The Secret of Grange Farm

by Frances Cowen

When Bette Danvers' holiday plans were upset, she immediately thought of Grange Farm and of the many summers she had spent there as a child. She would go back to the farm, she decided, and help her cousin with the harvesting.

But somehow Grange Farm didn't seem the same any more. All the old farm-hands had been sacked and a crowd of tough-looking men were installed in their place. Her cousin, Nicholas Ferndale, had changed too. He had grown a beard and was no longer the gentle, laughing Nicky she had know.

Inadvertently Bette stumbled upon the key to the mystery, and found herself in the midst of an adventure which involved her with dangerous, unscrupulous men.

Frances Cowen has written an exciting, fast-moving story which no girl will be able to put down and the secret of Grange Farm is at last unfolded.

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Born the daughter of Joseph and Helen Cowen, Frances Cowen was educated in Oxford at an Ursuline convent and the Milham Ford School for girls.

She married George Heinrich Munthe in 1938; he died in 1941. They had one child, a daughter, Mary.

She wrote romantic suspense novels and books for children/young adults and produced more than 50 works under her own name. She also wrote around 10 novels under the pseudonym Eleanor Hyde.

In addition to writing, she worked for Blackwell's in Oxford, England, in 1938−39; was a member of Air Raid Precautions staff in Dartmouth, Devon, during World War II, and was assistant secretary for the Royal Literary Fund in London from 1955 through to 1966.

She contributed to various anthologies, to 'Good Housekeeping', 'Woman's Weekly', 'Oxford Times', plus other periodicals and newspapers. She was also a staff member of 'Little Folks' magazine and a member of PEN International and of the Crime Writers Association.

Reviews

[Bionic Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! The Secret of Grange Farm by Frances Cowen was originally published in 1961 by “The Children’s Press”. This was a Collins imprint which specialised in what used to be called “Juvenile Fiction” and is now called YA. The protagonist is 16 years old, so I suspect it was aimed mainly at girls of this age, plus those a little younger. It was reprinted in 2008, as part of “Retro Classics”, so clearly a lot of people have fond memories of this novel! I am delighted to find I have another adventure story by Frances Cowen on my shelves: “The Secret of the Loch” which was written the next year.

Frances Cowen wrote romantic suspense novels, as well as books for children and young adults, and pieces in various periodicals. She was prolific, with over 50 titles published under her own name, and also writing under 3 other pseudonyms, the most famous being Eleanor Hyde. She was a member of the Crime Writers Association, which makes sense as The Secret of Grange Farm builds the tension very effectively, and has an exciting story which never lets up.

The viewpoint character is Bette Danvers, who is temporarily staying with her aunt, as her mother has remarried and is honeymooning in France. Bette is a little put out by this, not having met the man. Then with the summer holidays looming, she discovers that her friend Mavis’s sister has contracted measles, so she cannot stay there as planned. The aunt that she is staying with is going back to Scotland to be with her husband, so Bette decides not to say anything to anyone, and to just find somewhere else to live for a few weeks.

On the spur of the moment she decides to invite herself to Grange Farm, which is out in the country at Fairham. Grange Farm is owned by Nicholas Ferndale, or “Nicky”, who is Bette’s cousin. Bette hasn’t seen him for years, but has wonderful childhood memories of staying on the farm with her kind, doting cousin. Nicky had pretty much been her childhood hero, when she was younger. But when he was fighting in Cyprus with the British army, Nicholas Ferndale was at one point reported missing and considered dead. Bette has been told that he had returned, and is excited by the idea of seeing him. Unfortunately, the news about Mavis has come too late for her to give much warning to her cousin.

So Bette sends Nicholas a telegram and sets off. However she does not know that Nicholas Ferndale had replied and told her that he would be unable to accommodate her. The farm is very busy, he says, and he will have no time to entertain her. In addition he has the house full with his farmhands. Not having seen the telegram, Bette arrives at Grange Farm to find it all changed and the old family retainers that she knew all gone, and rather tough looking characters in their place.

Nicholas Ferndale is not there, so she goes to two other cousins, Clover and Hugh who live close to the farm and run a little shop. Nicholas Ferndale had given them a little money to buy an antiques business, if they agreed to move out of the farm. Bette finds them at home, and once they recognise her after so many years, they happily say that they can put her up if Nicholas Ferndale is unable to do so. They are surprised to hear she is going to the farm because of all the changes that have been made, and because Nicky is no longer very hospitable. They warn Bette that he seems much rougher and with a harder personality, but they all agree that it is to be expected, as he had gone through so much in Cyprus.

