Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger

    Nancy and Bess are visiting Nancy's aunt Eloise in New York City when Eloise asks Nancy to take on a case for her downstairs neighbor, soap opera actress Mattie Jenson. Mattie is concerned over threatening letters her costar Rick Arlen has been receiving however Rick himself acts nonchalant about them. Nancy reluctantly takes on the case, in part to keep an eye on Bess who has instantly fallen for Rick's charms and heavy flirting.

    Nancy and Bess hang around on the filming set and witness a klieg light almost fall on top of rick after which the set is locked down. The girls take jobs as extras so they can continue to have access to the studio.

    The list of suspects is long as Rick has shamelessly used and abused anyone he could to climb his way to fame but the standout suspects are Lillian, the assistant director who Rick loved and left after meeting her Hollywood connections, Mr. Pappas, the producer who is furious over Rick trying to break his contract to star in a movie, and Dwayne Casper, an actor turned talent agent who use to represent Rick before Rick left for a bigger agency. Nancy tries to learn more about these suspects while also trying unsuccessfully to keep Bess' feet on the ground.

    Despite the klieg light incident and almost being run over by a car Rick doesn't take his situation seriously until a vanity mirror explodes in his face. Fortunately he was wiping off his stage makeup with a towel at the exact instant of explosion which protected his eyes and left only his hands injured. It's at the hospital that Nancy and Bess overhear his realization that his life is in danger as well as hear him confess his love for Mattie, someone he had previously dumped.

    Rick returns to work the next day but after a close call with acid tainted makeup he has enough and leaves. At this point Nancy has begun receiving threatening messages herself including a disguised phone call and a ticking alarm clock.

    When Lillian calls her and insists on meeting at the studio set in the morning Nancy is suspicious but eager to hear what she has to say. She reveals that she discovered disguises hidden in a studio closet and afterwards began receiving threatening messages. Just as she's about to reveal the culprit Dwayne Casper appears holding a gun and reveals he is the attempted murderer, his motive being Rick leaving his agency, and "stealing" Mattie's love.

    Thinking fast Nancy turns on a fog machine giving her and Lillian a place to hide but Dwayne quickly turns on an industrial fan to counter it. With her hiding place quickly dispersing Nancy lunges at Dwayne knocking the gun from his hand, discharging it. Police quickly rush in, having been sent there by Eloise who felt uneasy about Nancy's secret meeting.

    With Dwayne now put away Rick is safe, ready to marry Mattie, and released from his contract by Pappas.

- I was happy to read this books as I played the computer game of it as a child and recently watched a stream of a youtuber play it. Because of this I already knew the who, why, when, where, and how but it was still fun seeing the original version.

- I don't think it did well at making the suspects suspicious. I think the most suspicious person was actually Kay, the makeup artist who is present for two incidents and has access to the set. However for some reason Nancy never suspects her.

- Dwayne and Lillian are written too over the top. Basically everything they say is about hating Rick.

- I also think Dwayne Casper is a terrible name. The game changes it to Dwayne Powers which sounds much better.

The Mystery of the Tolling Bell (Original)

    "Nancy becomes involved in another mystery when she accepts an invitation from Mrs. Chantry, a client of Mr. Drew, to vacation at her cottage in a picturesque seaside town. Carson Drew has promised to join his daughter, but fails to arrive. The alarming disappearance of Mr. Drew and the odd circumstances surrounding his rescue are only the start of a series of highly dangerous adventures for Nancy and her friends Bess and George. Mrs. Chantrey's story about a nearby cliff side cave reputedly inhabited by a ghost intrigues Nancy and she decides to investigate. Several frightened townspeople claim to have seen an apparition and heard the weird sounds of a tolling bell just before water rushes from the cave. Will Nancy discover the true cause of these mysterious occurrences?"

- Yet again Bess who is often described as simple minded and cowardly saves the day. She rescues herself and George from drowning.

- Too much goes on when Nancy goes to see her father at the hotel; being told to come, being told to not come, the note in the lobby, finding him, losing him, Ned losing Nancy, Ned getting false information. It was just too much misdirection going on while also trying to move the story forward.

- It seems that everyone in Candleton was very eager to give their life savings to a stranger traveling through town selling stock. Surprised these people haven't been duped before.

- Nancy and Ned drive to Yorktown in Ned's car yet Nancy grabs a map "that she always kept in the car". Clearly the writer forgot whose car they were in.

- If I were Nancy I would have been absolutely livid at the fisherman who tries to "rescue" her from the back of the cave by tossing a fishing net over her and hauling her up the cliff. If Nancy hadn't something to grab onto at the last minute she would have died because of this idiot.

- A dwarf man is compared to an elf many times and the villain of the book is physically deformed which is all a bit ableist. Also the other culprits are described as darker skinned, larger features, and all those racial villain stereotypes.

- I really like the names Sweet Chimes and Mon Coeur and the heart-shaped compact. Not hard to see why people would buy it, good packaging is so important with make-up.

- Nancy and George staying in the cliff house after Ned leaves for the police department is so dumb. They should have waited for him to return.

- George going down the tunnel after Nancy instead of going for help was also extremely dumb. She should know better by now.

- I think the culprits happening to be the one to rear end Ned was not necessary. Why did every unfortunate incident have to be them? That's too much coincidence.

- At the end when Ned and Nancy find the bell in the cave it says Nancy opened the door and walked back into the cliff house yet when they went down the tunnel it says they made sure to prop the door open so they wouldn't get locked in.

- I've never heard of the tired swimmers carry that Bess uses for George. I looked it up and could only find an old video from 1933. Not sure if it's an outdated technique or not.

Source: Dissolve

    This book is very coincidence heavy and most of it involves Nancy happening to be at the right place at the right time. I do enjoy the seaside setting and Ned's presence as well as the lack of Nancy getting a concussion or being caught and bound by the bad guys. I think it's a bit unethical of her to keep the bell at the end however.

    Overall it's one of the better Nancy Drew books and significantly better than the re-written version. The cover is also stunning.

