The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn KeeneWho could ever wonder that a tiny, cream-colored ivory elephant charm holds the power of life and death for humans?
A charm of such a kind marks this novel of Nancy Drew-Carolyn Keene mystery series too...yes, read on.
One of the most intriguing stories of the series, this storyscape features an ancient Indian charm designed like a white elephant and sculpted in ivory material. This one-of-a-kind charm belongs to the time of the great ‘White Elephant Cult’ of India.
The charm belongs to an Indian boy named Rishi, who works in a wild animal circus show, the trainer of which is his father, a cruel man named Rai. Apart from being the animal trainer and circus master, Rai is depicted to be a man of ruthless personality.
As Nancy comes face to face with this man, she spots this prettily-set ivory charm, designed brilliantly like a tiny elephant pendant, swinging from the black corded chain worn into Rai’s neck.
The plot comes to a twist when this boy runs away from the circus, following Nancy and her friends to her house. While gifting her this charm and saying it was a harbinger of good fortune, he begs her to solve his mystery and discover his real father, unlike what they had thought, was not Rai.
They topple over several clues - an abandoned house with no floor but only a labyrinth of tunnels, a strange woman Mrs. Allison who abruptly goes into trance muttering verses from her golden jewelled psychic versebook and a roll of papers hidden in a coffeepot, reading which, the detective trio is taken aback into bewilderment.
The ending marks a remarkably cinematic reunion and the revelation of an ancient Indian scientific theory. The mystery is sure-shot to keep the readers hooked till the end, as it did for me.
As far as the mystery of the life-giving power of the ivory charm is concerned, well, the novel divulges the secret consequentially.
The plot is immersive and characters crisp. A delightful addition to the reading list!
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