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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #78
The Phantom of Venice
In this thrilling adventure rife with romance and danger, Nancy travels to Venice to investigate the kidnapping of a famous glassblower and the disappearance of an artist.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
15 people are currently reading
1470 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,073 books3,891 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 22, 2023
Years ago, one of my teachers had a display with posters of foreign countries with the words, "If you can't go...read about it!" Though I'm the least well-traveled person I know--seriously, in a military neighborhood like mine, my friends and even some of my family have been everywhere!--I have "traveled" to far off locations, both real and fictional, through the magic of books. While reading about fantastical locations such as Hogwarts or a galaxy far, far away can be fun, literature about places that actually exist--or once did, anyway--can be both entertaining and informative.
Such is the case here. Alongside the usual whodunit storyline, the European setting here makes this a cut above the regular Nancy Drew mystery. The writing is standard fare, but it gets the job done. Fans of this series know what to expect, and that's what they'll get here...but that's not a bad thing.
Such is the case here. Alongside the usual whodunit storyline, the European setting here makes this a cut above the regular Nancy Drew mystery. The writing is standard fare, but it gets the job done. Fans of this series know what to expect, and that's what they'll get here...but that's not a bad thing.
August 18, 2015
JUST AWFUL! Nancy is nothing like the Nancy Drew I know in this book!
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March 12, 2017Paluuta lapsuuden suosikkien pariin. Hieman nahkea fiilis jäi: tässä seikkailussa Paula on omin päin Venetsiassa. Henkilöt ovat karikatyyrejä, Paulan elämä yltäkylläistä ja tapahtumat höpsöjä. Ehkä nostalgiannälkäni alkaa näiden kirjojen osalta olla tyydytetty?
May 15, 2021
I’ve realized something about how I read Nancy Drew stories. I think I read them too fast! I really enjoyed this one: firstly, because it’s very good, and secondly because I slowed down my reading speed and took my time with it. That made it even better.
So I got a geography lesson from this book. Somehow I didn’t know Venice was made up of islands. I knew it had canals but I never made that connection, or wondered why there is so much water in Venice. I feel kind of stupid for not knowing that but at least I know now, right? I will remember this book every time I think of Venice.
This starts off with Nancy on a plane to Italy where she has been called by her father to help him with a kidnapping connected with his law case. On the plane she meets a nice young woman who is also destined for Venice. Tara Egan is here to gather her father’s items after his sudden death. Nancy ends up going with Tara to meet the people her father had been staying with. Much to Tara’s horror her father had fallen off a gondola into a canal and was never found.
This ‘accident’ felt suspicious to Nancy so she decides to keep Tara close for the remainder of the book while she works on the Venice kidnapping case. Nancy has a difficult time with this because a very handsome, vain man named Gianni refuses to leave her alone as she investigates the kidnapping of Pietro Rinaldi, the master glass blower of the Falcone glasswork company. Gianni is dead set on winning Nancy’s heart but Nancy has no interest in him.
I could have done without the romance of Nancy and Don Madison. I was much more interested in the main mystery and exploring Venice. I absolutely loved learning a bit more about the history of Venice, Italian culture, and the art of glassblowing, all things I don’t know much about.
One thing I wished could have been included was a glossary of the many Italian words and phrases that were used. Since I couldn’t look them up when I was reading, (I didn’t have wifi at those times) I had to guess based on what was happening right then. Over time I figured out what they meant, or at least the gist of what they meant. It would have been nicer to have a small glossary to translate those words. I’d have really appreciated it!
Overall, I really enjoyed this mystery that kept me guessing. Like I mentioned, I could have done without the little romance but it was okay. Like I do with almost all my Nancy Drew books, I will pass this one on to a friend of mine who I’m sure will enjoy the Venetian setting, and the mystery itself.
So I got a geography lesson from this book. Somehow I didn’t know Venice was made up of islands. I knew it had canals but I never made that connection, or wondered why there is so much water in Venice. I feel kind of stupid for not knowing that but at least I know now, right? I will remember this book every time I think of Venice.
This starts off with Nancy on a plane to Italy where she has been called by her father to help him with a kidnapping connected with his law case. On the plane she meets a nice young woman who is also destined for Venice. Tara Egan is here to gather her father’s items after his sudden death. Nancy ends up going with Tara to meet the people her father had been staying with. Much to Tara’s horror her father had fallen off a gondola into a canal and was never found.