Nancy Drew: The Secret of Mirror Bay

    "Aunt Eloise Drew invites Nancy and her friends to Mirror Bay Bide-A-Wee cabin near Cooperstown, New York, for a visit and a chance to solve the mystery of the woman who glides across the water.

    Upon the arrival Nancy becomes mixed up in a vacation hoax because she resembles the young woman involved, and is nearly arrested for fraud.

    On the wooded mountain near the cabin further exciting events await Nancy and the other girls. There in the deep forest, a weird luminescent green sorcerer appears and threatens to cast an evil spell on anyone investigating his strange activities.

    In a dangerous twist of circumstances Nancy finds that solving one mystery helps to solve another.    What happens when the young detective and her friends uncover a cleverly concealed criminal operation makes thrilling reading."

    This is the last Nancy Drew book I'm reading for the first time. After this I will have read all 56 books of the original series. This is really big to me. When I was little I use to dream about having the whole series and having read them all. It took a long time to make it happen but I'll have finally done it and it just feels like I've accomplished something for my childhood self.

    Ok enough being sappy! The summary doesn't make this book sound very interesting. The two books before this one, Mysterious Mannequin and Crooked Bannister, are so totally weird (a living mannequin and an attack robot) that I am curious to see if this one is weird too. But the summary mentions a "luminescent green sorcerer" so I would stake my money on yes, this book is going to be weird as heck.

- When Nancy tells Bess and George about the trip to Mirror Bay the girls ask when they are to leave to which Nancy says "tomorrow morning". That is quite short notice.

- Of course Nancy is the one who happens to look just like a wanted crook. It's never George or Bess.

- The conversations in this book are quite awkward. They're very straight to the point and remind me of the dialogue in the Nancy Drew games.

- This book has a lot of words that seem out of place: instantaneous, infinitesimal, solicitousness.

These words seem out of place in a children's book . Nancy Drew books are usually kept to a simpler language.

- The scene where Nancy rescues a woman from drowning is much more intense than the average Nancy Drew rescue. The woman begins to drown, ceases breathing, and Nancy has to perform CPR.

- I found it annoying that the price that Nancy paid for the valentine wasn't listed, it just said she paid a lot plus $10 on top of that.

- The mystery of the "sorcerer" seems strange. I guess the mystery that Nancy wants to solve is why the man is there and scaring people away. Nancy believes it's because the mysterious Sam and Mike are concealing something farther in the woods but she doesn't really speculate or have a clue what it could be. She mentions that her criminal look-a-like could be hiding there but doesn't really seem too eager to find out. Also none of them seem to take Bess' attempted kidnapping very serious.

- After encountering the mysterious glowing monster in the woods the gang spreads out around it but when they close in on it, it vanishes before their eyes. Dave explains this by saying the "monster" was probably wearing a special suit which glowed on one side and was dark on the other and that while they were encircling them the "monster" had taken off the suit, reversed it, and ran away. How could someone do all of that in plain site of 6 people who were circling them and have none of them notice? This book doesn't make any sense.

- The cliffhangers in this book are either very tame or non existent. I wonder if they were thinking about doing away with them.

- Ned decided to paint the rented sailboat which seems really inappropriate.

    I stopped taking notes on this book because it was too ridiculous. It actually kind of reminded me of The Flying Saucer Mystery which is a horrible, horrible book. Just absolutely terrible. So that kind of shows how much I enjoyed this one.

    However I do have to say the cover artwork is fascinating. Its the most unique and different one of the series and it really has a mysterious element to it.

    And now that's it, I've officially read the Nancy Drew series!  I own 9 more Nancy Drew books that I haven't re-read yet but I'm almost positive I'm going to keep them all so I think I'll postpone reading them for the time being. I have a ton of other books I'm more eager to get to at the moment. So I guess we are done with Nancy for now. Next up, Vicki Barr! 

Nancy Drew: The Mysterious Mannequin

    "The strange disappearance of Carson Drew's Turkish client and a strange gift of an oriental rug encoded with a message woven in the decorative border start Nancy on a difficult search for a missing mannequin. But then a robber tries to steal the rug from the Drew home. Nancy, Bess, George, Ned, Burt, Carson, and Dave travel to Istanbul to search for more clues, but then, Bess disappears during the search, after the chums meet a young Turkish woman." [x]

    This is the second to last Nancy Drew book that I am reading for the first time. I'm a little doubtful that I will like it because it was written in 1970, the 1970s books are the ones I tend to not like very much, and because Nancy and the gang travel to a foreign country. I do not like any of the books where Nancy travels to a foreign country with the exception of Fire Dragon.

- Mr. Drew gets sent a rug and Nancy's first thought is there must be a secret message woven into it. Oh please. I was rolling my eyes.

- I'm on page 36 and so much has already happened; the rug, the secret messages, Burt and Dave's flight almost crashing, going to the book store, going to the museum and the tailor shop and the locksmiths, Nancy's house being broken in. This books is trying to be action packed but it's resulting in it being choppy.

- The locksmith describes a suspect as wearing a bracelet then says "You wouldn't catch me wearing anything like that!" to which Bess replies "Why shouldn't a man wear a bracelet if he wants to?". Bess is such a sweetie.

- Nancy finds out that when Farouk left he purchased a plane ticket through a travel agent. If he was going back to Turkey why would he not just get one from the airport? Travel agents are more for tourist but Farouk is from Turkey and would know how to travel back there.

- Ned is working as an insurance salesman but he mentions his old job at a summer camp. I thought that was a cool little nod to some other books.

- River Heights suddenly has a big Greece/Turkey section. Exactly how big is River Heights?

- I was thrown when Aisha said her and Farouk had been in love because this whole time I thought Farouk was 40+ years old and Aisha around 18. So that was a little unexpected.

- The part where Nancy unrolls the rug and a scimitar comes flying out of it and stick into the wall was so ridiculous!

- Nancy gives an old man a heart attack by physically assaulting him and then complains that she can't ask him any questions because he's not conscious! This is so weird, I'm cracking up.

