The Mystery of Sebastian Island

Oklahoma native Margaret Goff Clark (1913-2003) authored over 200 short stories, 35 one-act plays, and 24 novels, including fiction and biographies. She received her education at State Teachers College in Buffalo, New York, and then became a school teacher for five years. Her first book, The Mystery of Seneca Hill, was published in 1961, kick-starting a productive writing career focused on juvenile and young adult fiction. I love a good story, no matter the age group, genre, or ingredients. I picked up her 168-page young adult novel, The Mystery of Sebastian Island, published by Dodd, Meade, & Company in 1976.

The book's protagonist is Dena, a teenager who lives on Sebastian Island, a rural island off the coast of Maine. Eight years earlier, Dena's father died in a boating accident while fishing for lobsters. Dena spends most of her life on the island, but lives on the coast at a boarding school during the winter. As the book begins, Dena is returning home after a school break. She's anxious to see her mother, but still hasn't adjusted to her mother's new husband, a man named Paul.

Dena's return to the island involves a mystery plaguing the residents. Boats are missing, lobster traps are vanishing, and strangers have been spotted (everyone knows everyone here). There's a mystery involving Paul's charting of ships, his whereabouts during the day, and his relationship with the strangers on the island. Dena experiences a home-invasion attempt, which propels her further into the mystery.

Surprisingly, The Mystery of Sebastian Island evolves into a crime fiction novel as Dena, with her best friend, discovers heroin traffickers using the island as a shipping and receiving center. There's very little in the way of violence or gunplay, but there is a sense of adventure and escapism when the story elevates into a nautical fiction finale. The story's most engaging aspect is the character of Paul and whether Dena's mother has married a criminal or an undercover agent. 

The Mystery of Sebastian Island was a fun hour of escapism, and Clark injects a lot of atmosphere and life into these islanders. I enjoyed the book, but keep your expectations in check. Get it HERE.