The Sign of The Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Danica Reese

What a strange story. Bess and George have an extended family member who owns an inn. None of the family have seen him in awhile so they, along with Nancy, stop in to see how he is doing. Ages ago, he invented a twisted candle that, as it burns, the wax melts toward the bottom so it wastes less wax.

It turns out that it is his one hundredth birthday, but he has been relegated to the inn's tower by the people running his inn. Their foster daughter is the only person to visit him. Except that today, Nancy brazens her way in along with some food. Later, the foster daughter is able to call and ask Nancy to return with her father the next day. The old man makes his will, then dies the next day.
While Nancy is trying to solve the mystery of his hidden treasures, she is also trying to understand the fact that, because one of Bess and George's relative's said she was working against them, her best friends are no longer speaking to her.

Three stars
Nancy Drew #9

Follows Nancy's Mysterious Letter

Followed by Pasword to Larkspur Lane

This book came out in 1933

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jessie Birschbach

Ira Dixon, Nancy's mail carrier, is about to retire. It's his age that has her offering him a ride during a violent storm and then setting him up with a hot beverage. It is her kindness that kicks off the mystery when the last of his mail is stolen from their front porch, including a note for Nancy and a package for her father. This puts his job, and his retirement, at risk.

Ira remembers just enough about the letter that Nancy can back track and find out that it came from a law firm in England. It wasn't actually meant for her. Nancy Drew has inherited a large sum of money and, so far, our Nancy is the only one they've found. But, coincidentally, Nancy Smith Drew is helping with a play at Ned's university. Do the two mysteries link up? Yes, but it's a very thin thread. 

Three stars

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #8

Follows The Clue in the Diary

Followed by The Sign of the Twisted Candles

This book came out in 1933

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Secret at Mystic Lake by Carolyn Keene

George got a birthday gift of a bicycle trip. Nancy and (a reluctant) Bess are joining her. As an adult, I had trouble figuring out why someone would take a trip run by teenagers, but as a kid I totally would have bought into this story. While previous stories in this series have made some sense, this one really didn't. There were characters that felt like they were pulled out of a jar (Blade) and dropped into the story.

Two stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #6

Follows Sabotage at Willow Woods

Followed by the Phantom of Nantucket

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene

The book opens with Nancy, Bess, and George leaving a carnival where they met a young child, Honey, and her mother. The are on their way home when they witness a house bursting into flames. While making sure everyone is out of the house, Nancy meets a young man who is at first suspicious looking, but then she realizes is helping people. He introduced himself as Ned Nickerson. 

But that is all within the first part of the book. There is a missing father (Honey's), a man who has been duping inventors (and the owner of the house that burned), and a number of instances where Nancy is near death. 

I vaguely remember reading this as a child and enjoying it, but it is harder to suspend belief as an adult. 

Three stars

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #7

Follows The Secret of Red Gate Farm

Followed by Nancy's Mysterious Letter

This book came out in 1932

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Sabotage at Willow Woods by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

George's cousin is running for city council based on her promise to build a new sports stadium. As with most towns, Bayview is very proud of its football team. Not just football though because George's cousin was a tennis champion and she is also beloved. But not everyone wants the stadium built since it would take out a wood which has been around for hundreds of years. That is playing out with someone sabotaging the campaign.

This is a fast read with a fun story and a little bit of a moral story. 

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #5

This book came out September 22, 2015

Follows Once Upon a Thriller

Followed by Secret at Mystic Lake

Audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Strangers on a Train by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

This book picks up right after the last one. Nancy found the jewel thieves who were menacing the Arctic Star cruise ship. But there are still a number of unanswered questions and mysteries on the boat. I know that there have been a LOT of Nancy Drew stories at this point but this one felt like one of the more disjointed stories for some reason. There was just so much going on from employees being set up to be fired to Alan learning who Nancy is to Wendy the blogger to an Alaskan smuggling ring.

Two and a half stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #2

Follows Curse of the Arctic Star

Followed by Mystery of a Midnight Rider

This book came out February 5, 2013

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

Nancy, Bess, and George are on a "camping" trip, staying in a cabin. They get to the location, take a quicky hike around the lake, then decide to visit the nearby town. Once there, they discover that the local bookstore, Paige's Pages has burned down. Outside are a number of fans who had been getting ready for a book signing by a reclusive author who only ever signs books at that particular store. 

That's not the only odd thing to happen in town and many of the strange happenings seem to mirror the plot of the author's first book.

An interesting story that is fluffier than the others so far in this series but it is aimed at the middle grade so that is something to consider.   

Four stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #4

Follows Mystery of the Midnight Rider

Followed by Sabotage at Willow Woods

This book came out May 7, 2013

Opinions are my own

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Laura Linney

I didn't remember this book from reading it before. It's nice to find new titles even in a series I thought I had completed. Granted, this is a children's series, but there was a lot of coincidence and some fairly unbelievable aspects to this story. It was certainly interesting to think of Nancy in scuba gear. 

She's helping her friend Emily who is having some problems while converting a family house to an inn. She is also engaged to be married. There are any number of things going wrong including her jewelry inheritance being stolen from a room that a whole group is in.