- I was surprised that Carson asked Nancy how she planned to pay for a trip to Turkey. Normally Nancy never thinks about the cost of flying around the world thanks to rich daddy Drew.

- Bess is referred to as Dave's "date" even when they're not on a date together. Why can't they just use the word girlfriend, ugh.

- Turns out the mannequin Nancy was suppose to find was actually Aisha. She would sit in the shop window everyday and pretend to be a mannequin. This is so stupid! Not only that but Farouk had absolutely NO reason not to write an actual letter to either Aisha asking her to come to Turkey or to Carson asking him to send Aisha to Turkey. The whole secret message in a rug was just absolute nonsense for the sole purpose of creating a fake mystery.

    This book is just so weird and stupid. 

Nancy Drew: The Clue of the Leaning Chimney

    "As a result of an encounter with a sinister stranger on a lonely country road, Nancy Drew and her friend Bess Marvin discover that a rare and valuable Chinese vase has been stolen from the pottery shop of Dick Milton, a cousin of Bess. — Dick had borrowed the vase from his Chinese friend, elderly Mr. Soong. He is determined to repay Mr. Soong for the loss and tells Nancy that if he can find "the leaning chimney," he feels he will be on the track of a discovery which will solve his financial problems.

    Nancy finds the leaning chimney, but it only leads her into more puzzles. Can there be any connection between the vase theft -- one of a number of similar crimes -- and the strange disappearance of the pottery expert Eng Moy and his daughter Lei?

    Join Nancy and her friends in their exciting adventures as they unravel all the twisted strands of this intriguing mystery. " 

    This is my first time ever reading this book! It's one of only three Nancy Drew books I haven't read before and I'm very excited to read it.

- The book summary mentions that there is a character named Mr. Soong. There is also a Mr. Soong (Grandfather Soong) in Mystery of the Fire Dragon. I guess Harriet Stratemeyer didn't know any other Chinese names, eh?

- It's nice to see Masonville mentioned again.

- The way Nancy asked to be told about how pottery is made was very awkward.

- I thought Mrs. Wendell was going to be difficult with Nancy. I was pleasantly surprised when she turned out to be an old family friend of Hannah's.

- I found it hilarious that Nancy hacks down the secret panel door instead of trying to figure out how to open it. Maybe it's because I just finished reading The Hidden Staircase wherein Nancy takes forever to find a secret panel but I just loved that she got straight to business with it. I also liked that the villain had put in the secret passage instead of it just happening to be there.

- Nancy gives Helen a kitten for her birthday and Helen says "you remembered I've been meaning to get one". I thought "meaning to get one" was such a weird way to describe getting a pet. Also I love that Bess' present to Helen is a figurine she made in her pottery class.

- Nancy take on 4 cases in this book; the theft of Mr. Soong's vase, finding the location of the China clay pit, finding the Engs, and Helen's parents missing vase. Nancy's lucky these all intertwined.

- The Hotel Royalton that Carr is staying at is an actual hotel however it appears The Oregon, the restaurant Nancy chases Carr through, either does not exist or no longer exists.

- When Nancy and Ned investigate the location of the China clay pit they hear "a cry for help that sounds like bong". I don't understand what that means. How can a cry for help sound like bong?

Nevermind, it gets explained later. Mr. Soong says the Chinese word for "help" is pronounced like bong so basically someone was yelling "Help" but in Chinese.

- This book has every recurring character in it; Bess, George, Helen, Ned, Aunt Eloise, and Togo. Its just missing Burt and Dave.

- Ned doesn't seem to do much in this book except complain and tease.

- I suspected that Ching was working with the villains but I didn't expect him to be Carr's brother. Also how strange is it that David and Ching are brothers yet one, who looks more Caucasian then Chinese, is given a name like David while the one who looks more Chinese than Caucasian is named Ching. Kind of weird.

    Overall it was good. I don't think I can give an accurate opinion of this book since it was my first time reading it, since everything was new to me it's hard to judge. I do think it was unique and something about it was different than most other ND books.

Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase (original)

    This was the first original text Nancy Drew book I read. I had found it a mix of exciting, gloomy, and boring. I remember I absolutely loved that Nancy had a gun with her but I found a lot of the scenes at the mansion boring and became frustrated with how long it took Nancy to discover the secret passages. This was also my introduction to racist dialogue in old books.

    To be honest I'm hoping I don't enjoy this books because I would like to get rid of it to clear up some space to my bookshelf. Also every time I see it I think of how I foolishly spent a whopping $75 on it.

- I'm surprised Nancy left her house after Nathan Gomber's visit. I know she locked the doors and windows but if he's as unscrupulous as she thinks then he could break in.

- I thought it was interesting she went for a walk by the river. I don't know why but I always thought it interesting.

- The first time I read this book I was impressed and happy that the characters from the last book made brief appearances. I wish that had happened in more of the books.

- When asked for help by Rosemary and Floretta, Nancy insists she's not a detective. She doesn't even call herself an amateur detective.

- I think it's smart of Carson to arm Nancy with a gun. She's going to an unfamiliar place where sinister things are happening and the only other people who will be around to help her is two elderly ladies. I very much wish other books featured Nancy with a gun. It annoys me a bit how in the revised books Nancy has such close calls yet Carson and Hannah simply make her promise to be careful even though her promise never has helped in the past.

- I find it very annoying that when Nancy is looking for secret passageways and trap doors she doesn't think twice about the strange built in sofas. She spends days searching the walls of all the rooms. I have to assume the thought of checking the sofa would cross her mind.

- Although I love that Nancy has a gun I feel like sleeping with it under her pillow is not very safe. Also wouldn't it be easier to grab if it was on her nightstand? Or is she trying to hide it from any intruders since things have been disappearing from around the mansion. Not to mention a gun and a flashlight under the pillow would seem very bulky and uncomfortable. Maybe that's why she has trouble sleeping while there.

