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Trixie Belden #15
The Mystery on the Mississippi
It's anchors away for Trixie as she travels down the Mississippi River. No, it’s not on the old-fashioned paddle-wheel steamship she always dreamed of, but the trip is still more exciting than she ever imagined. Someone is shadowing her every move, trying to steal to the mysterious graph papers Trixie found in a trash can in her hotel room in Memphis. Why are the papers so important? Could there be more to the childish drawings than meets the eye?
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
8 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Kenny
50 books98 followersThe Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was created by Western Publishing House in 1961, three years after Julie Campbell wrote her last book (#6) of the Trixie Belden series. There were several ghost writers who wrote Trixie Belden stories under this pseudonym. Some have been identified and later credited but some are still unknown.
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http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...
The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.
Nicolete Meredith Stack
Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.
Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.
James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.
Virginia McDonnell
Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.
McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.
McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.
Gladys Baker Bond
Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.
Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.
She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).
Carl Henry Rathjen
Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go
***
http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...
The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.
Nicolete Meredith Stack
Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.
Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.
James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.
Virginia McDonnell
Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.
McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.
McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.
Gladys Baker Bond
Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.
Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.
She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).
Carl Henry Rathjen
Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
June 25, 2018
This one held together much better than most of the others, so kudos to the anonymous syndicate author. The mystery is actually a mystery, even if I'm too old and cynical to have been fooled by the villains. And there's plenty of action. I can't help feeling Honey's father gets roped into the Bob-Whites' crazy plans a little too easily, but at least with this one there are plenty of adults running around who are very clear that a young detective, however competent, is no match for international thieves. I liked the side characters, even the bad guys, and the tension was good. Very entertaining.
July 14, 2017
There's an actual mystery! There's real consequences to the mystery! It makes sense! And the best part? Dan FINALLY gets to go on a trip.
This was one of my favorite books as a 10-12 year old, and it's my favorite Trixie Belden mystery.
Recommended 11+ for scary situations.
This was one of my favorite books as a 10-12 year old, and it's my favorite Trixie Belden mystery.
Recommended 11+ for scary situations.
March 14, 2012
Pierre Lontard is one of the scariest bad guys in the series. I remember he scared me as a kid. Now I love the danger! Trixie foils international gun runners in this one. I always liked the map and the "decrypting" of it by Trixie and Honey.
2012 Review:
And wrapping it up with #15-Mystery on the Mississippi. Another one I like because Dan gets to go, although Di gets left behind this time. I enjoyed this one because it was really scary, big-time mystery with Trixie and Honey (however illogical it seems) getting mixed up in the affairs of South American gun smugglers. Trixie got a lot of grief for this one for almost getting herself and Honey killed, but the boys left them and Mr. Wheeler let them! Stupidity runs rampant in this one (what is in the water in Missouri?). Honey is unbelievably naive, but then so is Trixie. Still, it's an exciting mystery and I enjoy it a lot.
2012 Review:
And wrapping it up with #15-Mystery on the Mississippi. Another one I like because Dan gets to go, although Di gets left behind this time. I enjoyed this one because it was really scary, big-time mystery with Trixie and Honey (however illogical it seems) getting mixed up in the affairs of South American gun smugglers. Trixie got a lot of grief for this one for almost getting herself and Honey killed, but the boys left them and Mr. Wheeler let them! Stupidity runs rampant in this one (what is in the water in Missouri?). Honey is unbelievably naive, but then so is Trixie. Still, it's an exciting mystery and I enjoy it a lot.
April 23, 2019
Trixie Belden and the Mystery on the Mississippi (1965) by Kathryn Kenny finds the all but one of the Bob-Whites (Diana is vacationing with her parents) in St. Louis, Missouri. The friends are invited by Mr. Wheeler, Honey and Jim's dad, to travel with him as he takes a business trip. While they have every intention of having a good, old-fashioned vacation--visiting a space rocket exhibit and following in the footsteps of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, you know that wherever Trixie goes, she's sure to stumble across a mystery that just needs solving. In this adventure, she and Honey haven't even gotten settled into their hotel room before it starts.
A briefcase with papers was left behind in their room and a very rude man bursts in and snatches it--accusing the girls of trying to steal his property. After he leaves, Trixie discover more papers in the trash can--graph papers with odd drawings on them just like those in the briefcase. She and Honey become convinced that the man is a spy and the papers have something to do with the top-secret space program. When they keep seeing the man and his fancy car as they go about their vacation, Trixie is even more convinced that he's at the bottom of something nefarious. She doesn't know how right she is and soon she and Honey will face their most dangerous situation yet.