There is also a sub-but-related-plot of someone impersonating Nancy.  

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew #4

Follows The Bungalow Mystery

Followed by The Secret of Shadow Ranch

This book came out in 1930

Mystery of the Midnight Rider by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

Nancy and Ned are at the horse show. Nancy never misses it and Ned has a family friend, Payton Evans, who is competing. Rumors are that Payton is being considered for the Olympic team. That would definitely cause a lot of jealousy and may be part of the reason that someone seems to be trying to sabotage her efforts. 

A really fast read but, like chips, still enjoyable. And the ending made sense which was nice. 

Four stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #3

Follows Strangers on a Train

Followed by Once Upon a Thriller

This book came out May 7, 2013

Opinions are my own

Curse of the Arctic Star by Carolyn Keene, Jorjeana Marie (Narrator)

Nancy, along with Bess and George, starts what seems to be a series of somewhat interconnected mysteries. There have been some rumors surrounding the opening of a new cruise ship. People are thinking it might be cursed. So the granddaughter of the owner asks Nancy for help. In return, they will get to stay in one of the fanciest suites on the boat which includes four rooms. And Bess decides to invite her boyfriend du jour so the mystery is complicated by the fact that Nancy doesn't want him to know that she's doing detective work. 

There were some things that irked me about this story but might not occur to a middle schooler. I'm definitey going to keep reading. 

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #1

Followed by Strangers on a Train

This book came out February 5, 2013

Borrowed as audiobook from Libb

Opinions are my own

The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Laura Linney

An interesting book.  Nancy is portrayed as fearless, getting her friends into a fine mess.  After Bess purchases some expensive perfume, which the shopgirl had tried to dissuade her from buying, she spills it on Nancy setting of a strange chain of events leading to the arrest of counterfeiters posing as a cult.  I don't remember reading this one before, though, like most young girls I feel like I had read the entirety of the original series.  A good read, with some great morals for girls about how to be both humble and helpful, fearless and fun-loving.

Three stars

Nancy Drew #6

Follows The Secret of Shadow Ranch

Followed by The Clue in the Diary

This book came out in 1931

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene, Mildred Benson (Ghostwriter)

Nancy is meeting Bess and George at their aunt and uncle's ranch. There's a phantom horse causing issues across the ranch and they are close to having to abandon the ranch altogether. But is there really a phantom? And does it have anything to do with the notorious outlaw Dirk Valentine who is reported to have hidden a treasure somewhere on the ranch?
Nancy gets knocked out in this book. This seems to happen to the poor girl so many times. This book is definitely dated - fascination with the old west, some of the clues wouldn't be as well known today, bit it is a fun book with a glimpse into the time the book was written.

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew #5

Follows The Mystery at Lilac Inn

Followed by The Secret of Red Gate Farm

This book came out in 1931

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Laura Linney

This book starts with a literal bang when Nancy and her friend, Helen Goulding, are trying to outrun a storm but, when their boat hits a log, they have to swim for it. They are saved by Laura Pembleton who mentions that she might need Nancy's help. She has new guardians and is wary of them

The couple is certainly a piece of work. The wife is rude and demanding, even before she meets Laura. The husband nearly drives Nancy and Helen off the road. Things get stranger from there. 

This book is somewhat disjointed with parts and characters popping up without rhyme or reason but it was still an interesting read. 

Three stars

Nancy Drew #3

Follows The Hidden Staircase

Followed by The Mystery at Lilac Inn

This book came out in 1930

ARC kindly provided by Dover Publications and Netgalley

Opinions are my own

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

Nancy is trying to relax and read a book but is having trouble concentrating. Luckily, she's interrupted by a knock on the door. Not so luckily, it's Nathan Gombet who is trying to get something from Carson Drew. Her father isn't home but, when he comes back, confirms that Gombet is someone that Nancy should avoid.

Luckily, she has a mystery to distract herself. There are a pair of elderly sisters who are concerned that their house is haunted. Nancy decides to stay at their house so she can experience what they are hearing. And it is certainly puzzling, but she is able to figure out what is happening in the end, leaving the sisters with a happy ending.

This book hasn't aged as well as the first one. I think it was just some of the language that made me realize how old these books are but I'm going to keep working my way through the series. 

Three stars

Nancy Drew #2

Follows The Secret of the Old Clock

Followed by The Bungalow Mystery

This book came out in 1930, rereleased June 16, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Dover Publications and Netgalley

Opinions are my own

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Laura Linney

Seventy years later, this book holds up amazingly well. Of course, this is the series that was updated after it was found that the original series was a little, um, dated, especially in regard to the overtly racist overtones. This wasn't the first Nancy Drew book I read, but it's remains one of my favorites.

Nancy sees a young girl run into the road and almost get hit by a bus. Meeting the girl's great aunts sets her on the path of solving the mystery of a missing will. Interestingly, it's almost as much to spite the Topham sisters as it is to help a number of people that Nancy gets involved.

Four stars

Nancy Drew #1

Followed by The Hidden Staircase

This book came out in 1930

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own