The Swami's Ring

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #61

by Carolyn Keene

When Nancy searches through the knapsack of an amnesia victim, she finds an unusual ring. Before long, she is caught up in a second assignment from a beautiful harpist. Nancy's discoveries reveal an important connection between the hospital patient, the harpist, and enemies from abroad.

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

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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 3 out of 5]

Good...but not up to the standard set by the earlier books.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nancy Drew book series definitely returns to its standard of greatness with this one. My only complaint was that she was attempting to solve too many mysteries at the same time, and that definitely keeps the reader from getting fully engrossed in the story.

[Nancy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best in the series but enjoyable

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fan of the Hardy Boys for over 40 years, I nonetheless have a few Nancy Drew books, and when I came across a mint copy of The Swami's Ring at a used bookstore this summer, I could not resist picking it up. In this interesting story, Nancy is asked to solve the mystery of a young man suffering from amnesia, who has in his possession a solid gold ring that mysterious characters immediately try to purloin. At the same time, Nancy's father faces political troubles as he is caught in a dispute between two towns over a festival. Like the Hardy Boys, Nancy and her friends keep up a steady pace of adventure as they make their way through the two mysteries. While written a bit more simplistically than the hardcover classic Nancy Drew books I have, this take nonetheless reads well and anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew books surely will like it. As with the Hardy Boys books published by "Wanderer" I was very impressed with the quality of this paperback: despite being almost 40 years old, the pages were all bright white, the binding still tight and the color cover artwork and inside black and white sketches were wonderful, and in sad contrast to the cheap quality of the later Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys paperbacks. I don't think The Swami's Ring is still in print which is shame because it is a good book. Pick up any copy you see if you enjoy Nancy Drew!

[Elena Pousada]

Si fueras terapeuta de uno de los personajes, ¿qué le recomendarías como forma de afrontar los problemas?

Si yo era el terapueta de Nancy Drew, le aconsejaría que se tome tiempo para descansar. Nancy nunca se queja de lo tanto que tiene que hacer, pero se está inundando con tantos casos. En este libro, Nancy esta tratando de resolver tantos casos: la identidad del "Barranco," el dueño del anillo que encontró en la mochila de "Barranco," la desaparición de Phyllis Pruett (la hermana de Angela Pruett, un arpista quien tocó en el Festival de Música de River Heights), y quién está saboteando el Festival de Música de River Heights. Me imagino que debe sentirse tan estresada y cansada al final de cada dia. Ademas, casi no tiene tiempo para pasar con su novio, Ned Nickerson, con sus amigas, Bess Marvin y George Fayne, o con su padre, Carson Drew. Siempre está tratando de resolver estos casos y está descuidando sus relaciones con ellos. Su novio ya ha expresado su descontento con ella, ya que ella está prestando mucho atención a estos casos y no le presta atencion a el. Para afrontar estos problemas, se debe de tomar tiempo para descansar.

- John Pasato

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has got to be the most interesting character story of the Nancy Drew books so far. Mr. Drew and Nancy are having issues since the town is suddenly turning on them. Nancy and Ned are having issues beyond his usual “you meet a lot of hotties on these cases” jealousy. And both Hannah and Bess and George fail Nancy when she asks them to protect things! It’s like a giant interpersonal nightmare and I loved it. I was way more interested in whether everyone was going to remain on speaking terms than the actual mysteries. It was by no means a perfect delve into their characters, but it was certainly more interesting than the usual fat-shaming of Bess or flirty banter with Ned.

[Darinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Drew and her friends stay in River Heights to solve the mystery in The Swami's Ring. Nancy wants to help an amnesiac patient remember who he is, plus a harpist in town wants Nancy's help looking for her sister. Of course, the two have a connection. Also, Ned is getting tired of all the mysteries Nancy is always running off to solve.

This one was better than some of the other later Nancy Drew mysteries.

[Mary snedeker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Nancy Drew Book

Not my fav Nancy Drew book. Lacked the good ole Nancy and friends vibes. I have been reading Nancy drew books since I was 14 years old. My 1st was clue in the Crumbling Walll I love that and it's still my favorite. But it seem 's as these newer books come on the market they're not as detailed and exciting there are quite a few that are good But this was not 1 of them. I am 73 years young and I still love these books!