- Hold up, Floretta and Rosemary were just described as "nearly 30 years older than Nancy"...that means they're only 46 at most? I thought they were elderly! That changes things completely!

- Floretta and Rosemary remind me of Bess and George. Floretta is very timid and easily frightened whereas Rosemary is a little more brash and level headed. When the girls hear a scream in the middle of the night, Nancy wants to investigate it. Floretta doesn't want to but when Rosemary bluntly tells her to stay there then Floretta says she's rather go than be left alone. That's always happening with Bess and George.

- I'm surprised the girls don't think of hiring an actual, professional detective. They'd rather just leave their home.

- This book has a very depressing atmosphere to it. Nancy is alone in the empty, old mansion with just the two women and all three are sullen and worried. There is no electricity, no telephone, and they don't seem to leave the house for a week straight. It makes me feel depressed. In the revised Helen is present and that alone would have helped.

- I'm always fascinated by Mildred Wirt's racism in these books. Although I see people speaking about Nancy's racist past I do not see anyone actually calling out Mildred Wirt for this, people just seem to blame Nancy Drew as though she was a real person and responsible. Anyways, I actually had never considered Nathan Gombet as an antisemitic stereotype until I had read another review. Maybe this is because I was unaware that Gombet is a Jewish name, I had never heard it before. Also when I had read this before I hadn't yet read other original text Nancy Drew books and was unaware of Wirts' pattern of scheming, money hungry characters with "hooked noses" and Jewish names.

    It's unfortunate that racism is behind the character of Nathan Gombet as he's an excellent villain. He's extremely heartless and cruel as well as obsessed with seeking revenge for imagined wrongs against him. Where as other villains are just committing crimes because they're greedy or something, Gombet actually seems out of his mind and mentally unstable.

- I feel conflicted when it comes to Mr. Drew walking into Gombet's trap. On the one hand it makes sense that Carson would believe the story of Nancy becoming seriously injured in an automobile accident. Gombet did provide details such as the cars steering gear broke and she ran into a ditch. It also stands to reason that Carson would be unbelievably terrified of losing his daughter after already having lost his wife.

    On the other hand Mr. Drew should have been much more suspicious of Gombet especially after having been threatened by him. He doesn't even think for a second that Nancy may have been injured by Gombet nor does the strange telegram reply he got on the train cross his mind.

- Gombet is called a miser throughout the book which I don't think is the correct word. A miser hordes money and penny pinches but no reference is made to him doing this. He instead tries to scam and cheat other people out of money.

- Gombet says he will release Mr. Drew is he gives him a check and signs a paper promising not to prosecute. Carson should have just done this as contracts signed under force are not legal and will not hold up in court. As a lawyer he should know this. I mean, I guess Gombet could wait for the check to clear and then not release Carson but I doubt it as people would notice if he was gone long/indefinitely.

- I enjoyed two chapters being dedicated to Carson and his abduction. They're removed from the rewritten version and Carson just appears in the end.

- I'm not sure why Gombet thinks forcing the Turnbulls to sell their house equates to them selling it to him. Other people have been interested in the house so why would they sell to the person offering the lowest price?

- Talk about luck that the only room in Gombet house that Nancy goes into is the one with the secret passage. I feel like the closet it a strange place for a secret passage, even Nancy says the room would be an unlikely place. Also you would think an underground tunnel would have it's entrance in the basement or at least the first floor.

- Something I found a little strange was Nancy's full name being used a lot through the text.

    Unfortunately, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. As I mentioned I was hoping to get rid of it but I just don't have a reason to.

Nancy Drew: The Secret of Red Gate Farm (original)

    "Out on a leisurely shopping trip, Nancy, Bess and George encounter an odd French-Chinese perfume saleswoman, who is reluctant to sell a particular fragrance to Bess. On a return train trip to River Heights, they ponder her odd behavior and encounter the malnourished Millie (Joanne in the later versions of the book) Byrd, who is on her way to "the city" to seek employment. Millie becomes acquainted with the girls, and when Nancy accompanies her to a job interview, she uncovers a mysterious code in the office. Millie's grandmother, owner of Red Gate Farm, welcomes the trio and Millie to her farm where they plan to vacation as paid boarders, and assist with waiting on other boarders. Once on the farm, Nancy uncovers a strange group called The Black Snake Colony—a "nature cult"—who are tenants on an outlying portion of Mrs. Byrd's farm. Accused of passing counterfeit money, Nancy shares details of the odd colony and the codes obtained in the office building with Federal agents. Nancy, Bess, George, and Millie go undercover disguised in the white robes and hoods worn by the cult members, and join them in their cave hideaway"

    I've read the original red gate farm only once but remember it being almost identical to the rewritten except for the opening scene.

- As the book opens I feel bad for Nancy who seems overwhelmingly stressed about missing their train while Bess and George don't seem to care much.

- I've always loved that the girls went out of town to go shopping. That rarely happens as it seems River Heights has everything anyone could ever need.

- I always giggle at $3 for perfume being considered exorbitantly high. The $3 is equal to $50 in today's money but even that isn't too shocking for perfume. Especially if it's a rare imported perfume like the girls assume.

- When Nancy shows her father the coded message he "adjusts his glasses". I never thought of Carson wearing glasses.

- The word "sallies" is used to refer to Bess and George's jokes. I love finding new old fashion slang in old books.

- "That means another pound added to my weight," Bess sighed as she gave her order, "but I'd as soon be dead as to give up sundaes!" Same, Bess, same.

- One thing I don't like about Mildred Wirt's writing is her overuse of sudden storms (Secret of the Old Clock, Bungalow Mystery, Lilac Inn, Shadow Ranch, Whispering Statue, and The Missing Formula are just the ones I can name off the top of my head in an instant). They're in many of her books and this one is no exception. In fact this book has two storms, one immediately after the other.

- It's mentioned that Bess had previously taken an interior decorating class. I love getting a little bit of backstory information on characters, especially Bess as she's my favorite character in every Nancy Drew series.

