The Double Horror of Fenley Place

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #79

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy visits a movie set and finds terror on location!World-famous director Hank Steinberg is filming a horror flick in Nancy's hometown of River Heights. The movie tells a spine-tingling story about a haunted house. Most shocking of all, though, is what's going on across the street at an old Victorian mansion called Fenley Place.

Whatever happens on the movie set is mysteriously duplicated in the mansion: red smoke billows from the chimney, a ghostly figure appears in the window, and blood oozes from the walls. The special effects are a real scream, but Nancy must find out who is behind them before the movie -- and the mansion -- reach the final, horrifying climax!

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile, Classics, Mystery Thriller

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Janet Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good Nancy Drew book !!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR Keene, Carolyn
TITLE The Double Horrof of Fenley Place
DATE READ 03/15/21
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE "Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrhhh!" A terrifing scream spread through Nancy Drew's house. It was a scream filled with horror and panic and bone-chilling fear.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH YA Mystery/1987/pb/158 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #79
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 30/120
GROUP READ ND
TIME/PLACE 1980's/Ohio
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew Girl Detective; George & Bess her friends
COMMENTS Nancy's friend Bess is auditioning for the part of a screamer in a horror movie being filmed locally. The story is about a Haunted House across from the Fenley Mansion … and whatever happens on the movie set seems to be mimicked in the mansion.

[Christine Dabbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. So I picked this up because I’d never read a Nancy Drew book. I get it, it’s older and has more stereotypes. But I wasn’t prepared for the constant stranger comments on “a girl detective.” Anyways, the book was fine I guess. I probably won’t seek more out.

[Anniken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this at a fleamarket. Brought back so much nostalgia for when I was younger and used to read the Nancy Drew books ☺️

[V. Arrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that Bess is a professional screamer. I love the super bizarre local restaurant based on a school cafeteria (???) that got WAY more prominence than the plot required. I love Boris the dog. I love that the dog's name is Boris.

[Eric Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, interesting ND book. The premise of this book is very intriguing, but there are some problems. There was a LOT of humor and jokes in this book, and most of them were pretty cheesy and a little overkill. The writing is a bit off, kinda awkward(probably because this is the first book to be published in 2 years after Phantom Of Venice and the first book published fully by Simon & Schuster). I thought Nancy was a bit forgetful in some scenes and I was a bit annoyed when near the end, she's in the attic alone and she hears someone coming up the stairs and thinks it's George when George is asleep and it's obviously the bad guy, espically when they aren't responding to Nancy. Come on Nancy, you should know better! Also, when Nancy's house is disarrayed by the culprit, the phone keeps ringing, even off the receiver. That never gets explained. However, the book was very interesting, suspenseful at times, and kept me guessing. The culprit was obvious, but there was a unexpected twist with the culprit and the motive wasn't clear. The characters were pretty fun and interesting and the ending was unexpectedly a bit emotional. Overall, a good mystery. 3 stars.

[Felicity Hyannis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It was the first book published under the Minstrel imprint, and is much more lighthearted, casual, and enjoyable than the Wanderer books (which are either really good or really bad). The author's idea of Nancy Drew was close to mine, which added to my enjoyment of the story. It kept me guessing as to who the criminal was, and there was a twist at the end. The criminal's motive was unique and different, and a bit psychological, it wasn't just that they wanted money or something like that. I appreciate the author trying something different with the criminal, it paid off. The plot was creative, too, that whatever happens on a movie set is replicated in the house across the street. This is a very good book.

[Cathie Baumgartner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Double Horror of Fenley Place" is an engaging story.

Nancy had a keen understanding of the mystery clues. She was intelligent and learned to differentiate how a movie is different from real life. She never gave up and continued to follow the clues. Eventually, she discovered a hidden treasure that revealed a poignant story: a father and son who had been separated for 20 years were finally reunited.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Are you a screamer, a bleeder, or a corpse?”

This was almost as good as the ND/HB Super Mystery Hollywood Horror! So many things happened!

-Hank Steinberg aka Steven Spielberg is filming a jinxed horror movie in River Heights. Accidents abound.
-Bess is a screamer.
-cafeteria restaurant
-blown out windows
-roof antics
-blood capsules
-Nancy checks out every guy’s shoes
-George had so many funny lines.
-unfortunately no real ghost
-a character named Spider

[Leon Ha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy-to-read and light-hearted mystery or crime novel suitable for young adults (or even adults who simply want something light-hearted to read). It contains all the expected elements of Nancy Drew plot but still manage to keep readers suspended until the very end to find out who the culprit is behind the novel. However, some of the characters were less fleshed out.

[Anna Shiverdecker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the plot and had no idea who the culprit was up until the end by it was written very poorly. Several things didn't quite make sense (when explosives were stolen, no report to police was made) and it didn't feel like Nancy was her usual self (she even broke a law by sneaking into someone's hotel room).

[mat · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this very quickly while waiting in the hospital… the portuguese translation was pretty much on point, absolutely loved all the very portuguese names they gave the characters and was very surprised to find out this was a nancy drew story

[Sethuli Disansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it a lot.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I really liked the plot! This is very good for light reading, or maybe a good mystery or, for a short chapter book. Enjoy!

[Hope Vollm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was fun. I liked the filming of the movie going on in the background. I do feel like foreshadowing really gives away the villain tho.

[lizzy (lullabyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one! It actually had a bit of a twist at the end and kept me entertained. I just love reading Nancy Drew books when I'm stressed.

[Lisa Shower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun!

I love reading these books decades after my first time reading them. It is like visiting old friends again! Nostalgic

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Juliet Minerva Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completed as part of the 2020 Mini Magical Readathon: Visit Hogsmeade!
IV) Hog's Head: Not the most popular - has less than 10,000 ratings on Goodreads

This was my first ever Nancy Drew book! I knew about her from The Babysitter Club, and when this was published in Italy, I immediately bought it. I think I was way to old for this and didn't enjoy it too much.

This time I knew what to expect and it was ok, I know it isn't a masterpiece but it is a short, nice read. I found some of the clues to come up way too randomly, and Nancy makes some deductions which are not really grounded.
I am not sure when this is set. I get the feeling it is in modern days but there is absolutely no mention of modern world objects like phones.

Despite the possible change in time period, the protagonists retain their main personalities, especially when it comes to Bess and George, while taking out all the more problematic things from the very first books.

[Miri · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a movie crew comes to River Heights to shoot a scary movie, Bess is ecstatic when she gets the part of a screamer in the picture. Soon Nancy is on a new case when every horrible scene filmed at the movie location is repeated across the street at Fenley Place, and the movie script just gets worse and worse. Can Nancy find out who is behind this real life horror before the final scene is played out?

[Srishti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this whilst on a road trip, so it goes to show how easy Nancy Drew books are to digest! The plot moves fast, and the book itself is quite short. It's engrossing enough that you want to keep reading, but not special enough that you're wishing that you weren't in a car, feeling slightly sick :P Still continuing with my Nancy Drew reading quest!

[Astrid · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
I've always wanted to read a Nancy Drew book, and I found a copy while on vacation. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or if it was exactly what I imagined. It is definitely young adult and it is quite obvious it is an older book. I'm glad I tried it though. It was a quick read, and maybe I'll try another one if I ever stumble across one again.

[Nikki- Hedwig’s and Hopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I can say is Ned is back!

[Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit spooky, I liked it.

[anna]

my childhood favorite serie <3

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok...but not that good ...maybe i had my hopes up

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Shreya · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok...but not that good ...maybe i had my hopes up