Trixie Belden is one of the many young detectives whose adventures I followed when I was young. I may not have been quite as dedicated in collecting her books as I was Nancy Drew--I have all of the original hardback Drews--but I was definitely on the hunt for Trixie stories when a new (to me) Nancy Drew mystery wasn't available. Trixie, whose first book was published in 1948 was in many ways a more realistic character for a middle-class girl to relate to. I might have wanted to be Nancy with her roadster and the ability to travel anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat, but it was far easier to see myself as Trixie--the tomboyish girl with a quick temper. I admired Trixie's determination to learn detecting as a skill so she and Honey will be able to open the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency when they are adults.
Rereading this particular story, I'm struck by how intense the danger really is. I didn't remember the villains in any of the Trixie stories being so particularly nasty, but this villain is discussing the ways in which he considers murdering the two girls. It is quite intense for a young adult/childrens story from the time period. Of course, since it is a story aimed at the pre-teen crowd, the girls are rescued and there are no murders, but the deaths he contemplates for them are very unpleasant. I was also struck by the way Honey disagrees with Trixie over whether another person is involved with the plot. It's my recollection that Honey is very loyal to Trixie and her hunches and instincts about people. This time, Honey's insistence that she knows "people pretty well, and I'd trust her with anything. She's so motherly." leads the girls into the trap that comes near to ending their detective careers.
Still--this was a very entertaining read and it was fun to go back and revisit a book from my childhood.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
A briefcase with papers was left behind in their room and a very rude man bursts in and snatches it--accusing the girls of trying to steal his property. After he leaves, Trixie discover more papers in the trash can--graph papers with odd drawings on them just like those in the briefcase. She and Honey become convinced that the man is a spy and the papers have something to do with the top-secret space program. When they keep seeing the man and his fancy car as they go about their vacation, Trixie is even more convinced that he's at the bottom of something nefarious. She doesn't know how right she is and soon she and Honey will face their most dangerous situation yet.
Trixie Belden is one of the many young detectives whose adventures I followed when I was young. I may not have been quite as dedicated in collecting her books as I was Nancy Drew--I have all of the original hardback Drews--but I was definitely on the hunt for Trixie stories when a new (to me) Nancy Drew mystery wasn't available. Trixie, whose first book was published in 1948 was in many ways a more realistic character for a middle-class girl to relate to. I might have wanted to be Nancy with her roadster and the ability to travel anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat, but it was far easier to see myself as Trixie--the tomboyish girl with a quick temper. I admired Trixie's determination to learn detecting as a skill so she and Honey will be able to open the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency when they are adults.
Rereading this particular story, I'm struck by how intense the danger really is. I didn't remember the villains in any of the Trixie stories being so particularly nasty, but this villain is discussing the ways in which he considers murdering the two girls. It is quite intense for a young adult/childrens story from the time period. Of course, since it is a story aimed at the pre-teen crowd, the girls are rescued and there are no murders, but the deaths he contemplates for them are very unpleasant. I was also struck by the way Honey disagrees with Trixie over whether another person is involved with the plot. It's my recollection that Honey is very loyal to Trixie and her hunches and instincts about people. This time, Honey's insistence that she knows "people pretty well, and I'd trust her with anything. She's so motherly." leads the girls into the trap that comes near to ending their detective careers.
Still--this was a very entertaining read and it was fun to go back and revisit a book from my childhood.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
December 10, 2023
I remember absolutely loving this series as a kid. It and Nancy Drew were my gateways to loving mysteries now as an adult. This one was definitely dated ("Gosh, golly girls, I'll just die if we came all this way and don't get to visit the land of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn!" said Mart.) Still, the mystery holds up and it was a nice, nostalgic distraction for several hours today. 3 solid stars
May 3, 2015
a HUGE and most dedicated fan of Trixie and her crew. This is odd, of course, because they were MEANT for teen and pre-teen girls, but I was a young boy that read everything he could get his hands on and when I first stumbled on my first TRIXIE BELDON book I was instantly hooked!
I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.
It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.
It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.
I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back
I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.
It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.
It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.
