The Hidden Staircase

More really old-school Nancy Drew. Nancy’s hankering for a new mystery after tracking down a missing will in [The Mystery of the Old Clock], and gets two—one in the form of a referral for a couple of old ladies experiencing “haunting” events in their ancient house, and the other in the form of a creepy scammer out to get money out of Carson Drew, whatever it takes.

Nancy is decidedly skeptical about the idea of ghosts, but investigates anyway. Meanwhile, Carson fails to make it home from a trip to Chicago. As the old ladies get more and more nervous, Nancy puts herself worries about her father aside and puts herself in danger (again) to get evidence, allowing her to discover the truth behind the hauntings, summon the police, and show more lead a couple of sketchy police raids to get justice; accidentally solving Carson’s disappearance along the way.

Nancy drops the ball a couple of times along the way; she fails to follow up on a couple of hints that might have made things a bit easier for her, and, gee-whiz, given that the mysterious hauntings take place at night, maybe she should have stayed up late a bit sooner than she does. She also comes pretty close to getting caught or even dying a couple of times. (Hey, kids, maybe be careful around secret passages, and take some extra batteries.) Another highlight is Carson being perfectly comfortable giving his teenage daughter his revolver to protect herself, even if she doesn’t actually engage in a serious gun battle, even if she comes pretty close a couple of times. (Presumably, an updated edition taking place in modern America will improve the book’s realism by featuring significant gunplay.)

We also have another good ol’-fashioned racist portrayal; this time of a black woman who works for/with the crim. It’s not meant to be offensive, I’m sure, just a poor black woman speaking with a broad Southern accent, but I guess you could read it that way if you choose. show less

ND could cook an entire holiday dinner and change the oil on her blue convertible while kicking the keister out of the enemy with one hand behind her back AT THE SAME TIME. In #2, she is now on the case to find what's behind the ghost in her friend's relatives' mansion as well as where her father is who has been drugged and kidnapped. Are the two connected? Another fun read as I revisit my fave series from childhood.

Loved the second book in the series. I felt like it had great tension and the audiobook is so good. My daughter and I had so much fun listening. The danger was real for Nancy and her dad as they solve a haunted house case.

A slightly creepy but thrilling mystery in which Nancy's firm grip on reality prevents a family of women from being gaslighted by a predatory man trying to buy up old manors. This is one of the few stories in which Nancy is not kidnapped or tied up, by the way. It's an interesting digression from the usual formula.

In the spirit of female empowerment circa 1930s Nancy solves the mystery of a haunted house, nabs a swindler, and rescues her dad. And makes sandwiches. All without getting her skirts dirty! Yes these books are quaint anachronisms but there's something about their innocence and sheer naiveté which makes them fun to read all these years later.

I have always wanted to read Nancy Drew mysteries and was particularly interested in this one, because it was first published in 1930. Nancy was as independent and intelligent as a young girl could be back then, and her life must have been foreign to most young girls reading about her. Nancy was 18, definitely upper middle class, she lived with her father (an attorney), her mother was dead, she knew how to drive (owned a blue sports car), and had a knack for solving mysteries. She was always polite and never seemed intrusive, and she constantly acted lady-like, looking polished even when crawling on her hands and knees through secret passages and on old rooftops. She charms her way through everything, whether it be getting the keys from show more a realtor to a recently sold house, or getting confessions out of people at police head quarters. She is even a better police officer than the officers in three different towns. Everyone just lets her do what she wants.

I found this book to be really amusing, and outright fanciful. Nancy does all this sleuthing, but does she ever get paid for it? So far, no. She has no college degree and everything she owns was most likely paid for by her father. At 18, she is just barely an adult, so I am left wondering is she just biding her time until the right man comes along and makes her his wife. It is clear that she loves being a detective, and when her older friend Helen talks about getting engaged, it doesn't seem like Nancy is envious. But she is also younger than Helen. We know Nancy is normal--she goes on dates with boys (several different boys), but if she ever got serious about one, how would he feel about her sleuthing?

I have 50 more books to read, so maybe all of these questions will be answered in time. show less

The Hidden Staircase, by Carolyn Keene
★★★ and 1/2


Synopsis: Nancy Drew is on the case, trying to solve the second mystery of her career. When Nancy's friend Helen asks her to come stay at Twin Elms to try and catch the ghost that has been frightening Helen's Aunt Rosemary and Miss Flora, Nancy readily accepts the assignment. Exhibiting total fearlessness and constant level headedness, Nancy uses her deductive reasoning to try and outsmart the ghost. Along the way, Nancy's lawyer father is kidnapped in what at first appears to be an unrelated incident, or is it?
In A Sentence: Quick, cute, and fun.
What I Liked And Didn't Like: Phew! Finally finished this one! I have been in one heck of a reading slump the past few weeks! I never show more seemed to be in the mood, and I kept on turning on the TV and binging on Netflix. But I'm slowly pulling myself out of this funk I'm in and this book has helped me start out of the gate on the right foot! For an adult it's an incredibly quick read: I just zipped right through the book in a couple of hours! For young girls, this book is great. It's full of mystery and adventure where no one gets seriously hurt and everyone gets to go home safe and sound and happy in the end. All the good guys are perfectly respectable and present themselves as excellent role models, and all the bad guys are decidedly nasty people. For adults, this book is cute and fun but nothing amazing.
In A Nutshell: this book is perfect for kids and nostalgic adults, but it doesn't offer anything new to the serious reader. Moving on to the next book! show less