- I was under the impression that Nancy and the girls had been at Red Gate Farm for several weeks before they visited the roadside restaurant again. Yet the employees who accuse Nancy of passing the counterfeit bill act as though it had just happened the other day.

- It's unfortunate that I don't remember the details of the revised version because the farther I get in the original text the more I feel there is a lot of subtle differences but I'm just not sure. I know the opening scene is not in the rewritten version but I can not remember if the elderly boarders are kept in it or not, I also don't recall if it kept the second trip to the roadside restaurant or Nancy giving a ride to Black Snake Colony woman. I might have to re-read the revised text soon out of curiosity.

- At first the woman from the Black Snake Colony is described as old. Then later the woman refers to herself as old when she thanks Nancy for her help. But later it says the woman is not old, she only appears that way because she has stress lines or whatever. So that's confusing.

- I never understood why white robes with hoods were chosen as the outfits for the Colony. I'm not sure if the was Mildred Wirt's own decision or if it was part of the outline written by Edna Stratemeyer but it's just quite strange to me for obvious reasons. Also I always thought black robes with a snake image would be far more fitting for a group called the Black Snake Colony.

- Nancy overheard the woman in the grocery store say she heard there was to be a BSC ceremony that night. At first I wondered how on earth the woman could have learned that but then I thought maybe the leaders of the syndicate spread word so people notice their late night ceremony and believe they truly are a nature cult.

- It's too much of a coincidence for me that three Colony members happen to not show up the night Nancy, Bess, and George infiltrate the syndicate. Talk about luck Millie stayed behind.

- The fact that the girls get caught having snuck into the syndicates meeting, had bought the secret signal perfume, and had applied for a job at 305 really does look suspicious as heck. It's understandable the gang thinks they're spies.

- I don't understand why Karl was leading the raid on the cave when he had no association with the police or FBI and he had only met up with them at the farm a little bit ago.

- I have a hard time believing that within a few weeks the cave and boarders could have generated enough money for the farms mortgage to be paid off, an extension added to the house, and a new car. I think Mrs. Byrd is getting ahead of herself for even if the popularity of the cave and farm hold out the summer was almost over and that would leave less people around.

    I'm not surprised that I enjoyed this book upon this reading, it's the early books like this one that helped make Nancy Drew such a successful series. I'd actually love to read the revised text now but alas I don't have the time to spend reading a book I already know I'm keeping as the whole point of re-reading these books is to find ones to clear out of my collection.

    Also thought I'd mention that I only have 6 more Nancy Drew books to re-read! That's pretty exciting since I started out having over 70 to read! Three of the books I've actually never read before so I'm saving them for last. I'm excited to be finished with this series and talk about what books I decided to keep and which to get rid of.

The Mystery of the Tolling Bell

    "Nancy becomes involved in another mystery when she accepts an invitation from Mrs. Chantry, a client of Mr. Drew, to vacation at her cottage in a picturesque seaside town. Carson Drew has promised to join his daughter, but fails to arrive. The alarming disappearance of Mr. Drew and the odd circumstances surrounding his rescue are only the start of a series of highly dangerous adventures for Nancy and her friends Bess and George. Mrs. Chantrey's story about a nearby cliff side cave reputedly inhabited by a ghost intrigues Nancy and she decides to investigate. Several frightened townspeople claim to have seen an apparition and heard the weird sounds of a tolling bell just before water rushes from the cave. Will Nancy discover the true cause of these mysterious occurrences?"

    I've read the original text version of this book twice and I really enjoyed it. However I've never read the revised. I understand the differences are minuscule, if this is true then I doubt I'll notice them since I haven't read the other version in quite awhile.

    I don't have very much interest in reading this version but since I'm getting rid of my copy I decided I might as well read it while I have the chance.

- I think the whole hotel scene didn't work very well in the 1970's setting. I think the scene worked well in the 1940's setting of the original as it had a very noir type vibe to it. Particularly the part where Nancy steps away from her fathers room for a minute just to return and find no evidence her father had ever been there. That was very Hitchcock-esque.

- I know a lot of people think Nancy's strange dream is a little too ridiculous but I love that part! I know that I've had dreams where things happening around me worked their way into my dream so I think it's very plausible. Also Nancy waking up in a ditch is so mysterious. I'm just surprised she wasn't freaking out. Imagine falling asleep one place and waking up in a ditch, whether she was moved there or had stumbled their herself, that would be very unnerving.

    I didn't take very many notes while reading this book. Mainly because I wanted to power through it.

    Overall it was ok. I liked the original version much more mostly due to the time period being a better fit for the mystery. I might end up re-reading the original in the near future and I'm interested to see if I still like it.

Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall

    "When Nancy is asked to find a professional dancer who disappeared several years before, the young detective becomes involved in a mystery reaching far beyond a missing-person's case. During Nancy's investigation at Heath Castle, she and her friends Bess and George realize that its crumbling walls contain a secret, but what is it? And who are their enemies that try to foil their every attempt to unravel the intricate puzzle? Danger lurks in a castle tower and throughout the vine-tangled grounds of the estate. The girls' gripping adventures culminate in a dramatic climax when Nancy exposes a sinister plot to defraud the dancer of her inheritance." [x]

    I've read this book either once or twice and did not enjoy it. I actually confused it with Moonstone Castle and when I re-read that a few months ago I kept think "where are all the parts I hate like George getting her clothes stolen?" then I realized I was thinking of the wrong book and it's actually Clue in the Crumbling Wall I can't stand (Moonstone Castle is an excellent book by the way).

    I don't remember much about this book except for George getting her clothes stolen while they're drying and the girls looking through a box they find in the crumbling wall. As for what's in the box I don't recall at all.

    Gosh, I am not looking forward to reading this but lets get it over with.

- Nancy has 3 weeks to find Juliana Johnson so she can claim her inheritance. Why would anyone wait until there's only 3 weeks to hire someone to track her down? Someone should have been on that a year ago. I know the lawyer is crooked and not really trying but Juliana's sister should have tried.