I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back
January 18, 2013
A childhood favorite re-visited.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world, pre - computer pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.
Written approximately? – 1965.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers, cell phones, and air conditioning in homes, especially the mansion.
Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, and her brothers work to catch the an international ring of gun smugglers. This is one of the more daring and dangerous missions they encounter, with chances of death occurring frequently.
Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No murder, though there are attempted murders of the main characters.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world, pre - computer pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.
Written approximately? – 1965.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers, cell phones, and air conditioning in homes, especially the mansion.
Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, and her brothers work to catch the an international ring of gun smugglers. This is one of the more daring and dangerous missions they encounter, with chances of death occurring frequently.
Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No murder, though there are attempted murders of the main characters.
September 18, 2008
How the heck does this girl get to travel so much?
January 19, 2019
I loved rereading this book. I grew up reading the entire Trixie Belden series and grew with the characters. They were as lovable as ever but strangely enough I didn't feel the same anxiety and fear for the characters this time round. Wonder why that was?! May go back and read the entire series in order again!
December 31, 2016
Wow, this book took me, what, a week to get through? I didn't enjoy it that much, so that's probably the reason why. ;) I've also been very busy as far as Easter so I haven't been reading a lot lately. Hopefully that will change soon!
Onto the review. I've noticed this is the fourth vacation in a row the Bob-Whites have taken so far. When your best friends are rich I guess you can really go places.
So this one was a bit boring. There was a sterotypical evil person named Lontard which is actually an alias (literally, in another book I read the evil person's fake name was Lontard. O.o) who will stop at nothing to get something he wants which Trixie has, even going so far as to attempt to murder her. (Oooh, aaaah!)
There wasn't very much of the Bob-Whites besides Honey and Trixie, which I was disappointed about. And no Jixie whatsoever. (NOOOO! XD) Trixie turns into a sissy, as well.
Mr. Wheeler was stupid to let them stay there for so long, if I were him I would have sent them home right away. And why on earth did the boys leave the girls in their hotel room after Trixie had almost died that morning?!
Overall, everybody's eyes were shining was too much and there were too many scenes that used too many descriptive words and just made me feel exasperated.
Sorry. Two-and-a-half stars out of five.
Onto the review. I've noticed this is the fourth vacation in a row the Bob-Whites have taken so far. When your best friends are rich I guess you can really go places.
So this one was a bit boring. There was a sterotypical evil person named Lontard which is actually an alias (literally, in another book I read the evil person's fake name was Lontard. O.o) who will stop at nothing to get something he wants which Trixie has, even going so far as to attempt to murder her. (Oooh, aaaah!)
There wasn't very much of the Bob-Whites besides Honey and Trixie, which I was disappointed about. And no Jixie whatsoever. (NOOOO! XD) Trixie turns into a sissy, as well.
Mr. Wheeler was stupid to let them stay there for so long, if I were him I would have sent them home right away. And why on earth did the boys leave the girls in their hotel room after Trixie had almost died that morning?!
Overall, everybody's eyes were shining was too much and there were too many scenes that used too many descriptive words and just made me feel exasperated.
Sorry. Two-and-a-half stars out of five.
June 7, 2022
The Bob-Whites are off to St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri and this time, believe it or not, Dan gets to go along for the ride! Diana gets left behind, but as long as Dan finally gets some page time I'm okay with that. It's Mr. Wheeler's largess and a business acquaintance of his who make this trip possible, and Trixie and her friends end up cruising down the Mississippi for a day or so, not long after Trixie discovers a mysterious paper left behind by an unaccountably angry man in the motel room where they are staying. That paper, which Trixie decides to keep, sets in motion a series of events that become more and more dangerous. Trixie's life is actually in serious danger in this outing, and in between the sight-seeing the Bob-Whites engage in, she has to figure out what the villains are up to, how to prove they are, in fact, up to something illegal and convince the police and the Secret Service of that, and do so before the villains catch up with her. This is one of more adventurous stories, filled with action, and even though Trixie spends much of the story not quite on-the-mark as to motives there is never any doubt that she will eventually end on the right track. The Mississippi River sequences are great, the Mark Twain references almost enough to make me pull up a map and plot a trip, and the atmosphere throughout just frightening enough for a kids book.
October 9, 2022
Honey is scared of everything and very unintelligent. Trixie falls for the mostobvious trick in the book despite this being book 15 and her having met bad guys before. Mart is very immature and Jim and Brien are patronising.