[Truly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Membayangkan cincin yang menjadi sumber misteri kali ini, saya langsung teringat pada kisah yang dibuat berdasarkan kegemaran salah satu personil The Beatles pada cincin. Suatu saat, Lisa sahabat Nancy Drew yang bekerja sbagai merawat menghubunginya. Ia merasa Nancy Drew akan bisa membantu memecahkan misteri yang terjadi di tempat kerjanya. Dugaannya memang benar! Tak ada misteri yang terlalu rumit bagi seorang Nancy Drew.

[Chaya & Cinnamon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of the mystery didn't make sense. The main characters weren't written like themselves - Mr. Drew would want and appreciate Nancy helping with the problems about the music festival, Nancy wouldn't be so moody, Hannah wouldn't go off and leave the amnesia victim even for a short time when she promised Nancy she'd watch him, George and Bess wouldn't be so easily fooled by the con man, etc..

[Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favourite! There was a lot going on here - an amnesiac, a missing girl, a mysterious ring, a questionable retreat, a theatre conspiracy. It was all a bit disjointed and Nancy had to be rescued at the end!

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was too much going on and all the mysteries were interconnected which makes it a little hard to believe. These days Singh should not be an unusual name, but potentially in River Heights it still is. Lots of action. And tension. The is good 3.5.

[Delanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best word I can use to describe this Nancy Drew book is unremarkable. It's not great but it's not terrible either. The mystery did stay a secret until almost the end but the mystery was so boring that I couldn't read more than one chapter at a time or risk falling asleep. It's "eh"

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, but you can't even begin to compare it to the first books in the series.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another adventure in the life of Nancy Drew. This one has a few inconsistencies, but an enjoyable quick and easy read to relax me.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were one of my favorite series as a child so when I saw them at the library, I grabbed one for old times sake.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was strange. They're trying new things. We get an emotional element in this one and it just seems a little strange.

[Lisa Shower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced!

A decent little mystery. I enjoyed it for the most part. These later books, 1980's forward, are hit or miss.

[Elena Pousada]

Chris Paute

D. What aspects of the novel struck you as extremely relevant to your life?

Los aspectos de la novela que son importantes a mi vida es que a mi me gusta ayudar o ser util a personas y me gusta misterios igual como a Nancy le gusta. Nancy es un personaje que yo me relato mucho porque cuando leí el libro nancy me hizo verme a mí en ella. Nancy Drew es inteligente, confiable, le gusta resolver casos de misterios y ayudar en lo que ella pueda y eso es lo mismo que yo trato de hacer. Por ejemplo cuando algo se siente extraño yo quiero saber por que y que paso. También yo siempre quiero ser útil en lo que puedo hacer porque así soy yo como una persona. Cuando alguien necesita ayuda yo trato lo que puedo para ayudar. No hay ningún caso que Nancy no pueda resolver o sea aunque sea muy difícil ella no se da por vencida y eso es lo que me relato mucho a ella porque yo tambien no me doy por vencido en cosas que yo se que puedo lograrlo, solo tengo que seguir tratando igual como lo hace Nancy. Esta es la razón en porque la protagonista es como yo.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

For this and all my Nancy Drew reviews and more, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

On the one hand, I adore the Nancy Drew books that came out under the Wanderer imprint in the early 1980’s because that’s the timeframe of when I was knee-deep in Nancy Drew fever. On the other hand, after re-reading some of these books, I wonder if my interest in Nancy didn’t start to wane not just because I was growing up, but because these volumes lack the intrigue of the original volumes.

There are several mysteries going on, not just two that end up tying together, and maybe that’s the problem. Nancy’s working on 3 different mysteries. One involves a young man who was brought to the hospital with a head injury and no memory of who he is or how he got to the bottom of a cliff, where he was found unconscious. Of course, the hospital staff calls him “Cliff.” Apparently, the summer before, Nancy took classes on being a candy striper so she signs up to volunteer at the hospital and get to know Cliff better to try and solve the mystery of his identification. One clue is a ring that he has in his possession; it’s unusual-looking, and Nancy thinks it’s the key to the mystery.

