Review: The Secret of Mirror Bay

The Secret of Mirror Bay by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Nancy’s aunt invites her and her friends on a vacation trip at a bayside cabin owned by her. The cabin is located across a bay in a small New York based town called Cooperstown. Apparently, this trip is not only limited to vacation fun, rather, it is also an invite to solve the mystery of a woman who is reported to be seen walking atop the bay’s waters during early misty mornings.

This bay, named Bide-a-Wee, is known to possess utter beauty in the form of its mirror-like waters, further surrounded by fine woody mountains and jungly green rainforests.

So, along with her aunt and with two of her best friends – Bess and George, Nancy sets out on this adventurous exploration. And guess, what happens as they step into the town? Nancy is mistaken to be a criminal by town’s people and authorities!

Apparently, a girl whose face resembles Nancy, causes the people in town to mistake her identity as a thief and a swindler. This girl, as revealed gradually, is not only responsible for a vacation hoax, but also for her involvement in other crimes such as burglary of a jewelry store.

This mischievous girl, by the end, is caught by the police as well as her two partner buddies. As they confess, they had been scaring the people away from the forest by showing them hallucinations of a ghost-like creature glowing with flashy green light whose source seemed impossible to locate. Since Nancy didn’t believe in ghosts, therefore, she was able to trace their footsteps in the mud and reach the cave they had been using as their hidingplace.

As always, later on in the plot, the three respective boyfriends of the detective crew also join them and alongside them, an elderly man named Matt, too. Uncle Matt is a science professor.

By the end of their venturesome trip, Nancy doesn’t only discovers the secret of the woman walking on the bay’s waters, but also cracks the mystery of a giant fraudulent operation being carried out in a concealed underground chamber located in a secluded portion of the forest. As a bonus, she also digs out some treasured royal items from the bay’s depths including a box of ancient coins, pieces of a codeword letter and a long-lost royal child wagon carved in white and gold.

But like always, this mystery too wasn’t any plain or simple to navigate. As her friends get smacked on head, get poisoned by the forest’s serpents & almost get kidnapped, Nancy too is caught adrift into panic when she finds herself trapped inside the underground cave along with her boyfriend Ned and Uncle Matt as they are scanning through the forested region in the dark of the night.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the book’s plot, there are repetitive details of scuba-diving, boat-riding and swimming presented in a descriptive manner. These routinic scenes caused me to feel as if I am experiencing the refreshing waters of the mirror bay by myself.

In addition, there is a chapter in a book that I really felt quite immersive to read. You’d come across it when you read the book. This chapter mentions a setting of the cabin’s porch. It’s the time of evening. Nancy, her friends, their respective boyfriends, Nancy’s aunt and uncle Matt – all of these people are sitting on or nearby this porch. And they’re witnessing a swarm of glowing fireflies in the forested region surrounding them. Therein, Uncle Matt explains from his scientific knowledge, the process of cold light generation in the fireflies. And I found this detailing really fascinating to read. As Bess cooks her expertly delicious desserts, salads & sandwiches, and as romance begins to bloom between Aunt Eloise & Uncle Matt, these people spend a cool evening watching the sunset and talking about fireflies. I really liked reading this particular setting from all of the scenes written in the book.

Apart from this, there is a character in the book named Yo. Yo is an interesting character who doesn’t only know how to heal a serpent bite, but is also known for telling intriguing horror stories. I really liked these little horror tales inserted between the mystery and narrated through his peppy character.

All in all, I immensely enjoyed delving into this book. In fact, upon having finished this book, I found myself feeling like I’ve just returned from this trip to the bayside cabin myself!

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