I never noticed that OR the US nationalism when I was a kid. I loved these and I tried to read this uncritically and love it again but it dragged on way too long with a very obvious plot. Nonetheless a 7-8 year old might still love these as much as we did. There are plenty of descriptions of food which was one of the things I used to read for. I don't remember all the double entendre when I was a kid (or am I just reading that into the words nowadays?). It needed Di, I am not sure why she was missing.
I never noticed that OR the US nationalism when I was a kid. I loved these and I tried to read this uncritically and love it again but it dragged on way too long with a very obvious plot. Nonetheless a 7-8 year old might still love these as much as we did. There are plenty of descriptions of food which was one of the things I used to read for. I don't remember all the double entendre when I was a kid (or am I just reading that into the words nowadays?). It needed Di, I am not sure why she was missing.
March 19, 2014
Trixie and her friends take a trip to Missouri, where Trixie finds some stranger papers in her hotel room's garbage can. Soon, someone is following them. What do the symbols on the paper mean?
I'm torn on this one. It was my introduction to the series, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. The fast moving and suspenseful plot captivated the 7th grade me and introduced me to life long friends. However, reading it as an adult, boy to all the characters do some pretty stupid things.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I'm torn on this one. It was my introduction to the series, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. The fast moving and suspenseful plot captivated the 7th grade me and introduced me to life long friends. However, reading it as an adult, boy to all the characters do some pretty stupid things.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
June 17, 2022
This is one of my least favorites of the series ... I get quite annoyed with Trixie and her absolute refusal to accept that she's in any danger. She walks blindly and stupidly into situations that could easily be avoided. BUT ... having been to the St. Louis area, I did find much of the descriptive nature of the Mississippi River and places to see down there, very interesting!
September 11, 2016
One of my least favorites. There was a lot of bickering in this on, people not believing her but her also making a lot of stupid decisions. Whoever wrote this decided to make Trixie more of an idiot, tensions between the lot of them and just a jumbled mess really. Not too enjoyable.
May 2, 2022
Trixie becomes involved with a suspected espionage case in Tom Sawyer country. Mr Wheeler has business with some local aircraft manufacturers and treats the Bob Whites to a trip to St Louis. Trixie and Honey discover some papers covered with strange, scribbled hieroglyphics in the rubbish bin of their motel room. It brings a dangerous crook on their trail, desperate to get his documents back. He follows the gang on a steamboat pleasure cruise; through Hannibal, the home of Mark Twain and back to home base, culminating in a terrifying night for the girls.
* Okay, I've reached the point where I finally throw up my hands and give up keeping track of chronology. It's gone out the window. The dudes are off on another trip; the sixth in succession at this stage. No school break could possibly be elastic enough to fit them all. What's more, Brian and Jim become perpetual seniors at Sleepyside High. Book 10 (The Marshland Mystery) indicates they were intending to progress to college when the others return, but that ain't happening. Poor Brian and Jim. Imagine the horror of Groundhog Day stuck at school! We might as well consider the adventures to be mixed reminiscences of the Bob Whites from here on. It makes more sense than pretending there's any type of timeline. But we lasted until book 15. That's not bad.
* This time we get Dan but lose Diana (who is off on another family holiday with her folks). There seems to be some tacit agreement between Kathryn Kenny authors to not have all the Bob Whites together in one mystery. Drats!
* I think some of the dialogue must have been updated for my oval edition from the eighties. Mart tells Mr Wheeler how badly he'd love to see one of the space capsules that went to the moon, yet the original publication was said to be 1965, before the moon landing took place.
* Jim must have his full driver's license, because his adopted dad puts him in charge of the hire car. But hold on, Brian and others were still giving Jim driving lessons as recently as Book 3, little more than a year earlier. If the process used to progress that quickly, it sure doesn't now. (Sorry, I said I'd given up on chronology, but I guess old habits die hard.)
* Dan and Mart seem to have thrown in their lots as best buddies, yet their styles of smartness are poles apart. Dan's is the gritty, street smart intelligence born of former desperation. He hasn't lost his hard edge, or his instinct. Mart's is wordy, nerdy, literary intelligence driven by pure curiosity. There's a place for both, but it's no wonder they sometimes clash. I'd love to see far more dynamics between these two, but I guess the Kathryn Kenny authors will soon start pulling Dan from holidays again. That's such a shame. BTW, it turns out Dan aspires to be a New York City cop.
