After reading the 4th ND mystery, I have a new hashtag: #macgyvermaven. Since this book involves many intense scenes in water, of course Nancy just completed her certificate in skin-diving. She always has the right props and tools to get out of her scrapes, which are many and much scarier in this version. She's also now 18 and titian-haired, which might explain her dad's hand-offish attitude in this novel. Overall, another fun and riveting read. ( )

A school assignment had me do a dive into a Nancy Drew mystery....I hadn't read them in YEARS. While they don't hold the spark they once did, I am reminded of why they are a good mystery for readers who like the genre. They are clean, not scary, short and sweet.

Why do I love this one so much? It involves lilac flowers and diamonds. I remember as a young girl loving the feminine story ( )

This was on the sale shelf at the library, and I have fond memories of reading Nancy Drew when I was younger. This didn't seem like a typical Nancy Drew book though--no Bess or George--instead we have a friend named Helen and another friend named Emily. No Ned Nickerson.

I wasn't quite sure what to think. ( )

1930 Version: 3 stars
The 1930's versions have better pacing. They're not so abrupt, they lead into the story building it up before going anywhere. I really like the relationship between Nancy and Carson. They both respect each other but I like that Carson listens and values Nancy's opinion to the point of actually letting her take the lead in a meeting. She's like the puppet master directing the plays. And the race to capture the culprit at the end! Wicked! Nancy is badass running the suspect down. I enjoyed how everything was tied up neatly. It's a very different book to the 1961 version. It's nowhere near as action packed. The story happens a lot more logically - it's more of a detective story, the 1961 version takes on more of an action vibe - think Young James Bond or Cherub.

1961 Version: 3 stars
Like the previous one this also had a lot of action - bombs and body doubles. Bit choppy with the plot, didn't feel like the narrative flowed very well. Still it was entertaining if nothing earth shattering. After reading the earlier version, these are very different versions. The previous books were recognisably the same story, this was not the case with this book. The earlier version was a lot more sedate - it was a typical detective story. The later version takes on more of a spy/action type feel - like Young James Bond or Cherub. There's a lot that happens in this version, whereas not much happens in the original as such. ( )

Nancy is visiting the Lilac Inn to help her friend prepare for her wedding where she is a bridesmaid. Once there Nancy realizes that there is not one but two mysteries to be solved…who is causing all of the problems at Lilac Inn and who is impersonating her around town? As her friend begins to fear that she and her fiancé will have to sell the Inn if these odd occurrences keep happening.

Laura Linney continues to do an amazing job as Nancy, making listening to these old Nancy Drew stories enjoyable and worthwhile. I look forward to reading more books narrated by Linney as she has a relaxing but comforting voice that makes an audiobook fun to read.

This is a different sort of Nancy Drew story as there is quite a bit of violence from assault to a pipe bomb going off in Nancy's rooms! While Nancy sees her fair share of trouble this is something unexpected. It was interesting to see how the author had Nancy deal with situations so far out of her control. ( )