- I find Salty a little disturbing. This man just walks down the street with a wagon full of oysters for sale. It's kind of strange and seems unsanitary. And of course Nancy just happens to get an oyster with a pearl.

- Nancy's purse gets stolen. It contains her drivers license, car registration, credit cards, money, the pearl from the oyster, and some cosmetics. She says she's just thankful she didn't lose more but like...what else could she have lost. It's not like she's going to keep her real valuables in her purse. Instead of being thankful she should be concerned about those credit cards.

- Bess stuck in a tree with vicious dogs surrounding her, George stuck clothe-less in a tool shed, and Nancy locked in the tower of an abandoned castle may be the most hopeless situation the girls have been in.

- Heath castle just happens to be based off an English castle and Nancy just happens to have a book featuring that castle and the book just happens to mention the secret hiding place in the wall. Talk about luck!

- Nancy only finds the metal box because she happens to be at the right spot at the right time.

- I think the task of making and selling the dye as well as bottling and selling the spring water are much bigger than Mr. Drew makes out.

- I enjoyed the castle becoming a home for handicapped children at the end.

    Overall this book wasn't as bad as I remember it being. It's not my favorite and I'm not keen to read it again anytime soon but it certainly wasn't as torturous as I thought it would be.

Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Golden Pavilion

    "One of Mr. Drew's new clients, Mr. Sakamaki, requests Nancy's help solving a mystery. Mr. Sakamaki recently inherited his grandfather's estate in Hawaii, but two strangers arrive, claiming to also be the grandchildren of his deceased grandfather. Can Nancy uncover the truth?" [x]

- This book opens differently from the others. Usually Nancy is discussing a new case with someone but this one opens with Nancy in a helicopter bringing Togo home from a dog show "in a city some distance away". Not quite sure why Nancy is taking a helicopter home but ok.

- Why would Mr. Sakamakis grandfather will his home to "any living grandchildren" if Mr. Sakamaki was the only grandchild? If I was him or Mr. Drew I would see this as possible evidence that there really is other children.

- Ned, Burt, and Dave just happen to be going to Honolulu at the same time as Nancy. I always thought poor Nancy can't go anywhere without Ned having to show up but lately it seems poor Ned can't go anywhere without Nancy showing up.

- Ned and the boys stay at the Halekulani Hotel which is still in operation. As is Volcano House where the whole gang stays for a night.

- The dark lei with the poison tacks gets handled a lot and surprisingly no one gets poked with a tack.

- I think Its really adorable how Nancy buys a lei for her father when at the airport. The description of her standing there with Ned eagerly waiting for her dad to get off the plane was just very cute.

- I'm no lawyer but I'm pretty sure the Roy and Janet couldn't legally move into Kaluakua when the estate has not been settled yet and their claim to it is still being investigated. The caretaker should have just called the police and got them removed.

- George saying she needed to go grab her purse from her bedroom before Roy claims it as part of the estate made me laugh, I love George's humor sometimes.

- While trapped under the pavilion Ned tries opening the door by lunging at it. Why did he not simply lay on his back and kick it since they only had about 3 feet of height to move in.

- It's pretty horrifying how much the ancient cape made from extinct bird feathers is thrown around.

    A little side note, I looked up Hawaiian capes made from o-o bird feathers and they're really lovely and don't look how you would think they'd look. Definitely not how its drawn in the frontispieces illustration.

    This book was ok. The amount of travelling around Hawaii was boring and the whole scavenger hunt seemed a bit ridiculous. The fact that there was a whole legitimate gang behind the mystery wasn't appealing to me. Not to mention the gang name Double Scorps is stupid. I didn't remember much from this book except for the feather cape being in the top of the pavilion so that kinda took away any suspense.

    To be honest this book actually made me long for the Vicki Barr book Clue of the Broken Blossoms which features Vicki in Hawaii. I did not enjoy that book but it had a lot more of a Hawaiian feel to it which is obviously important when that's the selling point of the book.

    Oh, also got to mention how great the cover art for this book is. The pavilion isn't draw especially well but the ghostly figure is great and the fact that one of the boys (Ned?) is there instead of George is pretty cool.

Nancy Drew: The Haunted Showboat

    "When Nancy, Bess and George travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to the Mardi Gras they are enveloped in a mystery involving a haunted showboat. Nancy unravels the mystery involving an imposter and a search for pirate's gold." [x]

- The bomb in Nancy's car is such a serious incident yet the girls seem to shake it off as nothing but an inconvenience.

- I'm surprised Mr. Drew would buy Nancy such a flashy car that's easy to spot. Being a detective you'd think a subtle car that blends in would be the smart choice.

- The second the girls find out Uncle Rufus is a voodoo doctor they start to think he must be holding secret voodoo meetings on the old showboat and is responsible for scaring away visitors. This is such a leap.

- I'm surprised Nancy doesn't consider Charles a suspect. As a spurred lover of Donna Mae he has plenty of reason for wanting to sabotage the showboat thus ruining her engagement announcement.

- Both restaurants mentioned in this book, Antoines and Broussards, are still in existence and have pretty good reviews. Makes me think how fun it'd be going to all the real life restaurants Nancy's been to.

- Donna Mae is really obnoxious with the way she threatens to get the Emerson boys there with jealousy and tries to waylay the girls from making it to dinner at Charles by conveniently running out of gasoline while out in a launch. The way Nancy just jumps overboard into the Mississippi river and swims to shore was hilarious. I love that Nancy was not going to put up with her shenanigans.

- Interesting that Charles had been shot at twice but Nancy doesn't gets shot at. Also Charles says he's been shot at twice by a mysterious sniper and the girls don't seem to care much. Why is no one freaking out?

- Nancy and Ned discover the pirate gold so quickly that there is no way it wouldn't have been discovered before.

- It annoyed me that we didn't find out Alex's real name.

    Overall this book was alright. There wasn't as much time spent on the showboat as you would think there would be. For example in the book Patty Duke and the Chinese Junk, Patty and the gang are trying to stop an old ship from being vandalized in the night so they sleep aboard the ship. Nancy should have spent a night on the Showboat. 