* At least we'll never be short of 'almost twin' friction. Trixie and Mart drive each other insane. I think it's because while their priorities tend to be quite different, their approach is identical. Trixie is always single-minded on her mystery of the moment, while Mart is intense about his current interests. They both spout off the second they think of things to say, yet they resent that in each other. I love Brian's eye-rolling management of both of them. He's lived with them all their lives and knows they're essentially the same.
* Mr and Mrs Aguilera! Juan and Elena. How exotic these two are. So Spanish or Cuban or wherever they hail from.
* Once again, the setting of this story draws me in to the extent that I looked up Hannibal, Mark Twain country on internet, as if I'd ever get to visit for real. It sounds as if places in the famous Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stories were based on actual landmarks, a sure draw card for book nerds like Mart Belden. The Bob Whites saw the white picket fence! Ah, I can only wish.
* Awww, poor Honey's trusting nature takes a severe blow, which I find very sad. Her willingness to think the best of everybody until further notice is one of her most attractive qualities but will it ever be quite the same again? Seriously, I think it's undergone too great a trauma to recover.
* I wouldn't have minded finding out how the boys enjoyed their long-awaited visit to the space station exhibit, but hey, it's totally understandable that got swept aside considering what went down simultaneously. Still, they were hanging out for it so much, especially Mart, that a few words might have been nice.
* Toward the end, several characters argue about whose fault the whole hair-raising fiasco was, each claiming blame. I think the most culpable person was someone who never gets a mention; the slack motel cleaner who left such large traces of the former occupant behind when Trixie and Honey entered their room. Inexcusable, in their line of work. (I've done a bit of domestic cleaning myself here and there and trust me, that's one of the biggest no-nos in the book, for obvious reasons.)
* Oh, and Mr Pierre Lontard (I can reveal his name since he's clearly bad from the start), if you don't want to lose your precious plans, it might be a wise idea not to toss them in the bin.
* Quote of the book is from Dan. 'Mart, is there anything you don't know?'
* Okay, I've reached the point where I finally throw up my hands and give up keeping track of chronology. It's gone out the window. The dudes are off on another trip; the sixth in succession at this stage. No school break could possibly be elastic enough to fit them all. What's more, Brian and Jim become perpetual seniors at Sleepyside High. Book 10 (The Marshland Mystery) indicates they were intending to progress to college when the others return, but that ain't happening. Poor Brian and Jim. Imagine the horror of Groundhog Day stuck at school! We might as well consider the adventures to be mixed reminiscences of the Bob Whites from here on. It makes more sense than pretending there's any type of timeline. But we lasted until book 15. That's not bad.
* This time we get Dan but lose Diana (who is off on another family holiday with her folks). There seems to be some tacit agreement between Kathryn Kenny authors to not have all the Bob Whites together in one mystery. Drats!
* I think some of the dialogue must have been updated for my oval edition from the eighties. Mart tells Mr Wheeler how badly he'd love to see one of the space capsules that went to the moon, yet the original publication was said to be 1965, before the moon landing took place.
* Jim must have his full driver's license, because his adopted dad puts him in charge of the hire car. But hold on, Brian and others were still giving Jim driving lessons as recently as Book 3, little more than a year earlier. If the process used to progress that quickly, it sure doesn't now. (Sorry, I said I'd given up on chronology, but I guess old habits die hard.)
* Dan and Mart seem to have thrown in their lots as best buddies, yet their styles of smartness are poles apart. Dan's is the gritty, street smart intelligence born of former desperation. He hasn't lost his hard edge, or his instinct. Mart's is wordy, nerdy, literary intelligence driven by pure curiosity. There's a place for both, but it's no wonder they sometimes clash. I'd love to see far more dynamics between these two, but I guess the Kathryn Kenny authors will soon start pulling Dan from holidays again. That's such a shame. BTW, it turns out Dan aspires to be a New York City cop.
* At least we'll never be short of 'almost twin' friction. Trixie and Mart drive each other insane. I think it's because while their priorities tend to be quite different, their approach is identical. Trixie is always single-minded on her mystery of the moment, while Mart is intense about his current interests. They both spout off the second they think of things to say, yet they resent that in each other. I love Brian's eye-rolling management of both of them. He's lived with them all their lives and knows they're essentially the same.
