The Shadow on the Door (Kay Tracey Mystery Stories, Book 4)

iv, 204 pp. "I can't put my name to this." Kay is taken aback when Mrs. Van Hutton refuses to sign a paper prepared by her lawyer, Bill Tracey. When Kay notices that Mrs. Van Hutton has a secret meeting with a man named Stannovi, Kay suspects that Stannovi is influencing Mrs. Van Hutton in her decisions. Complicating matters, Stannovi is engaged to Mrs. Van Hutton's secretary, Ellen Tremont, who has complete faith in Stannovi. Kay tries to warn Ellen with no success. Later, Kay receives a note warning her to stay away from Mrs. Van Hutton and out of her affairs. Who sent Kay the warning note? And what is that person afraid that Kay will discover? Kay continues her investigation, which is hindered by the antics of Ethel Eaton, her rival. How Kay discovers the truth makes for an exciting story. "The Kay Tracey Mysteries were published under the name Frances K. Judd, a house pseudonym of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book packager. The series was conceived as a response to the popularity of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories and likewise features a teenage girl detective. While the original entries in the series lasted only from 1934 to 1942, the books were updated, revised, and have been re-issed numerous times, most recently by Bantam Books in the 1980s, and have been translated into Swedish and French. Many critics see Kay Tracey as markedly inferior to Nancy Drew, but some find the series to be significant as one of a number of series that provided girls with a feminist role model prior to third-wave feminism."