The three-book Mary Louise Gay mystery series, published in 1935, is absolutely delightful (to my great surprise). Edith Lavell’s writing is strong, and she has a great knack for telling a suspenseful whodunnit. I loved the characters, the prose, and the charming atmosphere of all three books.
For readers interested in vintage juvenile literature or classic Nancy Drew readalikes, look no further than this trilogy.
Book 1: The Mystery of Dark Cedars
In the first book, readers are introduced to Miss Mary Louise Gay, a sixteen-year-old girl living in rural Pennsylvania with her parents, her little brother, and her dog. Mary Lou and her best friend, Jane, keep up an active social calendar and are very popular around town. Mary Lou’s family is the very definition of fairytale-esque mid-century wholesomeness, and overall, the picture painted by Lavell is quite lovable.
One day, Mary Lou and Jane meet an orphan named Elsie Grant in the woods. Elsie lives with her miserly spinster aunt in a dilapidated old mansion and she’s terribly unhappy—worse, Elsie has recently been accused of stealing her aunt’s fortune out of a locked safe! Feeling sure that Elsie is not to blame, Mary Lou promises to uncover who’s actually at fault. And with the semi-reluctant Jane at her side, she does just that.
Honestly, my favorite part about Dark Cedars was how Mary Lou actually investigates. She interviews suspects, follows up on leads. At one point, she stows away in the trunk of a moving car, steals a suitcase, and then gets accosted by a tramp in the woods. At a different moment, Mary Lou punches the culprit in the face. Mary Lou hikes through the woods, eavesdrops, and is utterly fearless even when sleeping alone in a room that’s allegedly haunted. This is not the kind of mystery where the protagonist just happens to stumble across clues; Mary Lou works hard to figure out who’s responsible for the stolen gold, and her determination and bravery are rewarded. I love mysteries where the detective actually…y’know, detects things. Even better when the intrepid girl-sleuth coldclocks the villain in the face just because she can.
However, I’ll add a general disclaimer and content warning for era-typical racism and bigotry, specifically in depictions of Black people and Romani (here referred to as “gypsies”). In both instances, it’s not so much that the BIPOC characters are charicaturized or portrayed in a negative light; rather, the white characters hold biased, stereotypical ideas that go unchallenged by the text. For example, when some chickens are stolen, everyone aside from Mary Lou assumes it to have been a Black family, because, and I quote, “colored folks like chicken.” Never mind that the family in question is a completely respectable bunch with no history of criminal behavior. (Obviously, they’re proven innocent in the end.)
While the prejudice described above was just as unacceptable in 1935 as it is today, and I don’t make excuses for it. However, I believe that if one can tolerate the questionable aspects of the story, the rest of Dark Cedars has a lot to recommend it.
Book 2: The Mystery of the Fires
This second Mary Louise Gay mystery is absolute perfection. Honestly. The Mystery of the Fires is exciting and well-written—and Mary Lou is a resourceful, dauntless amateur sleuth backed up by an army of sweetly adoring friends and family. There’s also zero racism/bigotry in this text, and instead Lavell offers a thoughtful, progressive depiction of mental illness.
In this adventure, Mary Lou, her mother, her brother, and her best friend are vacationing in the Gay’s summer cottage along the Hudson River. The group’s plans for a peaceful holiday are cut short, however, when a nearby cottage is burnt down, and people in the tight-knit community starting pointing fingers. The suspects include one of Mary Lou’s dear friends, and even worse: her younger brother!
Naturally, Mary Lou gets to the bottom of it, but not before she’s kidnapped and becomes the star of a country-wide manhunt. With quick thinking, a lot of grit, and some helpful friends, Mary Lou saves herself, finds the villain, and gets to (finally) enjoy a nice canoe ride on the river.
I just…*chef’s kiss* YES. This is not just a book I’d recommend to people interested in vintage children’s literature, or what have you. The Mystery of the Fires is genuinely a good book that I’d give to anyone wanting to read a good mystery intended for the 8-14 audience. It doesn’t feel dated or silly or over-dramatic. It’s good story-telling, and that’s it.
Book 3: The Mystery of the Secret Band
The third and final Mary Louise Gay book is just about as good as the last. In this one, Mary Lou gets her first-ever paying detective job, goes undercover, thwarts a crime ring, and gets her picture in the paper! Also, her long-time boyfriend, Max, proposes to her, but she tells him she couldn’t possibly think about marriage just yet (she’s only sixteen, after all).
What I really love is how these three books have built upon each other and shown a clear progression in Mary Lou’s development and her reputation. In book one, she’s just a girl trying to help a friend out. In this story, she’s actually got paying work as a detective. I cannot express (a) how much I love this series or (b) how truly devastated I am that A.L. Burt didn’t call for further installments.
I don’t think I have ever, in my entire life, felt that a series was ended too soon—usually, I complain about unnecessary sequels. So that should really tell you how excellent I found The Mystery of the Secret Band, plus its prequels.If you need me, I’ll be over here, sulking.
Conclusion
Not to be controversial on main, but in my opinion, the Mary Lou Mysteries are even better than the original text Nancy Drew books written by Mildred Wirt Benson. (Yeah, I went there.) Mary Lou is just a little messier and more realistic than Nancy, but just as smart and resourceful. I appreciate that even though the Gay family is reasonably well-off, they’re not wealthy, and so Mary Lou is driven to have a career as a detective more than just solve mysteries for fun. Also, the supporting cast in this trilogy was brilliant.
Hot take: these books are The Best, and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams could never.
I agree with you 100%
Just going to start the 3rd one
kind of wish there was more