* Mr and Mrs Aguilera! Juan and Elena. How exotic these two are. So Spanish or Cuban or wherever they hail from.
* Once again, the setting of this story draws me in to the extent that I looked up Hannibal, Mark Twain country on internet, as if I'd ever get to visit for real. It sounds as if places in the famous Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stories were based on actual landmarks, a sure draw card for book nerds like Mart Belden. The Bob Whites saw the white picket fence! Ah, I can only wish.
* Awww, poor Honey's trusting nature takes a severe blow, which I find very sad. Her willingness to think the best of everybody until further notice is one of her most attractive qualities but will it ever be quite the same again? Seriously, I think it's undergone too great a trauma to recover.
* I wouldn't have minded finding out how the boys enjoyed their long-awaited visit to the space station exhibit, but hey, it's totally understandable that got swept aside considering what went down simultaneously. Still, they were hanging out for it so much, especially Mart, that a few words might have been nice.
* Toward the end, several characters argue about whose fault the whole hair-raising fiasco was, each claiming blame. I think the most culpable person was someone who never gets a mention; the slack motel cleaner who left such large traces of the former occupant behind when Trixie and Honey entered their room. Inexcusable, in their line of work. (I've done a bit of domestic cleaning myself here and there and trust me, that's one of the biggest no-nos in the book, for obvious reasons.)
* Oh, and Mr Pierre Lontard (I can reveal his name since he's clearly bad from the start), if you don't want to lose your precious plans, it might be a wise idea not to toss them in the bin.
* Quote of the book is from Dan. 'Mart, is there anything you don't know?'
January 2, 2010
Another one of the many Trixie Belden books in the series that was good.
April 20, 2024
After a reprieve in the last few books, we're back to the other kids teasing and belittling Trixie's detecting efforts. Even Honey at times.
To me, Trixie and Honey acted much younger than fourteen in this book. At times, they seemed like they were about seven or eight, especially Honey.
Unbelievable that Trixie did not realize Mrs. Aguilera tried to push her overboard while attempting to steal her purse. Trixie and Honey seem obtuse in this adventure.
This particular author has a peculiar obsession with putting song lyrics in the story. Maybe she's cheating to meet a specific word count. Whatever, it's annoying.
Nobody seems inclined to listen to Dan, either, even though he has street smarts. They just dismiss him like they do Trixie. Plus, Dan doesn't seem to care for Mart in this book and I can't blame him. Thinks he's a know-it-all. And Mart was pretty obnoxious throughout the entire book.
The kids were pretty dumb to accept a boat ride from a stranger, especially when they know people are after them. Heck, I knew at 5-years-old not to accept a ride from strangers. And why didn't they immediately grow suspicious when Bob's demeanor changed as soon as they were on the boat. Probably because the author wanted to insert a few more song lyrics. *insert eye roll*
Doesn't Trixie know you shouldn't swim alone? Even if you don't have a killer after you, there's a safety issue. She sure acts clueless in "The Mystery on the Mississippi".
Why in the world would the police think it's a good idea to send the kids to Hannibal ALONE right after Lontard tried to murder Trixie? Trixie's not the only one suffering from a case of the "stupids" and taking unnecessary risks. At least she has the excuse of being a kid. The police have no excuse.
Mart kept bitching about going to Hannibal (ungratefully, in my opinion, whenever Mr. Wheeler was around), but as they're finally driving to Hannibal, he starts complaining about getting back to the airport area in time to see some exhibit. He is a complete prick in this book, unlike other books. What's up with this author?
Less than 24 hours after making a promise to Mr. Wheeler to tell him immediately if they find any new information, the kids break their promise. I don't understand why any of the adults trust them. Maybe because the way they act in "The Mystery on the Mississippi" is incongruous with the way they act in previous books. This author is the pits at times. (If I'm not mistaken, she takes Mart in a unfortunate direction in other books, too.)
With a murderer after Trixie, why would Mr. Wheeler WANT Trixie and Honey to stay at the motel alone? I'd want them in my sight at all times! Honestly, everyone in the story seems to have taken a generous drink of some sort of stupid potion.
Honey and Trixie are idiots to go with the Aguileras. I can't belieive they would be so trusting after all that's happened. They don't even ask to see any official I.D. Only because they are fictional characters do they not end up dead at the end of this adventure.
