Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Headless Horseman

I always liked the "Headless Horseman" when I was a kid, it was a fun one. The Bob-Whites are putting on a bazaar to raise money for...UNICEF, I think? I forget. Some charity or another :) At any rate, the night before Di's butler, Harrison, goes missing. Since the bazaar is at Di's house and the only way her parents would agree to it, since they're out of town, is if Harrison supervises, so Trixie and Honey go looking for him. They find him locked in the cellar of his friend Mrs. Crandall's house. Harrison claims he accidentally locked himself in there, but Trixie investigates the door and discovers there's no way he could have, someone locked him in. If that weren't mysterious enough, it turns out Mrs. Crandall's late husband, show more Jonathan, was the prime suspect in the disappearance of a valuable Ming vase from the museum where he worked. He passed away suddenly before anyone could find the missing vase. Trixie is convinced she can figure it out and clear Mr. Crandall's name. It's elementary :) show less

I guess that over the course of my lifetime I've probably read most of the Trixie Belden series a minimum of three times each, some of them probably closer to ten times. I haven't re-read any of them (until now) for many years, likely twenty or more. I do recall though which ones were my favorites, and which were among the second-tier favorites, and which (there were only a few) that I just did not love.

All of this to say that this one was firmly among the second-tier favorites, and there it remains upon re-reading in the year 2022.

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? – 1979.

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 and cell phones.

Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart, and Diana run an benefit for a show more charity, and along the way discover another longtime resident whose husband died accused of the theft of a Ming vase. Solving this mystery puts Diana's butler, stern Harrison, as the potential villain. Only at the very end is it discovered who the real villain is.


Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence and no murder. show less