The Secret at Shadow Ranch

This was one of my very favorites as a kid, and I still enjoyed the mystery and travel narrative very much. However, we need to get real about the Native American cultural appropriation that happens here. Nancy and friends dress up in women's regalia (cringe) and refer to their outfits as costumes (cringe). I realize that the books today would likely treat this scene VERY differently, and that's good. It's still vital to point out what is no longer accepted and how we can do better.

A hallmark of detective fiction, Nancy Drew is a enduring and well known literary figure. From the original books, to remakes, spinoffs and television and movie adaptations, Nancy Drew is synonymous with amateur sleuth.

The Secret of Shadow Ranch was published on January 1, 1931, comprises of twenty five chapters and was written by Mildred Wirt Benson under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The following review is for the 1931's edition of the text.

Nancy is convinced to spend her summer at Shadow Ranch with her friends, Elizabeth "Bess" Marvin and George Fayne, their Aunt Nell and Nell's niece on her other side, Alice Regor. A quiet summer with cowboys, horses and nature is all Nancy has planned. Until she discovers the living situation of show more Lucy - a young abused girl living with a mean old woman named Martha Frank.

It's hard not to like Nancy. She's spunky, kind and enthusiastic. She might be scared, frightened or surprised - but she'd never let that stop her from solving a case - or saving a friend. Carson Drew doesn't feature as heavily in this one a the previous books, which was disappointing. I adore her relationship with her dad, Carson Drew. They're both so proud of each other and I love that he's so supportive and willing to listens to her thoughts and opinions and values them. The end scene where he suggests he'll need to take her on as partner was the best. But I liked the rest of the characters; Bess, George and Alice and even Mr Miller and Aunt Nell were great.

This was a bit more slow going than the earlier books. There was lots of horse riding and adventuring and shotguns but not a lot of car chases or kidnappings. I was interested in the mysteries that were there, but would have liked more detecting to be happening. There wasn't a lot of mystery to the mystery, it was a bit simplistic. I did like Nancy punching Zany Shaw out. Or at least punching him to stunned. It was totally badass and I was glad that for once she didn't seem to be the one being knocked out. I was amused by George's response to the reveal though; Was it possible that Alice had found her father at last? George Fayne, the first to recover from her surprise, whispered to Nancy: "They do resemble each other, but it doesn't seem possible they could be related. It would be too dramatic!"

Keene, Carolyn; Benson, Mildred A. Wirt. The Secret at Shadow Ranch: Nancy Drew Mystery #5 (p. 195). Grosset and Dunlap.

It was too bloody dramatic. Spot on. But the tongue in cheek answer made me laugh.

The ending had me a bit miffed. Nancy claiming that Martha and Zany have been sufficiently punished already? Um what? They suffered thinking they might have killed someone but I don't know that makes up for the whole kidnapping and then abusing their ward part of their crimes. But I liked that the rest was wrapped up neatly and that Alice has her father back and that Lucy has a new home with them. Also what is it with Nancy and weather? Seems like she's always caught up in terrible storms but still manages to misjudge it every time.

A western adventure with cowboys, shotguns and horses. 3.5 stars, rounded to 3 stars. show less

Nancy Drew and her friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin head to Arizona in this fifth installment of the classic mystery series for young readers. As George and Bess' aunt, Mrs. Rawley, works to get Shadow Ranch into better condition in order to sell it, the girls have a series of exciting adventures in the mountains, confronting wild lynx and cougars, and fording raging rivers. Nancy also finds herself getting involved in a local mystery, as she investigates the nasty Martha Frank and her abusive relationship to her ward, the young Lucy Shaw. In true Nancy Drew style, involving lots of coincidence and serendipity, the resolution of this puzzle also solves another mystery, healing an old wound in the family life of Alice Regor, George show more and Bess' cousin, who accompanied the girls to Arizona...