Bette receives a cold reception when she returns to Grange Farm the next day. She finds Nicholas nothing like the person she once idolised. He has changed so much in appearance, and now sports a beard, but also his demeanour is cold and unfriendly. He tells her she can not stay, and that his farmhands are all ex-servicemen, and have no time for visitors. At that moment a plane crashes and Nicky and Bette rush out to rescue the pilot. We later learn that the pilot is Ian Trent, an Air Force officer who also fought in Cyprus, and refers to Nicky by the name “Smiler”—although Nicky says he must be delirious. The doctor is called, and says the man must stay at the farm until he can be moved to the hospital, so Nicky says that Bette, who has had training in First Aid, may stay to take care of him after all.

After Ian and Nicky have a private conversation, Ian tells Bette he is in great danger there. He asks her to help him escape in the night and tells her that if anything should happen, she must call a man named J.B. Smith and inform him. At this, Bette also suspects that Ian must be delirious from the crash. However she changes her mind when she returns to the farm, after visiting Hugh and Clover, and finds that Ian has disappeared. Nicholas claims that a friend came in a car to pick him up, but Bette is dubious about this as the doctor had said he was not supposed to be moved.

Later she finds a message written in the dust on a shelf in Ian’s room saying “Got me. Old Quarry, heard them. Tell Smith”. Then when he is washing after his farm duties, Bette notices that Nicky is missing the tattoo on his arm—and blurts it out before thinking. Bette realises that this man is not her cousin Nicky, but must be an impostor who has stolen Nicky’s identity and inheritance, perhaps after the real Nicky has died in battle. She also now realises that she is in terrible danger.

After nightfall Bette sneaks out of the house to telephone J.B. Smith from a call box, but an assistant answers that he is out of town. She then heads to the quarry where at the bottom she finds Ian Trent, who has miraculously survived being thrown over the edge. Trent confirms that the man she knows as “Nicholas” is in fact Smiler, a tough customer who he knew in Cyprus and says that that Bette must not return to the farm house. She plans to try to fetch a doctor for Ian, and then flee to Hugh and Clover’s place, but when she emerges from the quarry, she finds the thuggish men from the searching for her. She sees a little boy, Bobby Selwyn, whom she knows, as his father used to work on the farm, and she begs him to phone the police, but he does not want his father to know he had sneaked out so late. So Bette does not know if her desperate plea for help will ever get through. As time goes on, she find herself in even more dire straits. Wretched and miserable she accept a lift from a stranger—only to find that he is one of the imposter Nicholas’s henchmen! She is driven back to the farm, losing all the progress she has made, and is now in her enemy’s clutches. What’s more, nobody else knows that the pilot Ian Trent is fighting for his life in the quarry.

We are now about half way through the twelve chapters in the book, and at this point the viewpoint character switches. I find this quite effective, as it serves to increase the tension because we are not sure what is happening to Bette, and fear for her. Clover and Hugh had advertised for temporary help in the shop, while Clover recuperates from an ankle injury. They had been expecting a woman to arrive on the train. Instead though, they find she has sent her son, Tim, who is having a break from his duties as a junior police constable. He proves to have a better head for business than either of them, and is a born salesperson in the shop. The episodes where he features make an entertaining break in the relentless sense of impending danger in this novel.

There are further disasters, and a little old lady who lives alone in the forest proves to be an enormous help. Bette had been locked in the vaults at the farm when she was recaptured, but the housekeeper Mrs. Della set her free, on condition that she stay in hiding with the old woman, Miss Benham, for a week. (It looked for while as if this was kindness, but is later revealed as part of the imposter Nicholas’s plot.) Bette has discovered that what she had been told was a dynamo, was in fact machinery making counterfeit bank notes which had been flooding the area. “Nicholas” wanted to frame Clover and Hugh, and left a wooden box of jewellery with Clover for her to sell, but it had a false bottom, with two plates and a lot of bank notes inside. They discovered this, but when they told the police the story they were under suspicion themselves, as “Nicholas” denied all knowledge of it.

J.B. Smith, whom Bette had been asked to phone, enters the plot, as the young constable has managed to see him and says everyone at work thinks highly of him. J.B. seems to know more about the situation that he is prepared to tell anyone, but fortunately he does appear to be friendly and on their side. The criminals try to escape and set fire to the farm to remove the evidence of their activity, but thankfully the animals are safe as they had been let out, and the fire brigade put the fire out before too much damage has been done. The imposter and his gang are apprehended.

