Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock / The Hidden Staircase

Re-read in an hour and twenty minutes. I was surprised to find I enjoyed Nancy Drew more than the first Hardy Boys this time around — I mostly preferred the Hardy Boys when I read these as a kid. It’s a good kids’ story, guaranteed to keep young readers on the edge of their seats. As an adult — it’s a classic whose value comes more from nostalgia and its cultural icon status than from any (sadly, as an adult, lacking) literary quality.

Oh, Nancy Drew, such a classic. I used to adore these books as a kid, and they sparked my love of mystery through their plots, weaving girlhood and sleuthing together. Unfortunately, I must say… this one did not hold up particularly well for me, though that is most likely because I am not young anymore. I somewhat enjoyed it, but parts felt like a slog to get through, and the book was rather particular, as well as having some very outdated views at certain points. Even with all of these gripes, I will always have a soft spot for the series, due to my childhood.

Not a particularly enjoyable read. I remember reading these, and the Hardy Boys, when I was a child and liking them a great deal. Reading them now, as a adult, they just aren't very entertaining or interesting. The writing is often flat, the mystery is revealed by the title, and the characters are in no way relatable.

I can't remember reading these books as a kid, though I think I must have read one or two. Barnes and Noble had the first two books available as a set, fer cheap, so I decided to indulge my inner 11-year-old-on-summer-vacation.

The novel is ... cute. It's kind of campy? I mean, who talks like Nancy Drew? So proper! But it's adorable and fun and made me want to curl up under the covers with a flashlight and a cat to read it.

This edition has both the first and second book of the series in it. #1 This particular story finds Nancy involved in a search for a missing will. She is assisted in this by her father, who is a noted attorney, and by her older friend Helen Corning. (The re-occuring characters of George, Bess, and Ned do not appear in the earliest books.) As her investigation progresses she not only finds herself at odds with unworthy heirs, but confronting furniture thieves as well.
#2 In this particular story, Nancy is asked to investigate a supposed haunting at Twin Elms, a colonal mansion occupied by the elderly Miss Flora and her daughter Rosemary: not only have things gone bump in the night, jewelry has come up missing as well. She is assisted in show more this by her friend Helen, who is Rosemary's niece. Meanwhile Nancy's father, attorney Carson Drew, is working to defeat the shady dealings of the mysterious Mr. Gombet. Needless to say, before too long the two cases begin to link up. show less

Love all the Nancy Drew books! They helped me through some tough times.

Both The Secret of the Old Clock and The Hidden Staircase together.