The Meg Duncan books are a series of six juvenile mystery books originally published by Western Publishing between 1967 and 1972 and reprinted in 1978. They were written by Holly Beth Walker (a pseudonym) and illustrated by Cliff Schule. The series was developed by editor Dorothy Haas, and first printed under Western Publishing's hardback-imprint formats. They were later reprinted as paperbacks. Margaret Ashley Duncan, a girl of unspecified age, solves mysteries with the help of her best friend, Kerry Carmody. Four of the books are set near Meg's hometown of Hidden Springs, Virginia; the rest take place when Meg and Kerry travel with Meg's Uncle Hal. Characters Margaret Ashley Duncan is Meg to most people, though Uncle Hal calls her Maggie-me-love. Her age is never given, but she is described as a girl, not an adolescent. She has brown eyes and long, dark brown hair in braids, but wishes she had short hair. Meg lives in the country, near the village of Hidden Springs, Virginia. She practices ballet and Uncle Hal is teaching her to paint. She's an only child, and her mother has died. Her Siamese cat, Thunder, partially makes up for not having a large family. Mr. Duncan is Meg's father. He has an important government job in Washington DC and is often away from home. He calls home regularly, and he and Meg have a loving relationship. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are an older couple who live with the Duncans. Mrs. Wilson is the housekeeper and Mr. Wilson does the yard work and odd jobs. Harold Ashley is Meg's Uncle Hal, her late mother's handsome younger brother. Uncle Hal works at a small museum in Washington DC. He drives an antique Duesenberg roadster, and flies his own plane. He has an apartment in Washington DC and a cabin in Maine. Kerry Carmody is Meg's best friend. She lives on a farm near the Duncan home with her parents, five brothers, and one sister, and has a pony named Chappie. She has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She and her siblings call their parents "Ma'am" and "Sir." Constable Hosey is the Hidden Springs law officer. Always on duty, he will arrive quickly, even if called in the middle of the night. Authors known and unknown The first book, Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds, was written by Gladys Baker Bond, a prolific author of at least 35 books,