The story ends neatly, with Bette recounting her thrilling adventures to the others in the final chapter. She had been staying with the old lady, Miss Benham, who had looked after her when she spent a night in the forest, desperately fleeing from her would-be captors. The real Nicholas returns in an emotional scene. Nobody had believed he was who he said he was without papers, but J.B. has pulled some strings. J.B., as well as being a high-up in the police (or perhaps the Secret Service—we are not sure) also delightfully turns out to be Bette’s new stepfather. And Ian Trent, the airforce pilot, makes a full recovery.

The truth is now known, and everybody is safe. Life goes back to normal in Grange Farm, Fairham.

The Secret of Grange Farm was written over 60 years ago, and has all the characteristics of fiction from that age. The youngsters are well behaved and treat their elders with respect. There are subtle indications of quite a rigid class system (the old retainers, and housekeeper are not from the same class as our protagonists). Anyone with an eye for business is slightly amusing. The police officers are above suspicion; completely reliable and trustworthy. The criminal classes are rude, yobbish and uncouth. Test pilots are jolly good sports. Everyone gets their just deserts and nobody dies.

These may be seen as old-fashioned attitudes and depictions, but in its favour we have the virtues of optimism, courage, tenacity, fellowship and loyalty of that generation, and teenagers who show quite a bit more independence than is usual now. Bette is 16, yet thinks nothing of organising herself to travel to the other end of the country by train, and staying there for a few weeks. She has no phone, no car and no back-up, and events in the novel prove just how capable she is. Clover is (I think) 19, with Hugh a couple of years older. They too act independently, buying and running a business, and employing someone else.

These are not the typical teenagers of today, and it is not the type of novel geared to the YA market. Would young teens enjoy reading this novel now? There is no romance, and no glorification of violence, and no antihero. The protagonists are brave rather than “feisty”. But it is exciting, with no shortage of action, and there is a gripping mystery to solve. If an avid reader is willing to give it a go, bearing in mind the social and technological differences when it was written—perhaps with the initial remit of comparing it with modern teenage novels—I believe they may well find themselves enjoying it! And their grandparents would find it a rare treat; a meander down memory lane, via a really good story.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bette Danvers is a little put out when, with the school holidays looming, she discovers that the aunt that she is staying with is going away for the summer so she will have to find somewhere else to live for the period. With her mother having just remarried and on honeymoon overseas, she opts to go to a cousin who she has not seen for some considerable time and who owns Grange Farm out in the country at Fairham. But her aunt's decision has come too late for her to give much warning to cousin Nicholas Ferndale, who had been her childhood hero when she was younger.

She sends Nicholas a telegram and set off. Unknowingly to her Ferndale replies and tells her that he is unable to accommodate her for the farm is very busy, he will have no time to entertain her and in addition he has the house full with his farmhands. Not having seen the telegram she arrives at Grange Farm to find it all changed and the old family retainers that she knew all gone and rather tough looking characters in their place.

Ferndale is not there so she goes to two other cousins, Clover and Hugh who live close to the farm and run a little shop. She finds them at home and they willingly say that they can put her up if Ferndale is unable to do so, because they are aware of the dramatic changes that have been undergone at the farm. Working with them Clover and Hugh have a young man, Tim, who acts as a salesperson in the shop while Clover, who is nursing an ankle injury, rests up.

Bette returns to Grange Farm and finds Nicholas nothing like the person she once idolised, indeed he has changed so much, not only in appearance, he now sports a beard, but also in his demeanour. She wonders if it is really him but she dismisses the thought as being too silly to think of. However, he sends her back to her other cousins, where discussion takes place as to whether or not Nicholas is the person he purports to be.

The real adventures then begin as the four of them try to discover more about Nicholas and the workings of Grange Farm, which seems to have undergone a sea-change entirely. In carrying out their investigations they get themselves in various difficulties and Bette even disappears as suspicion of Nicholas grows. And after an aircraft crashes nearby, the rescued but injured pilot seems to recognise Nicholas but calls him by another name; this heightens the suspicion as to who he really is.

A certain JB Smith then pops up on the scene and seems to know more about the situation that he is prepared to tell but Bette, Hugh, Clover and Tim cannot seem to draw him out enough to know what is going on. Fortunately he does appear friendly and on their side.

Eventually, after more dramatic happenings, the truth is out, the farm is returned to its original owner, everybody is safe and life goes back to normal in Fairham. And Bette has a couple of surprise in store before she finally settles down once more!

