This is one of the later books in the popular Patty Fairfield series of novels for young readers. In this volume, Patty and her chums hole up at a lavish hotel for a weeks-long reunion party. Then the story takes a dramatic turn when a beloved family member falls ill and seeks out Patty to discuss her future. Author Bio for Wells, Carolyn Carolyn Wells (June 18, 1862 - March 26, 1942) was an American author and poet. Her first book, At the Sign of the Sphinx (1896), was a collection of charades. Her next publications were The Jingle Book and The Story of Betty (1899), followed by a book of verse entitled Idle Idyls (1900). After 1900, Wells wrote numerous novels and collections of poetry. Carolyn Wells wrote a total of more than 170 books. During the first ten years of her career, she concentrated on poetry, humor and children's books. According to her autobiography, The Rest of My Life (1937), it was around 1910 that she heard one of Anna Katherine Green's mystery novels being read aloud and was immediately captivated by the unravelling of the puzzle. From that point onward she devoted herself to the mystery genre. Among the most famous of her mystery novels were the Fleming Stone Detective Stories which-according to Allen J. Hubin's Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1749-2000 (2003)-number 61 titles.