The Secret at Shadow Ranch is notable in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, in that it introduces George and Bess, who become Nancy's best friends throughout the rest of the series, replacing the earlier Helen Corning, who seems to just disappear. I read the Applewood Books facsimile reproduction of the original 1931 edition, rather than the revised and condensed edition put out in the 1950s (the one with the yellow cover and spine), and it featured an introduction from Mildred Wirt Benson, the author who wrote the first twenty-three books in the series, under the pseudonym 'Carolyn Keene.' It's interesting to note that she considered this one of her favorites, of the Nancy Drew books she wrote. Given the western setting, and the date of publication, I was expecting some outdated depictions of Native Americans and/or Latinos, but surprisingly, there was none of that here. Ironically, given the fact that the rewrites done in the late 1950s and early 60s were intended to scrub some of the overt racism of the original books, they apparently added in some patronizing content in that regard. I usually find that these earlier, original editions of Nancy Drew have more outdated, and quite uncomfortable social content, but also better writing and more interesting historical details. Reading them is a trade-off. Here however, you apparently have the best of both worlds! Recommended to fans of Nancy Drew, who enjoyed previous installments of the series. show less

This book is still a fun mystery (even re-reading it all these years later) but some of the stuff in town with the Native Americans is harder to read than I remember it being when I was a kid. It doesn't feel intentionally racist, but it's very patronizing. (And this was the version that was revised in the 60's. I'm not sure I want to ever read the original from 1931.) If you can overlook that part, the mystery itself is enjoyable. Nancy and the other girls do some incredibly stupid and dangerous things, though. There were nods to "we have to be careful" and it is shown that at least they are aware what they are doing is dangerous... but still. It could have easily all gone wrong.

When I was young, this was one of my favorite Nancy Drew show more books because of the horses and the ill-fated love story that makes up the background of the plot. That part is still fun, at least. show less

3.5/5 Maybe because I'm a native Phoenician, I liked this one the least so far. Too many stereotypical devices to count. We don't say “hombre“ or “sandstorm“ (it's a dust storm or haboob)--nor do we say “squaw“, which crudely refers to female genitalia. Dude ranches existed primarily around Wickenburg (The Dude Capital of the West in the 1950s), which is an hour NW of Phoenix. It was hard for me to take this story seriously.

This is my fifth Nancy Drew Book in a month. Although I'm not sure who really wrote this book, it's obvious it's a different writer. Nancy's engaged friend Helen Corning is gone and the cousins George and Bess have replaced her. This book takes Nancy to Arizona far from River Heights and her family. Her father, Carson Drew and housekeeper Hannah Gruen are only mentioned in passing and play no part in this book. Also we hear for the first time of a boyfriend - Ned. Those who have read other Nancy Drew books know that George, Bess and their boyfriends along with Ned, become mainstays later.

Nancy as usual, is just trying to have a nice vacation and knit a sweater for her father. She no sooner lands at the airport than I mystery lands in show more her bag - a rattlesnake rattle, then a mysterious man leave a message in the car she and her friends are driving. Something or someone is haunting Shadow Ranch. There is a second mystery - George and Bess's uncle is missing from the bank where he is president. The authorities think he might have been part of a robbery there, but his daughter and the cousins don't think so.

Not only is Nancy a good sleuth, but in this book she's an excellent equestrian and a great baker. She meets a woman who runs a store in Tumbleweed and saves the store from robbery. Because of her heroism, the woman gives Nancy an old watch which just happens to have a clue to mystery.

Rock slides, a phantom horse, an old west romance, and a ghost town all play a part in this mystery. Of course, in the end, Nancy solves the mystery of the ranch, finds the treasure, rescues the bank president and leads the sheriff to the bad guy. When the dust clears, everyone loves Nancy and she's a bit wistful because the case is done and she doesn't know when she'll find another one - but she can finish knitting her father's sweater.

A bit on the hokey side for the 21st century - no cell phones, computer or other technology. The author describes the clothes, especially the "squaw" dresses the girls choose to wear to the BBQ. And I found it amusing that when the girls go to town to eat, they have tacos and the word is in italics. Obviously, this was a foreign food to most. I had to chuckle because where I live in Michigan, we have a Taco Bell and 5 authentic Mexican restaurants in town, plus the Eagles, the VFW, and the local bar all have taco day. But while the author emphasizes the word, she doesn't describe what they are. She does go into great detail about the cake that nice is baking.

These are fun books to read - if for no other reason than to have a glimpse into what was important in a by-gone time. show less

A cute and fun books read… would never be one I consider a favorite among series but it is definitely one to enjoy.