Murder Takes the Veil | Margaret Lorraine Hubbard | Childhood Favorite Still Spellbinding

Murder Takes the Veil | Margaret Lorraine Hubbard | Mildly Entertaining Juvenile Mystery

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Murder Takes the Veil

	Murder Takes the Veil Margaret Lorraine Hubbard The Bruce Publishing Company, 1950 - 257 pages average customer review:based on 2 reviews
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Childhood Favorite Still Spellbinding

As a child in Catholic school, I'd read "Murder Takes the Veil" several times in our school library, smitten by its fascinating mystery and evocative setting. Set in a Catholic women's college in swampy New Orleans, it involves murder and strange goings-on after a few males enter the all-female, cloistered atmosphere of the college. Margaret Ann Hubbard was a wonderful writer, using lots of rich, descriptive imagery. In this case, there is a diagram of the college which is set over catacombs and tunnels, and the murder takes place after a school play. A student (dressed as a fairy) sees the figure of a huge nun in the shadows of the tunnel, the student's shimmering costume and the shadowy figure striking visual contrasts, and too late realizes that the "nun" is wearing men's shoes. Meanwhile, Trillium, a student at the school, resolves to solve the murder since the victim had switched costumes with her and she suspects she (Trillium) might have been the intended victim.

As an adult, I couldn't remember the name of this book anymore, only the unforgettable scenes, yet I hoped to find it again. One day I walked into the library and saw a title "Murder Takes the Veil." It wasn't the same book, but I knew it was the title! Then I tracked the right "Murder Takes the Veil" down through Alibris. Upon re-reading, it was as special as I had remembered. So much came back: the great characters (Trillium, Crispin Archer, the nuns), the fabulous setting, the extraordinary imagery and language. I was able to track down more titles from Margaret Ann Hubbard.

To my mind, Margaret Ann Hubbard was a superb mystery writer who sadly has been largely forgotten now, creating classic puzzlers of great style. I'd love to see her get the recognition she deserved. "Murder Takes the Veil," to my mind, is her crowning achievement. It is not a child's book, but like Christie, her work can be enjoyed by both adults and children; having first read it in grammar school and revisited it with perfect satisfaction as an adult, I can vouch for that.

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Mildly Entertaining Juvenile Mystery

According to the very little information available, Margaret Ann Hubbard Priley (1909-1992)was best known for writing Catholic children's books--and is most fondly remembered for the four murder mysteries she created. Among these is MURDER TAKES THE VEIL, which finds foul deeds a foot at a girl's school and convent just outside New Orleans.

In an effort to bring the convent up to date, Mother Superior has hired three male teachers--but when they arrive one of the students, Trillian, realizes that one of the three might have murdered her father many years ago. Is he now after her? Apparently so, and soon both she, the nuns, and the entire student body are in fear of a mysterious figure who wears a nun's habit--but isn't really a nun!

Hubbard reads as a sort of junior Mary Roberts Rinehart. The plot is very mechanical and hinges more upon coincidence than anything else; the atmosphere consists of creaking doors and dim lights; and yes, even though they all know there is a killer in their midst people tend to wander around in the dark of night. If you encountered this book when you were young, it will no doubt have tremendous nostalgic value, and for that reason I give it three stars. But if you are in the mood for a classic murder mystery... well, you'd better look somewhere else.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Dedicated to the Negative Voter. Apparently my reviews so excite him that he can barely wait for me to post another!

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