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I saw this book on Etsy and was intrigued with the name and cover. I had never heard of it before but it seemed interesting. It was for sale for a long time and I finally ended up spending the $14 to buy it. I recall being a little disappointed in it, both the story and the appearance. The dustjacket was more scuffed up than it had appeared online and the book is actually rather small. As for the story I had anticipated something along the lines of the Meg Duncan series meets Betty Cavanna. But there was no chance of that once I realized this is a British book. I find there's a huge difference in styles when it comes to British and American books, even when they're from the same time period and aimed at the same audience.
I didn't completely dislike this book, I actually remember feeling it had similarities to The 39 Steps by John Buchan, which is an amazing action/adventure book. My biggest qualms with it was that just when the exciting part begins to happen to our main character it switches over to the side character and we later hear about all the excitement in a retelling and don't actually get to be there for it first hand. I remember quite a bit about this book but have no idea if I'll like it or not upon this re-reading.

Summary
While sixteen year old Bette is at school her mother has married an unknown man and gone off to France for her honeymoon. Bette is temporarily staying with her aunt during the summer holidays but as her aunt is about to head to Scotland to meet up with her husband, Bette has plans to stay with her friend Mavis. At the last minute Mavis writes that Bette can not come because her sibling has come down with the measles. Bette doesn't want to be a burden on her Aunt, who is very excited to go meet up with her husband, so she instead decides to invite herself to Grange Farm.

Grange Farm is owned by Nicholas Ferndale, or Nicky, who is Bette's cousin. Bette has wonderful childhood memories of staying on the farm with her kind, dotting cousin and is excited to see him. While fighting in Cyprus with the British army Nicky was at one point missing and considered dead when he suddenly returned looking rougher and with a harder personality. He came back to the farm, shoos away his cousins Hugh and Clover, and replaced all the workmen.

When arriving in town Bette is mistakenly taken to Hugh and Clover, who run a small shop. They tell her they're surprised to hear she is going to the farm as Nicky is not very hospitable. Bette receives a cold reception at the farm and Nicky tells her she can not stay. At that moment a plane crashes and Nicky and Bette rush out to rescue the pilot. He is Ian Trent, a former Cyprus fighter, and refers to Nicky by the name Smiler. The man must stay at the farm until he can be moved to the hospital and Nicky has Bette, who has had nurse training, stay to take care of him. After Ian and Nicky have a private conversation, Ian tells Bette he is in danger there and asks her to help him escape in the night and tells her that if anything should happen to call a man named J.B. Smith and inform him. Bette feels that Ian must be delirious from the crash but changes her mind when she returns to the farm, after visiting Hugh and Clover, and finds Ian gone. Nicholas claims a friend came to pick up Ian but Bette later finds a message written in the dust on a shelf in Ian's room saying "Got me. Old Quarry, heard them. Tell Smith". Later that evening Bette notices and unwisely remarks that Nicky is missing the tattoo on his arm. Bette then realizes that this man is not her cousin Nicky, rather an impostor who stole Nicky's identity and inheritance, presumably after the real Nicky has died in battle.

After nightfall Bette sneaks out of the house to call J.B. Smith at a payphone but finds him out of town. She then heads to the Quarry where at the bottom she finds Ian Trent who has miraculously survived being thrown over the edge. Trent confirms that "Nicholas" is in fact Smiler, a tough customer who he knew in Cyprus and that Bette must not return to the farm house. She then plans to go get a doctor for Ian and then flee to Hugh and Clovers, however when she emerges from the quarry she finds the men searching for her.
You can read the rest of the summary on my blog: vintagegirlsbooks.blogspot.com

- When looking at other peoples reviews almost all of them mention this book to be talking about WW2 when it mentions Nicholas's army experiences. But its actually the Cyprus Emergency that he fought in. My copy of this book does not have a copyright date but looking it up it was published in 1961 which lines up with the Cyprus Emergency which took place 1955-1959 (if you're unfamiliar with this historical event as I was, it was when Cyprus fought to end the British's ruling over it). It also mentions EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) which confirms this.

- There's a chapter called The Nine Lives of Ian Trent which is just such a bada*s chapter title to me. This is one of the things that remind me of The 39 Steps along with Bette's being pursued on foot, meeting people along her journey, and being captured and locked in a room.

- After Bette has been captured the rest of the story switches to Hugh and Clover and we don't see Bette again until the end. This is REALLY frustrating as Hugh and Clovers part of the book is not as interesting as Bette's.

