Book Review: The Diamond Cave Mystery by Troy Nesbit
Chuck Bennett’s father runs the Trading Post near Carlsbad, New Mexico, home of the famous Carlsbad Caverns. Being out in the sticks, Chuck doesn’t normally have kids his own age (fifteen) to hang out with, but this summer he’s joined by Hal Cassidy, son of oil driller “Boomer” Cassidy, who’s living in a trailer nearby on a job. Too bad Hal comes with his michievous five year old brother Sammy, who needs frequent babysitting!
Newly-minted newspaper reporter Waldemar “Lefty” Larson saw a piece on a prospective diamond mine in Arizona (not far away) and remembered an old Bennett family story that he comes to discuss. It seems some fifty years before, a prospector named Abijah Jones had gotten sick and died at the ranch of Chuck’s grandfather. Before dying, he’d claimed to have found a diamond mine and hidden some diamonds away, asking that his Bible be given to his wife so that she might find them. By the time that wife was found, she too had died, so the Bennetts held on to the Bible.
While examining the old book, Chuck and Hal discover (with a little accidental help from Sammy) a trick silver dollar inside that indicates the Bible does indeed hold the clues to the lost diamonds! Now begins an adventure they’ll never forget.
This book was one of a series of “Wilderness Adventures” by Troy Nesbit, pen name of Franklin Folsom. These were children’s books set in the American Southwest, usually involving some sort of mystery plotline. It was originally published in 1956, and my edition was printed in 1964.
This is wholesome middle school material; the boys are clean-cut and mostly obedient to their parents, despite their high spirits and love of adventure. We get a bit of local color and history along with the story; the Carlsbad Caverns themselves have a short appearance but are a red herring. The boys do damage a potential archeological site, but are properly contrite afterwards and show that they’ve learned better later.
It’s very much a boys’ novel; the only female characters of note are the boys’ mothers, who are all about practicality and cooking. The boys are allowed to drive and generally go about without supervision outside of necessary chores (such as taking care of Sammy or the Bennett’s pet deodorized skunk Oswald.)
There’s some mild peril. The news of missing diamonds brings out rival treasure hunters, including several people claiming to be the rightful heir of Abijah Jones. One is willing to use a gun, and our young pair must perform some dangerous spelunking to outmaneuver him.
While the original inhabitants of the land are mentioned frequently, there are no Native American characters in the story, nor is any consideration given to how they might feel about their ancestral sites being poked around in.
The writing is decent, and the characters likable. If you find a copy, it would make a good gift for a boy who enjoys mild mystery.
