I have loved Nancy Drew for years, but will rereading the entire series of the yellow hardback books hold up to my memories? Join me as I find out! Read part one here and read part two here.
Book 21: The Secret in the Old Attic
Well, Nancy sure does love to search through attics. Another story about an apparently haunted house that has hidden rooms, allowing thieves to sneak in undetected? The series is only 21 books in, yet this feels like at least the third time this particular premise has been used, making The Secret in the Old Attic remarkably forgettable. And that’s even with the weird sub-plot involving a stolen silk formula, created with the use of black widows.
Ned Note: I have no idea why Ned was missing in this book until he conveniently burst into someone else’s home sometime after midnight, just in time to save her from certain death, because he wanted to “see Nancy.” After midnight. Without calling.
Book 22: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall
Book 22 tries to make up for the unoriginality of its predecessor by apparently cramming in every mystery-like idea the author could think of. In this story, Nancy must find a famous dancer who disappeared ten years ago, or the dancer will lose the estate she inherited. The estate is, of course, a replica of an English castle that just happens to be down the way from where Nancy lives (along with all those other abandoned estates right where she lives…). It has towers, ruined gardens, a cloister, and something hidden somewhere in the walls! Nancy also gets to do a lot of travel by boat, so she can (as usual) experience things like near death when struck by passing boats. This story certainly seems to have more action and violence than many of the other books. I could not decide if it was exciting or just over-stimulating.
Ned Note: I loved how Ned was missing from the story because he was in South America for a school assignment. It’s always so inconvenient when your homework forces you to travel out of the country, isn’t it?
Book 23: The Mystery of the Tolling Bell
I was starting to wonder if the Nancy Drew books were deteriorating in quality or if I was just feeling grumpy. But finally the pace picks up! This story has an exciting beginning with Carson Drew being kidnapped and Nancy almost drowning while investigating a local legend about a ghost who sounds a bell before sending rushing water out from a cave. The premise feels more original than many of the others, and the case is a bit more complicated, with various villains engaged in different crimes. I’ll keep on reading after this one!
Ned Note: Ned finally reappears! He does useful stuff! He saves Nancy’s life while the police office he brings with him does nothing!
Book 24: The Clue in the Old Album
Book 24 is one of the stories that has not aged particularly well. Nancy tries to track down a gypsy violinist, who is the missing father of a young girl she has met. However, though Nancy keeps telling everyone that, “Most gypsies are good people,” the depictions given of many does not make it seem like the author really believes that. The mystery is also not that engaging. I would give this one a pass.
Book 25: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall
The premise for book 25 is so wild and incredibly unbelievable, that it’s actually really good? The mystery begins with Nancy trying to trace jewel thieves who have tricked a woman by pretending to be the voice of her dead husband. Soon, this mystery leads Nancy to another one, involving a number of working-class girls who have been duped/hypnotized into leaving their wages in the woods to support a fake orphanage. Several villains operating from various locations (including New Orleans) give Nancy an excuse to travel, while also making this mystery seem a bit more complicated than some of the others.
Ned Note: As usual, Ned is missing until the last possible moment, when he arrives just in time to save the day. Well, better late than never, Ned.
Book 26: The Clue of the Leaning Chimney
Book 26 provides a solid mystery when Nancy investigates the theft of a rare Chinese vase, as well as the disappearance of a Chinese man and his daughter five years ago, when they visited the United States. Nancy’s detective work is thrilling, but sadly, though the book tries to depict Chinese culture as beautiful, there are moments when the author’s word choices come across as racist. It does at least provide multiple admirable Chinese characters, who are knowledgeable collectors or skilled artists.
Book 27: The Secret of the Wooden Lady
Nancy helps her father with a case involving the missing deed to a ship his captain friend wishes to buy and, in the process, discovers a tie with the thief who broke into Bess Marvin’s house. A mystery about a long-lost ship, pirate treasure, and star-crossed love should be exciting. However, most of the book is just Nancy futilely trying to capture trespassers on the ship, while repeatedly being captured or knocked out. Why no one sets a guard on the ship is beyond me. Definitely not one of my favorites.