    One of the things that does make me like this book is, interestingly enough, Alex. He's a unique criminal; he lied and wanted to steal the pirate gold but did truly plan on marrying Donna Mae and being in upper class society. Is it too much of a stretch to think that his crimes were committed simply to give him the foundation to build a better life? I dunno, but I like the guy.

Also the illustration below always makes me think of this photo of Lillian and Dorothy Gish.

Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Fire Dragon

    "Nancy Drew is called to New York City by her Aunt Eloise to solve a missing-person case. The granddaughter of her elderly Chinese neighbor, Mr. Soong, has been kidnapped. The search is on, first by disguising Nancy's friend George Fayne as the missing Chi Che, and then pursuing a lead at Chi Che's place of employment, a book store, where Nancy encounters its suspicious owner, Mr Stromberg. A series of clues leads the girls to Hong Kong, where Nancy's boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, joins the action" [x]

    I've only read this once before and I did not like it however I don't remember anything about it.

    I've been terrible at writing reviews for the last few books I've read and this one is starting quite late into the book.

- I decided to do a quick research on Kowloon, which is where Nancy and the gang stays, and it was quite interesting. The hotel Nancy stays at, The Peninsula, is still up and operating and has an interesting history in itself. The Kai Tak airport is no longer in existence but it was the reason for the 3 story buildings Nancy comments on; the skyline was kept low for the planes.

- Nancy is so stupid for having gotten on the plane with the girl claiming to be Chi Che. It was clearly a trap as there was no reason Chi Che couldn't have gotten off the plane to talk to Nancy.

- While walking down the street of Kam Tin Nancy remarks that there's nothing to suggest Chi Che is being held prisoner there.     what did Nancy expect? A giant sign saying "Chi Che Soong is definitely not being held prisoner inside this building, nuhuh, no way, never even heard of her so don't investigate in here, ok?".

- I like that Ned has learned Cantonese and translates for Nancy. It's like Mr. Drew says at the beginning of the book, Ned's knowledge of Cantonese will help him career-wise (I don't know why I care, it's not like Ned's a real person who needs a career lol).

- I enjoyed Ned being around without Burt and Dave. I don't mind all three boys being there if the mystery is close to Emerson such as in The Phantom of Pine Hill but I can't stand when all three boys travel to/with the girls. I also liked that Ned had made Chinese friends whom go on dates with Bess and George.

    Overall I really enjoyed this book. My opinion of it has completely changed since my first reading. 

Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Old Stagecoach

    "Nancy searches for an antique stagecoach that, according to legend, contains something of great value to the people of Francisville." [x]

    This book holds memories for me because it was one of the Nancy Drew books in my elementary school library. I never read it then but I looked at the covers of all the books a lot so this one has been ingrained into my mind.

    I didn't read this one until I was an adult and owned a copy, I recall loving it the first time. However not so much the second time...in fact I'm not even sure I finished it the second time. My GoodReads rating was 4 stars so lets see if that holds true.

- I've always enjoyed the bet Nancy and Bess make against George. If George loses she has to knit the girls each a sweater.

    Ok wow, so I ended up taking no notes. There just wasn't much in this book to comment on. It was a good story, I thought the locations were very cozy from the camp to Ms. Snook's home to the Zucker farm and even Art Warner's office.

    The location of the old stagecoach is quite unique I think, although something about it reminds me of the ending to Clue in the Diary.

    I was a bit surprised by who the culprit was even though it was obvious but the character just seemed like more of an annoying nuisance wrapped up in some other underhanded scheme.

    Overall it was good. I'll leave my 4 star rating in tact however I don't think if want to re-read it for a long time. 

Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Pine Hill

    "When Nancy Drew and her two close friends arrive for the Emerson University June Week celebration and learn there has been a mix-up in their motel reservations, the confusion leads to a baffling mystery.

    Uncle John Rorick, a descendant of the early settlers of the town of Emerson, invites the three girls to be his guests at his historic mansion on Pine Hill. Shortly after their arrival, he tells them about the phantom who haunts the mansion’s library. Uncle John also relates the weird family saga of a lost French wedding gown and valuable gifts which went to the bottom of a nearby cove in the sinking of the Lucy Belle a hundred years before. Could there possibly be some connection between the phantom and the old ship disaster? Nancy wonders.

    In between enjoying the university’s June Week boat races, river pageant, and fraternity dances, Nancy and her friends work diligently to solve the mystery of Pine Hill and to find the long-lost wedding treasures.

    The exciting climax will be as much of a thrill for the reader as it was for the teen-age detective herself."

    As I've said before, my opinions on many Nancy Drew books have changed for the worse. Since I had given this book a 5 star GoodReads review upon my first reading I was very interested to see if my opinion changed.

- I feel like Ned is overly rude to Fred. It seems that Fred is more clumsy than careless and Ned's belittling seems quite unnecessary.

- Bess and George's prank on Ned was kind of cute but also a little strange. Nancy was attempting to catch the Phantom aka intruder, what if the intruder has showed up? The girls' prank would have made quite a mess of the situation.

- I don't understand the giant thumbprints. What is the point of this? Are thumbprints suppose to be scary?

- The president of Ned's fraternity is named Chuck Wilson. The name Chuck Wilson was also used in Mystery at the Ski Jump, it was the name of Carson's client. I thought it was interesting the name was reused.

- Nancy decides to search the house for hideaways and secret passages. Since the only room entered has been the library on the ground floor Nancy obviously decides to start searching in...the attic? This isn't the only book that's done this and it always drives me crazy. Why would Nancy waste so much time searching the attic and second floor first when that's no where near where the mysterious phantom has been.

Nancy Drew: The Picture of Guilt

    "Nancy's spending Thanksgiving in Paris, the city of light, love...and mystery. Her neighbor is Ellen Mathieson, a professor whose study of painter Josephine Solo has suddenly taken a dark and disturbing turn. Ellen's research assistant is dead-- killed in an accident exactly like the one that took Solo's life six months before! 