Despite the book being a complete dumpster fire, it avoids a one star rating for two reasons. First, even though the author leaves a lot to be desired in character building, she can write a grammatically correct sentence. Second, there is a lot of action in "The Mystery on the Mississippi", so it's not boring in the least though it does make you want to pull your hair out at times. I guess it's a lesson for kids of what NOT to do in a crisis (or otherwise).
Not one of the better books in the series.
To me, Trixie and Honey acted much younger than fourteen in this book. At times, they seemed like they were about seven or eight, especially Honey.
Unbelievable that Trixie did not realize Mrs. Aguilera tried to push her overboard while attempting to steal her purse. Trixie and Honey seem obtuse in this adventure.
This particular author has a peculiar obsession with putting song lyrics in the story. Maybe she's cheating to meet a specific word count. Whatever, it's annoying.
Nobody seems inclined to listen to Dan, either, even though he has street smarts. They just dismiss him like they do Trixie. Plus, Dan doesn't seem to care for Mart in this book and I can't blame him. Thinks he's a know-it-all. And Mart was pretty obnoxious throughout the entire book.
The kids were pretty dumb to accept a boat ride from a stranger, especially when they know people are after them. Heck, I knew at 5-years-old not to accept a ride from strangers. And why didn't they immediately grow suspicious when Bob's demeanor changed as soon as they were on the boat. Probably because the author wanted to insert a few more song lyrics. *insert eye roll*
Doesn't Trixie know you shouldn't swim alone? Even if you don't have a killer after you, there's a safety issue. She sure acts clueless in "The Mystery on the Mississippi".
Why in the world would the police think it's a good idea to send the kids to Hannibal ALONE right after Lontard tried to murder Trixie? Trixie's not the only one suffering from a case of the "stupids" and taking unnecessary risks. At least she has the excuse of being a kid. The police have no excuse.
Mart kept bitching about going to Hannibal (ungratefully, in my opinion, whenever Mr. Wheeler was around), but as they're finally driving to Hannibal, he starts complaining about getting back to the airport area in time to see some exhibit. He is a complete prick in this book, unlike other books. What's up with this author?
Less than 24 hours after making a promise to Mr. Wheeler to tell him immediately if they find any new information, the kids break their promise. I don't understand why any of the adults trust them. Maybe because the way they act in "The Mystery on the Mississippi" is incongruous with the way they act in previous books. This author is the pits at times. (If I'm not mistaken, she takes Mart in a unfortunate direction in other books, too.)
With a murderer after Trixie, why would Mr. Wheeler WANT Trixie and Honey to stay at the motel alone? I'd want them in my sight at all times! Honestly, everyone in the story seems to have taken a generous drink of some sort of stupid potion.
Honey and Trixie are idiots to go with the Aguileras. I can't belieive they would be so trusting after all that's happened. They don't even ask to see any official I.D. Only because they are fictional characters do they not end up dead at the end of this adventure.
Despite the book being a complete dumpster fire, it avoids a one star rating for two reasons. First, even though the author leaves a lot to be desired in character building, she can write a grammatically correct sentence. Second, there is a lot of action in "The Mystery on the Mississippi", so it's not boring in the least though it does make you want to pull your hair out at times. I guess it's a lesson for kids of what NOT to do in a crisis (or otherwise).
Not one of the better books in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2018
I loved the Trixie Belden books as a kid (nice to see they got republished). I'm still unsure how they ended up in my corner of the world. I slowly amassed the whole series as first editions (it seemed so glamourous as a kid owning precious books that were older than me!) by saving all my pocket money to buy them from the local secondhand store. I can only guess that some adult (probably having moved to our sleepy town from overseas) had sold them off in bulk. They sat in a back corner of the store, thankfully ignored by everyone else, as I slowly acquired them through pocket money and then in a mass swoop for Christmas. It helped that back then secondhand books sold for anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents rather than $7-10 as they do these days!
They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.
They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.
February 27, 2022
Still an absolute favorite!
Trixie and the rest of the Bob-Whites travel out to St. Louis and get tangled into a case of international espionage, some pretty heavy duty intrigue and a lot of danger, mystery and excitement. The best part? Traveling down the Mississippi river on a barge (something I dreamed about doing often after reading this book when I was a kid). I loved the Tom Sawyer stuff, the exploration of the cave, and of course, a lot of nail-biting action.
