The Meg books are a series of young female detective stories, along the lines of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. I couldn't identify with the rich, almost grown Nancy. Trixie and the Dana Sisters were better, but I absolutely LOVED Meg Duncan. I'm now fifty years old and still own and read these books - my other teen detectives are long gone.
The main character in these is younger than in the others, probably not technically a teen. I think the books were written for the slightly younger set, as they're thinner and less complex. I could read the entire series of six in a sitting, if I were so inclined.
Meg is an only child, who lives with her widowed father and a pair of elderly (or middle-aged, depending on the book) not-quite-servants. The wife is the housekeeper and the husband caretaker of the property. Meg's dad seems to be a workaholic. She also has a Siamese cat, which might explain my own preference for the breed. She has a backstory that includes an early childhood in Japan and a wealthy bachelor uncle.
Her sidekick is Kerry - who lives next door with her six siblings, many pets, and parents. Much is made of her tomboy ways as compared to Meg's preference for painting and ballet. Horses are a big part of Kerry's life, a wise choice on the author's part, given the audience. It also solves the problem of having non-driver lead characters.
Anyway. I'm not sure why I love these books so much. I sometimes think I'd like to pick up where Holly Beth Walker left off. Lots of people have never even heard of them, but they keep calling me back like Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden never did.
