''The Secret at the Hermitage'' is the fifth book in the vintage Dana Girls Mystery Stories series by the same author of Nancy Drew novels.
The story follows teenage detective sisters Louise and Jean Dana, who attend the Starhurst Academy. The mystery kicks off when a delusional ex-warden named Harold Norton mistakes Louise for an escaped reformatory inmate named Nina Regan. After managing to clear her name, Louise finds herself relentlessly stalked by Norton. Following an attack, she gets lost in the woods and seeks shelter with a mysterious local hermit. Intrigued by Nina Regan's unproven guilt, the Dana sisters embark on a mission to track down the true escapee and uncover the secrets the old hermit is hiding before Norton puts them all in serious danger.