Carson Drew is facing scrutiny for some of his dealings. “The Jansen Music Theater Company was scheduled to perform at the Castleton Theater, but Jansen canceled out on Castleton in favor of River Heights. The town council of Castleton thinks I’m responsible for the last-minute switch.” Mr. Drew interrupted himself, laughing nervously. “It just isn’t true, but I can’t seem to convince anyone, including the mayor of River Heights!” “But he’s your friend, Dad.” Mr. Drew doesn’t want Nancy to worry about his troubles, but she does, anyway.

One of the musicians from the Jansen Company, Angela Pruitt, has a mystery to solve. ““Miss Pruett has been trying to find her sister for several days,” Mr. Drew revealed. “It seems she went on some sort of spiritual retreat last weekend, but never returned.” “Where was the retreat being held?” Nancy inquired. “Somewhere in the hills outside of River Heights,” the harpist replied. “I don’t know exactly. Phyllis is very interested in Transcendental Meditation.” Nancy and Ned try to find the retreat and get a little too close to the truth. They’re drugged and tied up in different locations, but both eventually break free of their bonds.

Meanwhile, Cliff’s rings is stolen when Bess and Geroge are investigating, and then Cliff himself disappears from the Drew home, where he’d been staying following his discharge from the hospital. The only good thing about Cliff disappearing is that Ned stops acting out of character. Before Cliff vanished, Ned was whining about doing detective work and jealous of Cliff. It was written in a way that was so unlike Ned, I had no idea where that came from!

Nancy and Ned are getting closer to finding out more about Cliff’s ring and why so many people are interested in it. They stumble upon the Flannerys, who are clearly up to no good. Nancy gets captured, and when she’s tied up she keeps asking questions, so the wife shoves a roll into Nancy’s mouth to shut her up! “Nancy bit into it angrily, gulping down part of it. The rest broke off, dribbling crumbs on the floor. “Was that good?” the woman sneered. “Here, have another piece.” She took a larger chunk of bread this time and stuffed it in Nancy’s mouth.” What is that all about? Just gag her. I don’t know if that was meant for comedic effect, but it’s so out-of-place.

The tying up of all the mystery threads was quite convoluted, with Cliff (Randy) and Angela Pruitt’s sister, Phyllis, being rescued from the retreat, the recovery of the ring. I thought the writing was trying too hard, and the story didn’t gel. Too much going on, too many things that weren’t the norm in terms of behavior (at one point, Mr. Drew tackles someone and gets in a rage).

[Chris Comden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Swami's Ring by Carolyn Keene
Series: Yes Nancy Drew #61
Format: Hardcover
Stars: 3 1/2
Recommend: Yes
Would Reread: Yes



I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.

For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

My love of reading started when i was young, and it gives me immense pleasure to provide books to Spread the Word Nevada, an organization that passes them on to children in the community. They are a terrific organization supporting an important cause. If your local I encourage you to check them out. For those living further a field, look in your own community, their may already be a similar program in place. And if not, you can always help start one.

http://spreadthewordnevada.org/

Myself, I go out on the weekends and
shop thrift store and bulk book lots to rescue books and donate them. Sometimes I'll find a book I remember reading when I was young and will read it again before passing it on.

I don't rate these books using my normal scale, instead I give most of them three stars. This isn't a Criticism of the book, simply my way of rating them as good for children.

[Ayana Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her mystery begins when her former schoolmate Lisa Scotti, who was now a nurse asked her if she could go over to Rosemont Hospital to help solve a mystery. The mystery is about a young man who was just brought into the emergency with bad bruises. He has amnesia- he can't remember who he is, where he has been or where he comes from and there her mystery begins

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had everything that a mystery book needed. I love to read so it took me to a different like always. I thought it was very good. It had kidnapping and a scracy abodoned house. At the end everything was ok.

[Eva Siagian · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was my first time reading nancy drew series. i really like the illustration :D but i'm not really into the story, (perhaps) because it still my first time so i will read it again (other title). I MUST! of course, since it's legend (still in my opinion ;p )

[Rachel]

My original school reading record review

This book was so good that I read it in one day after another book, So when I had finished reading this book I got half way through the next story in the Series.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy gets caught up in a mystery after finding a strange ring.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read almost all the Nancy Drew Books just not sure I needed to add them all!!!

[Kayla Guevara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good not great. Could be better.