on the trail of the location of Rosewood Hall and an emerald necklace mentioned in the letter Trixie has shared with the group.  Through a series of visits to Green Trees, the mansion next door to the now non-existent Rosewood Hall, the Bob-Whites solve the mystery of the location of the emerald necklace.  Along the way they meet Neil, the wayward boy who loves horses, crazy Lizzie who runs the general store, the cruel Jenkins who owns Rosewood, the kind Mr. Carver who owns Green Trees and his friends, Miss Bates and Dr. Brandon.

The Lynches play an important role in this book.  They are into historic restoration and combine their trip that not only culminates in celebrating Diana’s birthday but the discovery of the actual emerald necklace, too.

I love this book because of the surprises that unfold, the generosity of the Lynches and the relationship among the characters – Miss Sutherland and Honey and Trixie, Trixie and Jim, Mr. Lynch and Neil, Mr. Carver and Miss Bates.