Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #175

by Carolyn Keene

Things are hairy in River Heights this holiday season. Two wolves have disappeared from WildWolf, the federal wolf preserve just outside of town. Local farmers think the missing wolves are killing their sheep, but there are also rumors of werewolf sightings nearby. At the same time, the annual River Heights Winter Carnival is set to begin. When the first two days of the outdoor festival are full of tragic disasters, Nancy can’t help but wonder—is there a link between the carnival's trouble and the missing wolves? After the carnival’s beautiful ice palace is destroyed, Nancy’s sure there’s a wolf at River Heights’s door. But is the leader of this pack of crimes human, or beast?

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Juvenile, Thriller, Adventure

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

not the best, not the worst.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and unhinged Nancy.

[Carole K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven't read a Nancy Drew book for a long time; this one was a real pleasure. The setting is a winter carnival(I've always wanted to go to one),including all the activities that occur during the event: ice carving, an ice castle,ice dancing, skiing, skating. Mysteries about wolves and mishaps during the carnival provide an opportunity for Nancy to use her excellent logic while sipping lattes and using a lap top computer.

[Kandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all Nancy Drew Books, they are just so amazing and interesting!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

My last book of 2023!

This was super cute.

[Izzy]

Really lost the plot at the end there. Also, why was River Heights randomly in Canada for this book?

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute mystery that’s easy to solve with Nancy. Great for young detectives alike.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I like animals, I usually don't usually enjoy the mysteries set in wildlife sanctuaries or horse camps/farms/shows as much as other settings because they seem to show up frequently in this series. However, since this mostly takes place at a winter carnival, a unique locations to the series, I can live with the wolf sanctuary.

I enjoy details that make Nancy's world seem real, like the sleuths' various jobs at the carnival. The plot was complex, and I didn't suspect the actual perpetrator until just near the end. A suitable ending to the Nancy Drew Mystery Story series which ran 70 years, from 1930-2003.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "newest" and final Nancy Drew isn't as fun as the originals. I cut the originals some slack since they were written 70+ years ago. This one was written in 2003.
Nancy has a cell phone now, which wasn't mentioned until 2/3 of the way through.
She relies on her wits which is great, but she could have gotten out of a situation earlier if she used her phone.
I was glad this isn't sexist (#1 isn't either), and her friends don't ask her to stop investigating.

[Hagen Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave it a higher score because the wild nonsense of the book’s ending was actually very entertaining. This is a classic Nancy case where our favorite girl detective obtains evidence and and corners criminals in ways that are suuuuper illegal, but with the added INSANE final plan to lure her culprit to a shack and scare him with a werewolf costume for some reason? It was dumb, but really funny so I’d still recommend it

[Amanda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A winter carnival, stolen wolves, mysterious and frightening werewolf sightings, avalanches, and murdered sheep…
Nancy, George, and Bess get seasonal jobs at the River Heights Winter Carnival and a couple of wolves from the nearby preserve go missing. Disaster soon strikes the carnival and it’s up to Nancy to figure out what’s going on.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy read with a surprise ending.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Nancy Drew books. I was specifically saving this one for winter.

[Nainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not so much for the story, but for the sheer way it made me feel so warm. Made me think of coffee, autumn, hot chocolate and everything that I love.

[Bethany Kirkendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cozy mystery. However, Nancy drew has always been in my faves list since I was a kid.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun winter themed mystery. Enjoyed.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My recap/review (contains cursing/spoilers): https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/...

[Miller McLynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was super slow so I didn’t finish. I’m not a wolf or horror fan either so not for me anyways

[V. Arrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean. It doesn't compare to the Sweet Valley werewolf trilogy, but I GUESS that's probably on purpose.