California Schemin' (Malibu Mayhem Trilogy, #1)

Nancy Drew: Girl Detective #45

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy, Bess, and George are spending a month at a fabulous California beach house where they discover illegal dumping of trash, reality-television stars next door, and a possible cult.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Young Adult, Juvenile, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.

Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.

Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting and intense! Wish I had the sequels on hand...

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only N. Drew I've read so I guess it was good? I think Nancy is a timeless hero. This was about the CASABIAN SISTERS that are just like the KARDASHIAN SISTERS. It's so funny. The Abercrombie models were surf instructors!! It's great. The spa and the garbage burning! The party planner to the stars!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Drew, Bess, and George take a vacation from their home in River Heights and stay at a friend's beach house in Malachite beach next door to the Casabian sisters, the three famous reality stars that are famous for being rich and famous. When they find trash on the beach from the Casabian's show, Nancy and friends insist on investigating after getting manicures at Roland's Retreat and Spa, where Mia Casabian has been. Soon, they find isn't a spa... Find out the next mystery Nancy gets herself into! This would be a good read for a guy or gal who likes mysteries and is up to date on pop culture.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first want to say this is a different series than the original Nancy Drew books I grew up with. It was clear this book was written by a ghostwriter and likely quickly edited. There were points in the book where the scene descriptions were contradictory. I do however want to applaud the writer’s ability to always end and start the chapters on a high note. I would actually use these chapters of examples of how to end each chapter on a dangler that makes readers want to continue on. I also noted how the author didn’t have an unexplainable ending. The author let Nancy see something which would explain how the ending happened without telling us HEY THIS IS HOW THE END IS PLAUSABLE.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This marks a new category in the Nancy Drew books I'm reading. These ones I think are called the Girl Detective series as opposed to the terrible Nancy Drew Diaries and the outdated classics.

Truth is this was probably my favourite ND I've read. The writing is better, the mystery is darker (hell this one involved drugs and a cult) and even though bess and George are still around, they are actually independent characters who contribute to the story rather than just brag to everyone and anyone how wonderful Nancy is.

Am actually looking forward to these Girl Detective novels. Don't let me down whoever this version of Carolyn Keene is!

[Jiyoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed with this book! I was expecting it to be campy because of the "Casabian sisters" thing, but the book actually revolves around much more exciting and darker matters. Excited for the sequel!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a Nancy Drew in years and reading this reminds me of why I loved ND so much. I love the friendship between her, George and Bess and felt so much nostalgia.. BUT the attempt to moderinze it so much ruined the storytelling slightly. Will definitely read the rest of the trilogy though!

[Carlye Krul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this book for the first time when I was seven years old. Promptly after finishing the trilogy, my sister and I played with our American Girl dolls and made them join a cult similar to Rolando’s. I was such a weird child.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Rushabh Shah · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, Nancy Drew in the 80s and 90s were fun to read, a book you'd like to read again and again. This seems like a terrible attempt at making an original series modern.

[Alea M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for people starting out with mystery stories, as are all the nancy drew and hardy boys books. Worth a read, but would recommend it to specifically the 8-12 year old readers

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Nancy Drew. Must read. You don’t even really need to read the other 2 in the trilogy if you don’t want.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not impressed with this book at all. I am definitely a classic Nancy Drew fan.

[Nola Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a friend of George's mother offers the girls her California beach house for three weeks, Nancy, Bess and George think they're about to have the holiday of a lifetime. They're even staying next door to three sisters who have their own reality show "Chillin' With the Casabians". Mmm .. now who does that remind me of? However, things of course go awry. Who dumped the garbage on their private beach? What was in the syringe sticking up out of the sand? And why do people worship Roland of Roland's Renewal Retreat and Spa?

This is the first book in the Malibu Mayhem trilogy. Although one case is wrapped up, it finishes on a note that could continue. I've only read one other Nancy Drew (Murder on the Set) and I didn't think this one was quite as well-written. It's a little predictable. However, it was a nice light read that also had an environmental message and showed the dangers of blindly following cult leaders.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book like i was at the beach! This is a amazing story, i used to read the 8 year old Nancy Drew books, think they were to easy and childish and i went to these kinds! Nancy Drew is the best series in my opinion!

[Kavya Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing as compared to its previous books, even though a mystery book of nancy drew only was also about revealing the truth about a cult but this book is no less than any other nancy drew's mystery book.

[V. Arrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could do without the Kardashian allusion, but I appreciate how many real cult tactics the book employed! I was expecting it to just be "oh this group of people are kinda weird, let's call it a cult" but the ghostwriter clearly did research.

[Danielle]

Forgot how much I loved these books

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this! Nancy and her friends are visiting L.A. when they discover that something strange is going on at the "spa" next door. This was my favorite "Nancy Drew: Girl Detective". I really thought that the author did a great job of capturing the intensity of the vacation that the girls had.

[Aimee]

Oh, how far the Nancy Drew series has fallen. Not a fan. I have read every original Carolyn Keene Nancy Drew, and these modern additions simply aren't up to par.