Book 28: The Clue of the Black Keys
A professor goes missing at an archaeological dig, and one of his colleagues turns to Nancy Drew for help. This is another one of the books that has not aged well. The lore about ancient civilizations in Mexico appears to have been made up, and the series has been getting too weird in recent books with things like dolls that contain poison and, now, a legend about a silver frog that contains a substance that apparently will destroy the world. It’s too sensational.
Ned Note: Ned spends most of the book being jealous that Nancy is solving a mystery for a handsome young professor. Oh, Ned.
Book 29: Mystery at the Ski Jump
I don’t know. I just was not feeling this one. Nancy discovers a ring of thieves who are stealing mink furs to sell, trading fake stock, and stealing and selling random items. She also gets involved with a handsome young man who is seeking to reclaim the inheritance stolen from him by his uncle. Nancy does a lot of traveling to try to track the gang of thieves. The biggest highlights are the revelations that Nancy apparently can ice skate like a professional and she’s a good enough skier that she recently won a novice competition. I am not sure when she finds time to practice all these skills.
Ned Note: Ned’s big moment comes when he stops Nancy from trying to pick up a trap in the snow. He also executes a ski jump better than Nancy’s. Ned is never better at Nancy at anything (no one is), so, while I wanted to appreciate his skill and intelligence, I was mostly just confused.
Book 30: The Clue of the Velvet Mask
A group of thieves known as the Velvet Gang breaks into fancy River Heights parties and steals silver and jewels while the guests dance away. There is plenty of excitement in this one, and the trail Nancy takes to solve the mystery is convoluted enough to keep up reader interest. The main villain is incredibly obvious, however, so it is sort of baffling that Nancy does not suspect him more. This book is one of the stronger installments in these middle volumes, however.
Pages Unbound | Book Reviews & Discussions 
It’s amazing you have read so many books in this series. — I haven’t read any book in this series but looks like after first few it gets repetitive and losing its charm. Great reviews!
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Yeah, there are certain incidents that happen in what feels like every book: Nancy gets knocked out and locked in a closet, a tree almost falls on her car, she gets run off the road, etc. It’s amusing!
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“I am not sure when she finds the time to practice all these skills.” Lol, I feel like I thought that myself when reading these back in middle school. These posts are a fun revisit, thank you!
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I feel so far behind. Like Nancy is only 18 and she is professional level on so many athletics. What have I even been doing with myself? XD
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This was my favorite series to read as a young gal. I still have all of these books, though admittedly tucked away under my bed in a sealed bin. This makes me want to revisit them! Ah, nostalgia!
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Revisiting the series was initially scary for me, but I’m finding that many of the stories still hold up! Even if the plot is not very mysterious for me, there’s a lot of action that makes me want to keep reading. It’s actually an interesting strategy the series uses, where just about every chapter ends with a mini disaster. Sometimes it’s Nancy being knocked out, but sometimes it’s just a scream that ends up being…something like someone seeing a snake. Haha. But you read on to find out!
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Ah this does make me want to reread them all and do little mini reviews for each one. I might have to steal this idea one year. I adore yer “ned notes.”
x The Captain
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Ooh, you totally should! It’s been fun!
Haha! Nancy overlooks Ned all the time. He deserves his own notes. 😉
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I loved Mystery At the Ski Jump because it was one of the only winter books. Which is funny, for them being set in the Midwest. I’ve also read some of the biographies written on the making of the Nancy Drew series, and have grown almost as attached to Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (owner/author) as the series itself. I love that some of the disasters actually happened in the travels to research a book. And Harriet’s son died in a routine plane flight in the military, so I think in her mind Nancy’s repeated aircraft disasters were truly horrifying! I remember Velvet Mask gave me a nightmare when I was a kid! 😝
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I never thought about it growing up, but Nancy does seem to live in a perpetual summer! I guess it’s so she can go boating on the river all the time!
I didn’t realize some of the events were based on real life. It’s quite sad that Harriet’s son died. I can imagine it made her think very differently about Nancy’s flights.
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