The Greek Symbol Mystery

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #60

by Carolyn Keene

When she is told that a large inheritance from a Greek tycoon, meant for her friend Helen Nicholas, was stolen, Nancy agrees to find the culprit. A poisonous snake in a basket of apples and a strange symbol stamped on a rare Byzantine mask are clues in this mystery set in the beautiful and exotic country of Greece. These clues lead Nancy and her friends to a ring of art smugglers and to the secret of the Greek symbol.

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

176 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable whodunit, this time in an exotic locale.

[Shana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read quite a few Nancy Drew books when I was a girl and thought I'd enjoy the nostalgia of reading one again. I checked a title out from the library that I'd never read and was more than a little disappointed in this one.

The story jumped straight from one incredibly lucky clue to another without making the setting clear to the reader. While I know that the Nancy Drew series is light on description and character building, this book had none.

After reading some of the other reviews, I see I'm not alone. I think I'll write this one off and try another.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never thought that it would be possible for me to dislike a Nancy Drew book, but sixtieth time was the charm. There was no mystery, Nancy simple ran around and had clues and suspects fall in her lap, and the police were portrayed as rude and brutish.

[Kirstin Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute Nancy Drew. It was the most recent of these I found and wanted to read it. I'm glad I did. I liked the setting and all the Greek stuff. The mystery wasn't too bad either. It is a little corny and unrealistic, but honestly so are most Nancy Drew's. Not a bad kid's type book overall.

[Freja Ivermark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det var lite för många människor med liksom så jag fattade inte riktigt slutet men den var nice för den va lite coolig

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

good but I am honestly a little bit confused!!

Reread 8/14/24: Still confused but I think I enjoyed it more! Very on theme for my trip.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well these stories certainly did not get better the further into the series they were. This story, #60 in the series, was published in the 1980's. While the original 10 books were humorous at least, this one was just convoluted and unrealistic. Nancy and her friends are all the same, yet the "clues" were bizarre, and other than having a Greek island setting, this was just a lot of nothing. It is amazing that everyone is able to instantly just pick up and jet to Greece too, even the three boys who joined the three girls half way through the story. I guess these teens already had their passports, and they must all have plenty of money to be able to buy overseas plane tickets at the drop of a hat.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has to be one of the weirdest Nancy Drew books I've ever read. The writing was just really off, and random cliffhangers (like them getting on a boat and it speeding off) are just immediately remedied and have nothing to do with the plot. The actual mystery itself makes very little sense, and the whole book was just... bizarre.

Oh, and of course Ned, Burt and Dave just jet off to Greece for like one day in the middle of a school week. How do they even stay in college?

[Karsyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never read before. One of the most boring and dull ever.

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel conflicted about how to rate this book. My elementary-school self would have given it 5 stars. I had such great memories of it that I convinced DD1 to read it with me this summer. Alas, my adult reread did not match my nostalgic expectations.

As an adult, I have trouble believing that Mr. Drew would send Nancy and her besties off to Greece unsupervised to solve two mysteries and thereby face danger. And when he does join them eventually, he brings along each girl’s boyfriend. Who are these people that can fly to Greece at the drop of a hat??

I also found Bess to be a kind of a pain, though I remember liking her character as a kid. I suppose she is intended to stand in for all of us, who would surely be tired, hungry, and in need of some shopping and swimming if we were on this trip, so I probably shouldn’t complain about her. Still, there were moments where it seemed like she should have known that this was not an ordinary vacation and was just whining. She seemed to get better by the end of the book, but I thought George was much more fun as a travel companion.

The double mystery was OK, but it felt to me like it depended on a lot of coincidences. Someone trying to get rid of the smuggled mask just *happened* to slip it in into Nancy’s bag, thereby tipping her off about a smuggling operation. The two mysteries just *happen* to be interrelated. None of this bothered me as a kid, though, and DD1 didn’t complain about it, either.

Despite my grown-up gripes, I still loved the location and sense of adventure in the book. And it seems like a good fit for middle grades. DD1 is not that big into mysteries, but she enjoyed it and didn’t voice any of the complaints that I did above. Maybe she’s planning for me to fly her with 2 besties to Greece when she’s 17! LOL!

I’ll split the difference between my elementary-school and adult selves and give this 4 stars.