Josephine Solo left a legacy of secrecy and scandal...even the possibility of a double life. But Nancy begins to suspect that some of the professor's students also have something to hide. Paris is full of powerful temptations-- forbidden romance, secret passions, financial greed-- any one of which could lead to a motive for murder."

    Awhile ago I acquired a fair amount of Nancy Drew Files from a thrift store that was going out of business. After reading them all there was only a few that I liked enough to want to keep and over time that amount was narrowed down to just two books; Secrets Can Kill and The Picture of Guilt. I just re-read Secrets Can Kill and decided to get rid of it as I doubt I'll want to read it again anytime soon. So this book is my last chance to keep a Nancy Drew Files in my collection. Let's see how that goes.

- Because Nancy is in France obviously a lot of people speak French, including Nancy who has spoken French since the original books. The dialogue is written in English since these books are English books for English readers but for some strange reason some words are in French. Here's an example; Nancy and George are almost run over by a motorcycle

"These motards," a middle aged man said angrily in French. "Never do they notice if someone is in the way! Are you alright, mademoiselle? Shall I call for the police?"

    If all the French dialogue is being "translated" to English than why leave a word like "motards" in French. "Motards" means motorcyclist but at first I though it was outdated slang/an insult, a combination of the words motorcycle and...well, you know.

- Nancy asks Ellen if she can use her phone book to which Ellen says phone books are outdated in France and instead everyone uses a computerized version called a Minitel. This sounded quite advanced for 1994, which is when this book was written, so I felt this might have been some fictitious thing but lo and behold it was a real! And it wasn't just a phone book, it was the internet before there was an internet. I had absolutely no idea about this, I found it really fascinating.

- For some reason I really enjoy the secret apartment. It's small, old, and furnished with just a few things, overlooks Paris, and even the raincoat in the corner make it seem so cozy.

- In the end-of-book-showdown with the culprits, villain 1 comes at Nancy with a crowbar. After she knocks him on to the ground villain 2 comes running at her. Nancy picks up the crowbar to defend herself but then, remembering villain 2 had already been knocked unconscious a little while ago, Nancy worries hitting him with a crowbar could cause permanent damage and sets the crowbar down...right next to the conscious villain 1 who is able to use it again as a weapon against her. Villain 2 has already MURDERED an innocent person and threaten/attempted to kill Nancy but she's worried about hurting him too much. Seriously, Nancy?

    I'm not sure what to make of this book. When it comes to the Nancy Drew Files there are no great books in my opinion. I would never consider any of them 5 star books, the most any of them are is 3 stars. So this book isn't great but it also isn't the worst of them. I think Paris is a fun setting and used well. I enjoy the studio party and finding the secret apartment but some stuff, such as the picnic, I found a bit boring. Oh, and I also hate that about half the book is spent trying to solve a murder that wasn't a murder. 

    Oh, and as for the cover art, who is that guy? Is it David? It cant be Keith because he wears all black. But David and Nancy never have any romance between them. Maybe the illustrator just decided to take George's tomboy-ness to the next level.

Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill

    Nancy goes undercover as a high school student to find out who has been breaking into lockers, stealing from the video lab, and ruffling through the school records. When Nancy's main suspect turns up dead on the schools stairs she has a new mystery to solve and a murderer to catch.

- "Hands on her hips, Nancy Drew stood in the middle of her bedroom and surveyed the situation. New clothes layed everywhere--strewn across the bed, draped over the backs of chairs, and spilling out of shopping bags. Laughing at the mess, Nancy reached for a just-bought pair of designer jeans. "How do you like the new look in private detectives?" she said, slipping the jeans on." Did this series start out with Nancy standing around in her underwear? Also she's trying to look like a normal high schooler but buys designer clothes for her school wardrobe.

- Right away we're told Nancy has a boyfriend, Ned, who she loves sooooooo much...but that sometimes she's gonna date other people cause how else would we expect this series to be successful in the super sexy 80's without a bunch of buff hunks posing on the covers?

- Nancy, Bess, and George have a pillow fight getting pillow feathers all over Nancy's new designer clothes. Feathers are such a pain to clean up and clean off clothes, it made cringe.

- Why is Nancy using her real name when she's supposed to be undercover? It states she's already a well established amateur detective. You think she'd use an alias especially after getting the threatening tape before even starting the case.

- I wish Jake was around longer. He's an interesting character; just a teenager but already running a blackmail ring thanks to his above average audiovisual skills. He's also confident and cocky and really gets on Nancy's nerves which I find amusing.

- After nancy's car catches on fire, rich daddy Carson buys Nancy a new Mustang GT convertible. I think Daryl speaks for all of us when he rolls his eyes and says "You've got to be kidding me". Nancy says she'll be using her allowance to pay her dad back for it. Nancy you're 18, why you still getting an allowance. Get a job with all your free time or accept payment from a case.

- Jake uses blackmail to get his victims to do stuff for him. He has Walt give him rides, Hal do his homework, and Connie...well it doesn't say what Connie did for him but she does tell Nancy "I had to do everything he asked"... Jake might have been even more scummy than we thought.

- The part where U.S.S.R. villains have a high speed chase with Nancy through the streets of Bedford was so ridiculous I ended up laughing. Especially at the part where Nancy is shocked to find out a red traffic light isn't going to stop international super villains who were just pointing guns at her.

- Nancy remarks that Jake "probably has something on half the school" yet she only focuses on Walt, Hal, Connie, and Daryl. She doesn't try to find out if Jake was blackmailing anyone else which, spoiler, he was and that's who murdered him.

    Overall this book is pretty ridiculous. I do give it a bit of a pass though because it's the first book in the series and the first books have the burden of introducing you to everything. People who had never read Nancy Drew books before had to be introduced to Nancy, Bess, George, Ned, and even Hannah. And then all readers, regardless of having read ND in the past or not, had to be introduced to the new ultra modern Nancy who's some what of a man-eater and has a nemesis.