Danger in Disguise

Nancy Drew Files #33

by Carolyn Keene

George Fayne persuades Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin to volunteer for incumbent Councilman Tim Terry's political campaign. Nancy is thrown into a web of lies, blackmail and deceit. Someone has been blackmailing people for small amounts of money.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Teen

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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]

Another good entry in this series.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Another fun installment. I liked this one and the mystery was fun. Nancy was great and I thought the action scenes in this were pretty good. I also liked the way it wrapped up. Not much to say but it was entertaining.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it very interesting that there was a "Dee Shannon" in this book. Any relation to Deirdre Shannon from the later series?

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys throughout my school and college days.
Nancy Drew is an amateur detective who solves crimes with occasional help from her best friends, Bess and George and, her boyfriend Ned. She also has occasional help from her father Carson Drew who runs a private law practice. From finding stolen goods to missing persons and solving mysterious happenings, Nancy is a force of nature.
Until I discovered that Carolyn Keene is a pen name for a whole bunch of ghostwriters, I used to feel confused about the slight differences in each character from books to book over the many series of Nancy Drew mysteries. I like the character of Nancy best in the original books written by Mildred Wirt Benson where Nancy is truly a character to root for – an independent and street smart girl with a penchant for trouble.

[Rachel Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, I have to admit - I think I enjoy the Files a little bit more than the original Nancy Drew novels at the moment! This one was really fun. Must get some more from BookMooch! For some reason, Nancy seems to be blonde on a lot of UK covers - why? There are far more (natural) redheads in the UK than blondes, so why bother changing her hair colour? Odd.

[Prami{reader and dreamer} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another interesting read.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Drew who has been the same age for about a hundred years solves another case in what is another very familiar tale.