Trixie gets into more trouble than you can imagine and the danger is real, given how close she comes to dying more than once. Is it any wonder I wanted to become a detective when I was a kid? It was just all so exciting!
If you love Trixie this book is one you cannot miss. If you haven't met Trixie yet, what are you waiting for? There's a whole series out there waiting for you to discover it!
Trixie and the rest of the Bob-Whites travel out to St. Louis and get tangled into a case of international espionage, some pretty heavy duty intrigue and a lot of danger, mystery and excitement. The best part? Traveling down the Mississippi river on a barge (something I dreamed about doing often after reading this book when I was a kid). I loved the Tom Sawyer stuff, the exploration of the cave, and of course, a lot of nail-biting action.
Trixie gets into more trouble than you can imagine and the danger is real, given how close she comes to dying more than once. Is it any wonder I wanted to become a detective when I was a kid? It was just all so exciting!
If you love Trixie this book is one you cannot miss. If you haven't met Trixie yet, what are you waiting for? There's a whole series out there waiting for you to discover it!
November 3, 2019
Oh my goodness, this was pure nostalgia for me! I so fondly remember reading Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and similar books during my girlhood. My children loved this delightful mystery story about Tracie, Honey, and the other members of the Bob-Whites of the Glen Club. The tale is very well written and the pace increasingly rapid. The action takes place in Saint Louis, Missouri and up and down the Mississippi River. Will Tracie and Honey prevail over the evil villains? Read this and find out. You will definitely not be disappointed:)
November 26, 2021
Honey's father must take a flight to do some work on some secret space stuff with work friend Mr Brandio. He allows his daughter, Honey to come with her 'bob-white' friends. All seems well, but when Trixie goes to her motel room, she immediately knows something is off; the maid is still working from the last client and a very suspicious man is looking through the wastebasket. Once the maid and the man leave, Trixie collects the papers the man is looking for and keeps them in her purse. Little does she know that the man will not stop at any cost until he gets hold of the papers once again...
October 5, 2025
The tone of this book was so different from other Trixie Belden books. The whole first half of the book was lacking any of kind of transition. I think I’ve seen reviews that Kathryn Kenny had someone else write this book and you can really tell. It’s much higher stakes and the characters all spoke differently than normal. There were also so many moments to bring the Jim-and-Trixie theme in, but there was none of that in this story. I also felt like no one supported Trixie in this one, which is also out of character for them. It wasn’t my favorite!
June 20, 2025
The Great Trixie Belden Re-Read of 2025: #15
BANGER. Absolute BANGER. A proper, full on life or death mystery. Trixie is so smart. She's like original less woke Veronica Mars circa 1950s. Finally Dan was actually present for an entire book yay. Side note: everywhere the bob-whites go Mart makes friends with some local boy and by the end they promise to be pen pals. He's actually homotron3000 why is he hooking up with boys all over America while his sister solves mysteries??
BANGER. Absolute BANGER. A proper, full on life or death mystery. Trixie is so smart. She's like original less woke Veronica Mars circa 1950s. Finally Dan was actually present for an entire book yay. Side note: everywhere the bob-whites go Mart makes friends with some local boy and by the end they promise to be pen pals. He's actually homotron3000 why is he hooking up with boys all over America while his sister solves mysteries??
March 20, 2020
You can't tell me, that after 15 of these mysteries, that Trixie Belden is this dumb. Actually it seems to me her intelligence is fading. This is what happens when you put a series into the hands of ghost-writers. 3 stars feels a stretch, 2.5 seems more accurate.
June 19, 2023
pursuing the reread of my childhood collection ...
This episode in the series ramped up the danger. It seems to be reflecting the unrest around the world a little more (in the mid 1960's) without becoming too specific.
This episode in the series ramped up the danger. It seems to be reflecting the unrest around the world a little more (in the mid 1960's) without becoming too specific.
April 9, 2018
Visiting St Louis the girls are kidnapped and held on a derelict river boat.
August 6, 2018
I found a few at the used book store I hadn't read yet and this was one. I forgot how the criminals in Trixie Belden were SO menacing and evil. It's a wonder I even read them as a kid. ;)
December 31, 2019
I really liked this book. It kept me in suspense. When you think the mystery is solved, it really isn't.
July 2, 2022
Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.
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