- On page 147 Clover is accidentally called Bette.
"What on Earth?" cried Bette who sat in the shop polishing some old glass.
I'm curious if this mistake is removed from the Retro Classics Publishing edition of this book.

- Is it just me or are sparks flying between Bette and Ian at the end. I kinda need a sequel telling me what happens with those two!

But wait! There's more!
★ You can read the rest of this review on my blog, vintagegirlsbooks.blogspot.com
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Original Rewview:
Overall this book was good. Over half is very adventurous and reads like a version of The 39 Steps for young girls. However it switches all the sudden and the rest of the book follows other people who sit around worrying about the main character for the rest of the book. Meanwhile the main character is having exciting events happen which we are not there for. That and the fact that the end is obvious are the only problems. Otherwise it's fab.

[Christian West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bette's school holidays seem ruined when her friend's sister contracts measles and she goes to spend the holidays with her cousin Nicholas. Unfortunately when she gets there she discover there's something mysterious about both the cousin she hasn't seen for years and his farm.

The main character changed half way through with no real warning, but apart from that it was a good plot with lots of twists and intrigue.

[Tijana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veoma zanimljiva knjiga, samo sto imam zamjerku na greske koje sam primijetila:
1. U jednom poglavlju jedan lik u romanu govori "Danas je nedelja, pa..." cak i ako je ranije izricito receno da je ponedeljak
2. Greska koja nisam sigurna da li stvarno nedostatak u knjizi ili se mozda smisao izgubio u prevodu:
Kada na 126.str dolazi lik po imenu Nikolas u kucu Klover i Hjua i kad su mu otvorena vrata receno je da su iza njega kola (valjda njegova) i on govori kako primjecuje da je vec neko njima u gostima (inspektor) cak i ako oni sjede u vrtu iza kuce. On bi jedino mogao da shvati da je neko vec kod njih ako su njegova (inspektorova kola tu) ili ako ga vidi kad su otvorena vrata u kuci. Ako je prvi slucaj, tj. ako su inspektorova kola tu, zasto onda inspektor kasnije odlazi sa Nikolasom u njegovim kolima i ostavlja svoja. Pretpostavljam da je onda drugi slucaj i da ga je on vidio kad su se otvorila vrata, sto je malo nejasno ali ok.

Cijela misterija me je veoma intirigirala i jedva sam nekoliko puta spustila knjigu tokom tri dana citanja. Preporucujem je svima koji vole razotkrivanje misterija i zlocina. Da postoji i po dala bih vjerovatno 4.5, ali ovako ipak zasluzuje 4.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars great retro childrens mystery read set post ww2 in the UK 16 yo bette finds herself in a spot of bother when she goes to stay at her cousin's farm who she hasn't seen years. On chance visit to farm bette doesn't quite receive the welcome she believed she would - what has happened, why is everyone acting strange. All unravels during her stay.

[Beatrice Moffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a nice refreshing read from 1961 in England.
I found it in a vintage book bin. I don’t think I had read her books before but similar to Nancy Drew, Hardy boys only it seems only one book about the people in this book.It is a nice mystery and it had a tricky ending. A good ending but there was a surprise I should have guessed but didn’t

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little mystery! If you loved Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden, this book is very similar. I especially love the quaint language and manners. I did when I read these books in elementary school in the 70s and I still do as a 53yo grandmother.

[Klaudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zbyt dużo zbiegów okoliczności jak na mój gust, ale czytało się szybko i przyjemnie.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic mystery! It's a Retro Press reprint of an old British book. I would guess that the original book was written in the early to mid 1950s. When 16 year-old Bette Danvers' holiday plans were ruined she immediately thought of Grange Farm where she had spent happy summers as a child with her cousin Nicky. However, she finds Grange Farm much changed. The old farmhands have all been sacked. Nicholas has grown a beard and the carefree laughing boy has been replaced by a sardonic man. He frankly tells Bette that he doesn't want her there. A nearby airplane crash and an injured pilot keeps Bette there. Slowly she uncovers the key to what is going on and spends several terrifying days trying to get away. I was surprised by the ending, which I didn't see coming until it was nearly upon me.

[Milley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
spoilers

I really enjoyed this book at least up to the point where Bette was imprisoned and we lost her point of view. I didn't mind that the other "children" became more involved its just that the adults took over in a manner completely at odds to the brave singleton Bette.

Its famous five territory minus the marvelous food descriptions and horrendous and marvelous way the kids treat each other "you horrible horrible child!".

but i liked Bette and her moxie better than the Five kids. So what happened why did the author have the adults take over?