The Mystery of the Masked Rider

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #109

by Carolyn Keene

/MEGA-BOOKS In this new adventure, Nancy's friend Colleen is preparing to jump her beloved horse, Nightingale, in the Midwest International Horse Show. The prize-winning filly is worth a cool $200,000, and that kind of cash can breed plenty of greed, ambition, and danger. Soon Nancy has her hands full trying to stop a mysterious culpri

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Crime, Classics

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Eric Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, but the not worst. It was preditcable and a bit slow, but i still enjoyed it.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good mystery. It was not apparent all the way through the book just who the culprit might be. Everything was finalized in the end - it is Nancy Drew, after all - but it was a satisfactory ending.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was fantastic! I didn’t expect the ending at all, and I learned new things about horse shows. the only thing I predicted was Colleen leasing to Marisa and Diego, and I was happy to be right about that.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book! Although I really knew who it was half way through the book, still a good story!

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The horse competition setting is new for this series, but it felt repetitive. The formula for these later books seems to be four suspects, sabotage or theft, little detail beyond the plot elements.

[SR · Rating 4 out of 5]

ALSO HARDCORE.