[Casey Kidwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane and re-reading some books from my childhood over the course of the last few years. Recently I picked up some Nancy Drew books from an estate sale and decided to dive into this one as part of my March reading. It’s been yearssss since I’ve read Nancy Drew so I don’t fully remember what the stories are like nor would I really be able to compare this one in particular since I’m not sure I ever read it before. To be honest I found it challenging to follow. I’m not quite sure why. There were a lot of characters and names and it just felt all over the place and hard to keep everything straight. Not to say I wouldn’t give another Nancy Drew a shot but this one was not great.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the weirdest Nancy Drew books I’ve ever read—and I read that one with the crazy house and the psychotic robot. It felt like someone new was writing the stories and they hadn’t done their homework: the pacing was off, the characters were off, and sometimes things just didn’t make sense. There were multiple times I had to reread a page or two because I was confused about where people supposedly were or how time had passed, and Nancy Drew stories, God bless them, are not exactly that difficult to follow. And I swear every description was some version of “stark contrast”.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy and the gals head out to Greece to solve several mysteries. There are a confusing number of people both good and bad, so I couldn't keep track of them all. Still, it was fun. Bess gets stung by a jellyfish and rescued by a hot Greek lifeguard. Mr. Drew comes out to help (one of the cases is his client) and brings Ned, Burt, and Dave... as Jennifer White says on her blog, seriesbooks, those guys are definitely flunking out of college. Although no mention of what time of year.
George has become a one note character who just harps on Bess's weight. Bess remains my favorite character. Girl saves the day when Nancy and Ned are stuffed in a barrel in a monastery. This story is crazy fun.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a very good one. Not a lot of exposition this time. I don't really understand who Helen Nichols is. I assumed she was one of Nancy's chums, but then she calls Mr Drew "Carson," later. Maybe she is an adult woman? Very few females call him Carson. (And definitely not Nancy's closest friends and/or Hannah Gruen! His sister, Nancy's Aunt Eloise does, though.) Some of his lawyer friends and upper-echelon types do.

This might make an interesting paper. Haha, "The Usage of Mr Drew's First Name by his Colleagues, Peers, and Associates, in the Nancy Drew Books"

[Trips Starlake · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was this story?
The characters were trying to hold the plot the together, but it was so thin they were struggling!
Nancy goes to find a missing person and then a series of landmark visits in Greece commence as she and her friends try to get a solid lead.
Then in the end several men show up to help out as soon as Nancy just about solved the crime for some reason?
I don't know, none of the plot points added up or connected, felt really weird. Just kinda bad, but easy to read.

[Susanna B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alku oli lupaava hauskoine sutkautuksineen, ja pidin kreikkalaisten myyttien ja paikkojen tuomisesta kirjaan. Mutta mitäpä olisi Neiti Etsivä ilman kunnon cringeä, sillä aikansa kultaisista teemoista, kuten white saviour complexista, läskifobiasta ja rasismista pääsi nauttimaan läpi kirjan.
Kääntäjä olisi voinut olla hereillä useammin, mutta kuka tietää millaista palkkaa hänelle on maksettu herran vuonna -94?
Upean kannen ja hyvän alun vuoksi kaksi tähteä.

[Jan Peregrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I've been reading too many of these books because I got bored with it and couldn't care how it ended. Nancy was in Greece with her girlfriends tackling a couple of mysteries and so it was complicated and confusing. They involved smuggling, robbery, fraud, which didn't really excite me. It just seemed like cardboard characters in a formula plot, but ambiious girls may enjoy it.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This one didn't impress me at all. It was confusing and convoluted, and it did not seem to be plotted well. Things just felt random and difficult to follow. This one was published much later, in the 1980s, and I've found I prefer the earlier ones.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting setting in a place unfamiliar to me, although I'm not sure why Nancy referred to taking a "siesta" in Greece. A typical ND mystery with many coincidences to help her sleuthing journey run smoothly and tie up neatly.

[Arlow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe this was the wrong Nancy Drew book to start on... but the pacing felt frantic and I have the feeling the reader was supposed to already know who the characters were before the beginning of the book.

[shafaye 📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

weird and convoluted story, and more than one time I had to double back because the time progression made no sense. but will still read more of nancy drew and hardy boys just to fulfil that bookish nostalgia!

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew, along with her two best friends, Bess and George, travels to Greece to solve a mystery.

Loved these books as a kid, and having fun reading them again as an adult.

[Tarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good story

[Gigi Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like any other nancy drew books I have read in the past.

[Shana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually I love Nancy Drew books. I just had a hard time getting into this one.

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

This was quite a bitty plot and no real explanation as to how Nancy came to her conclusions. It was mostly her just chasing around Athens. Not a favourite.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

More complicated plot than usual, which was fun.

[Amelie Curthoys · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to re-read a childhood favorite.

[Aubreya Barnwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty lighthearted quick read just enough to hold your interest!