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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #174
A Taste of Danger
This Resort Has The Recipe For Disaster!
Nancy's thrilled that she, Bess, George, and Hannah will be attending the grand opening of the newly renovated Gourmet Getaway. Not only will they be able to eat four-star meals prepared by master chefs, they'll get to take cooking classes with them, too. But before the table's even set, problems start plaguing the resort, both in and out of the kitchen. Nancy can't believe it's just bad luck, but who's causing all the problems?
Nancy puts her cooking on the back burner so she can devote her attention to solving the mystery. Can she manage to find out who's behind the trouble before more sabotage is served?
Nancy's thrilled that she, Bess, George, and Hannah will be attending the grand opening of the newly renovated Gourmet Getaway. Not only will they be able to eat four-star meals prepared by master chefs, they'll get to take cooking classes with them, too. But before the table's even set, problems start plaguing the resort, both in and out of the kitchen. Nancy can't believe it's just bad luck, but who's causing all the problems?
Nancy puts her cooking on the back burner so she can devote her attention to solving the mystery. Can she manage to find out who's behind the trouble before more sabotage is served?
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
872 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
993 books3,864 followersCarolyn 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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May 20, 2025i read this for the nostalgia of it all because i remembered this cover vividly from when i was 8. honestly it was really good and i love nancy drew
May 22, 2022
Välskriven, fartfylld och intressanta karaktärer!
January 27, 2023
I’ve read this countless times such a cozy comfort read!!
February 5, 2025
Honestly, I loved this. Such a trite '90s/00s villain trope, but this book was so cozy.
May 1, 2023
Nancy, George, Bess and Hannah are visiting a resort for the weekend. Located in the rural New England countryside, the girls are looking forward to the foodie weekend where they will sample delicacies prepared by a famous French chef, learn how to cook a few recipes, and about foraging for root veggies, herbs, and mushrooms. Unfortunately, there is someone at the resort that is out to ruin the weekend at any costs including assault. And, there is also a renowned and undercover food critic ready to write what could be a devastating review based on the incidents occurring at the resort. Luckily, Nancy and her friends are actively working to find the culprits even if it places them in harm's way. For the most part, I enjoyed this Nancy Drew. There are a lot of suspects and interesting tidbits about hunting, foraging, and preparing specific foods. I'd recommend A Taste of Danger to Nancy Drew fans of all ages.
April 20, 2025
The mystery in this one was honestly a bit too obvious from the very start—there wasn’t much suspense or surprise to keep me guessing. But what made this worth the read was the overwhelming nostalgia. It took me straight back to my childhood, when I’d be completely glued to these books, fascinated by Nancy and her clever detective work.
Nancy still holds up as a relatable, level-headed, and impressively mature protagonist. Her bond with Bess and George is one of my favorite aspects of the series, and in this one, I especially loved the moments between Nancy and George—their care and quiet understanding of one another was genuinely heartwarming.
It’s a short, cozy read, and the food references sprinkled throughout were a fun bonus. While the mystery lacked depth, the sabotage plot, quirky characters, and sleuthing spirit brought back so many memories. This one may not have blown me away, but it reminded me why I loved this series growing up.
Nancy still holds up as a relatable, level-headed, and impressively mature protagonist. Her bond with Bess and George is one of my favorite aspects of the series, and in this one, I especially loved the moments between Nancy and George—their care and quiet understanding of one another was genuinely heartwarming.
It’s a short, cozy read, and the food references sprinkled throughout were a fun bonus. While the mystery lacked depth, the sabotage plot, quirky characters, and sleuthing spirit brought back so many memories. This one may not have blown me away, but it reminded me why I loved this series growing up.
July 27, 2017
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
August 21, 2017
One of my many favorites to read in the Nancy Drew mysteries
September 24, 2018
Very good book
March 16, 2021
Very enjoyable with interesting characters, in both senses of the word(!), some novel situations and setting. A strong penultimate book for the first and longest Nancy Drew series.
April 28, 2021
Very good! Similar gourmet cooking resort setting to Mystery On The Menu, but a much different plot. Loved it!!
March 19, 2022
Really liked this one. Good mystery and several exciting moments- especially the end!
May 15, 2022
A reread and ND will always be a comfort read for me! Loved it
August 28, 2023
SCARY
ENJOYED THE STORY NO INTEREST HOWEVER IN DEMONIZING EXTREMIST VEGETARIANS, VEGAN OR NOT.....REALLY NOT TOO PLAUSIBLE. Author should think again.
ENJOYED THE STORY NO INTEREST HOWEVER IN DEMONIZING EXTREMIST VEGETARIANS, VEGAN OR NOT.....REALLY NOT TOO PLAUSIBLE. Author should think again.
November 4, 2012
This book is mainly talking about mysterious events that were happening during the grand re-opening of the newly renovated Gourmet Gateway owned by the couple Mike and Jillian Rinaldi.The owner's ex-wife hired a food critic to come to the restaurant. During the week the food critic is there, someone sabotages the hotel. All these events were being surveillance by the main character Nancy Drew, an Eighteen year old detective. But Can Nancy find the person who has been sabotaging the hotel before Chef Cadot, the hotel's guest chef of the month, quit or anything else bad happens? Read the book to find out!
I didn't update my status about reading this book because i had some doubts about the it at first. I had an image in my mind that it would be such a boring mystery story but it turned out the total opposite. While reading this, i was able to imagine the scenes that were happening throughout the book because of the amazing description of the scenes. I would love to read more of Nancy Drew books soon as it really suits my type of reading.
I didn't update my status about reading this book because i had some doubts about the it at first. I had an image in my mind that it would be such a boring mystery story but it turned out the total opposite. While reading this, i was able to imagine the scenes that were happening throughout the book because of the amazing description of the scenes. I would love to read more of Nancy Drew books soon as it really suits my type of reading.
April 18, 2016
A Taste of Danger by Carolyn Keene is a part of the Nancy Drew mysteries series. In this book, Nancy, her friends Bess and George, and her housekeeper Hannah go on a vacation to the Gourmet Getaway. However, things at the resort start to go terribly wrong. Power outages, rubber gloves in guests dinner, vandalism and scares to name a few. Nancy being the detective she is, decides to help the owner of the getaway, who is also a family friend, crack the case. This story was an easy read that was also interesting and enjoyable. One weakness of this book was that there was a lot of coincidences, this made the story not very realistic. This book also was only 5 points, which was a little disappointing. There is hundreds of Nancy Drew books out there, and I will definitely continue to read them. I think that anyone who loves a mystery and is looking for an easy read would love these books.
January 29, 2013
This book came free with a set of Nancy Drew PC games I bought online, and I didn't really plan on reading it, but I was bored one day and read it anyway. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! The characters were stereotypical and it was cheesy, but it was a quick, pleasant read on a rainy afternoon.
May 5, 2014
Nancy, Bess, George and Hannah are staying at a Gourmet Getaway. Preparing gourmet meals, learning from a famous chef and eating wonderful food, but not long after they arrive they notice all is not sweet at this resort. Attacks, sabotage, picketers, riots, someone is cooking up trouble, can Nancy sniff out the culprit before the whole place goes up in smoke?
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January 12, 2010... still reading ! =)
February 5, 2011
Got this from my Uncle Bob for Christmas last year. Loved it!
December 19, 2011
Nice quick read. Would not rate it very high though. The setting was a little boring and the plot too predictable.
January 25, 2016
Read this when I got the chicken pox.. Nancy Drew got me through the pox!!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews