Synopses & Reviews
Mystery Box is the story of Franklin Dixon and Carolyn Keene, authors of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries. It?s true that these two never actually lived in the real world, but the mystery of their identities has intrigued readers for years. Gordon McAlpine here imagines the lives behind these two well-loved American names.Following parallel escapes from awkward situations at home, Frank and Carolyn both find themselves in Paris in the 1920s, among the glittering expatriate literary circles. Frank, who initially made the trip overseas in search of his lost brother Joe, now runs his own detective agency and frequents the parlor of Gertrude Stein. Carolyn, who left River Heights when her young stepmother made her feel unneeded, has befriended Hemingway and Fitzgerald is trying to craft her own writing style. At the same time, though, Frank and Carolyn each pursue personal mysteries, deeper than those ever undertaken by their youthful characters. the world is full of betrayal and disillusionment. To find themselves, they must find each other?and the truths contained in their soon-to-be written fictions.
Synopsis
Imagines that pseudonymous authors Carolyn Keene and Franklin Dixon meet in 1920s Paris.
Synopsis
Were Franklin Dixon and Carolyn Keene indeed the mysterious authors of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books? Or just made-up names? In Mystery Box Gordon McAlpine masterfully invents the world as it might have been if Frank and Carol had met among the glittering expatriates in 1920s Paris. Frank is a private detective, hunting not only for missing heiresses and stolen jewels but also for answers to his painful past. Carolyn, meanwhile, works for a fashion magazine, yearning to know both how to write for real and how to forgive a world full of betrayal and disillusionment. With the friendship, wit, and wisdom of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein, Frank and Carolyn find each other and the truths contained in their soon-to-be-written fictions. Mystery Box guides readers through layers on layers of mystery, history, and romance. Finally teenagers can enjoy a favorite fictional world reimagined and reinvented.