Nancy's Mysterious Letter

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.

Nancy's Mysterious Letter was published on July 1, 1932, comprises of twenty five chapters and was written by Walter Karig under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The following review is for the 1930's edition of the text.

Nancy is sad that her local postie, Ira Dixon is retiring. So on his last day invites him in for some tea and treats as a farewell - only to mar his perfect postal record when his mailbag is stolen off her front porch. Simultaneously, Nancy works to track down another Nancy Drew who has inherited an English show more fortune.

Nancy is awesome. 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. Nancy is super busy in this one with two mysteries and an invitation from Ned Nickerson to come and watch his college football game with his parents.

I was glad to see more of Ned in this one. Ned is charming and I like that he continues to be to both Nancy and her father in this one. He fits in really well with the Drew family and I rate that both of the Drew's are so happy to see him. Plus we get to see that dynamic returned when Nancy meets Ned's parents. Mr Nickerson is very much like Carson Drew, kind, smart and competent. He doesn't dismiss Nancy because of her gender but treats her with respect and I love that. Particularly when he lets her drive his car! Let's face it - not many men will let you drive their car nowadays - let alone back then. So I really rated that. Well that and his love for a good mystery. I will say I didn't really get why their plotting had to be secret but it was nice that Mr Nickerson got a kick out of it. Mrs Nickerson didn't really say much but hopefully that changes in future books.

I would've liked to see more of Carson Drew but his relationship with Nancy remains as proud, affectionate and as trusting as ever so there's that. George, Bess and Helen all make an appearance as well and there's something to be said for the female friendships in these books. There wasn't a lot of investigating as much as chasing after the leads but I enjoyed it all the same.

As a product of its time, these books aren't always inline with modern sensibilities - but this was a milder example that most. There was only really one thing that particularly annoyed me - the colour of the Roadster was named as maroon rather that the awesome blue it is.

An action packed adventure for a very likable amateur sleuth, her delightful beau and their parents. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars. show less

I decided to abandon sensible reading for our weekend away and had fun in a 2nd hand bookshop in Cooma. This book was wonderfully typical of Nancy Drew and managed to keep my attention right the way through. Nancy wasn't even quite such a "superwoman" in this one - no astounding talents in sport, art, music... All I know is that I'd love to have her lifestyle with a live-in housekeeper and no work to go to every day! Nancy is definitely perfect reading for adding to the "carefree" aspect of time away and helped to make this one of our best and most memorable short breaks ever.

3.5/5 I am enjoying rereading the ND canon in correct order, but this one fell kind of flat for me. There were too many times I really had to suspend my disbelief (like how does the other Miss Drew just "happen" to be at the same college as Ned?), and I think a new ND trope should be added: how many times is Nancy's father called away just when Nancy is in the most danger? Overall, though, a fun, light read and pick.

I very much enjoyed the search for the elusive Nancy Smith Drew, even if the mystery itself could have been more easily solved. The trip to Ridgeville shows the real work that goes into being a detective, and I appreciated that angle.

#8 By mistake Nancy Drew receives a letter from England intended for an heiress, also named Nancy Drew. When Nancy undertakes a search for the missing young woman, it becomes obvious that a ruthless, dangerous man is determined to prevent her from finding the heiress or himself. Clues that Nancy unearths lead her to believe that the villainous Edgar Nixon plans to marry the heiress and then steal her inheritance.

First a quick summary - Nancy invites the postman in for a cup of hot cocoa and his mailbag is stolen from the entrance way. Inside the bag was a special delivery letter for Nancy all the way from England. Fast forward, Nancy learns that the letter was for Nancy Smith-Drew and it was about a small inheritance; Nancy and her friends Bess and George set about finding this other Nancy Drew and solving the the mystery of who stole the mailbag. Of course the mysteries are intertwined. Nancy and the girls head off to watch Ned Nickerson win the football game for Emerson College, while George and Bess are also dating boys from the same college, but they are only on the reserve string. Nancy gets locked in a gym, hit by a sled, nearly run over, show more nearly nailed by a falling theatre curtain and finally knocked out by drugging, but the plucky Nancy just keeps going and solves the mysteries.
I'm still confused as to where Nancy lives; A sailor mentions that his wife moved him to an area far away from the smell of the sea, but Nancy and her friends talk about going to New York like it's just a drive. Later, they take a plane to LaGuardia and a taxi to Kennedy. So I guess I have a mystery to solve also...what state does Nancy live in? She and her friends are still able to drive around, fly to New York all without worry about money, but with no apparent jobs. It's a good thing that Mr. Drew is a world famous lawyer so he can continue to support his daughter. I also found the whole weekend at Emerson College charming, with the girls staying in a room together. One problem I had with the football game, I don't know too many quarterbacks who are also kickers. Do you think the author didn't know too much about football and the editor assumed that girls reading the book wouldn't either?

This one, while it wasn't an intense book, was fun. show less

Tonight, over about two hours, I reread this 1932 edition of the eighth Nancy Drew novel. The plot was more complex than the first novel: a point in its favour. However, it was complex through coincidental tidiness: a point in its disfavour. Includes amusing advertisement/exposition paragraphs for previous novels and heavily dialected "coloured" servants. I'm still not convinced that Nancy's solving of cases requires any difficult intelligence or cunning. She seems to use practicality, intuition, bravery, stealth, and diligence.