This ‘accident’ felt suspicious to Nancy so she decides to keep Tara close for the remainder of the book while she works on the Venice kidnapping case. Nancy has a difficult time with this because a very handsome, vain man named Gianni refuses to leave her alone as she investigates the kidnapping of Pietro Rinaldi, the master glass blower of the Falcone glasswork company. Gianni is dead set on winning Nancy’s heart but Nancy has no interest in him.
I could have done without the romance of Nancy and Don Madison. I was much more interested in the main mystery and exploring Venice. I absolutely loved learning a bit more about the history of Venice, Italian culture, and the art of glassblowing, all things I don’t know much about.
One thing I wished could have been included was a glossary of the many Italian words and phrases that were used. Since I couldn’t look them up when I was reading, (I didn’t have wifi at those times) I had to guess based on what was happening right then. Over time I figured out what they meant, or at least the gist of what they meant. It would have been nicer to have a small glossary to translate those words. I’d have really appreciated it!
Overall, I really enjoyed this mystery that kept me guessing. Like I mentioned, I could have done without the little romance but it was okay. Like I do with almost all my Nancy Drew books, I will pass this one on to a friend of mine who I’m sure will enjoy the Venetian setting, and the mystery itself.
May 5, 2021
Nancy goes to Venice to help Carson with a kidnapping case. On her flight she meets Tara who is going to collect her father's effects. He was presumed dead having fallen into a Venice canal.
Of course the two incidents are connected!
There's a slimy ladies man - Gianni and a wholesome American - Don, both vying for Nancy's affections. Nancy stays with a Marchese in a beautiful Venetian palace, occasionally disturbed by a skull headed phantom!
The mystery is all resolved in a rather rushed pace at the end.
This book follows on from The Bluebeard Room where the publishers were trying a slightly new type of story, with Nancy having varied love interests apart from Ned and generally acting more like a modern teenager.
I didn't really enjoy this aspect of it as Nancy's behaviour didn't ring true or feel consistent with her character from previous books.
Of course the two incidents are connected!
There's a slimy ladies man - Gianni and a wholesome American - Don, both vying for Nancy's affections. Nancy stays with a Marchese in a beautiful Venetian palace, occasionally disturbed by a skull headed phantom!
The mystery is all resolved in a rather rushed pace at the end.
This book follows on from The Bluebeard Room where the publishers were trying a slightly new type of story, with Nancy having varied love interests apart from Ned and generally acting more like a modern teenager.
I didn't really enjoy this aspect of it as Nancy's behaviour didn't ring true or feel consistent with her character from previous books.
July 31, 2014
Fans of the game be warned: you will probably NOT adore this shade of crimson. It's nothing like the game. However, you might enjoy the brief mysteries of whether Tara Egan is related to Dexter Egan, if Nicholas Falcone has any connection to the Palazzo Falcone, or Falcone Glassworks, and if the phantom's skull face was omitted from the game because it was already used in Crystal Skull...
On a side note, I am not into Nancy referring to her father as "Daddy" every two seconds, non-Ned romance or all these teens talking about who does/doesn't turn them on. Whaaaat?
On a side note, I am not into Nancy referring to her father as "Daddy" every two seconds, non-Ned romance or all these teens talking about who does/doesn't turn them on. Whaaaat?
August 14, 2024
This was actually an enjoyable read for a Nancy Drew novel. Some of the content did NOT age well, but I expected nothing less from 1985. Also loved that they gave Nancy a little romance outside of Ned, and the overall content of the book was definitely geared more towards teens. For those who have played the game, it's fun to see the parallels with the book. Overall, definitely in my top Nancy Drew books!
August 6, 2021
Feikkikummituksia, kadonneita lasinpuhaltajia ja Paulalla kaksi kosiskelijaa.
August 14, 2024
Nancy is not a girl’s girl unfortunately.
July 9, 2017
Kitty och Ned har precis innan den här boken bestämt sig för att de ska ta en paus i sitt förhållande. Kitty är i början av boken lite sorgsen över detta men verkar senare inte ha jätteproblem med det. Det känns som om det läggs mer fokus på snygga killar än själva mysteriet i den här boken...
April 27, 2020
Thought I'd take a trip down memory lane..
All i can say is I sure as hell have grown out of this.
All i can say is I sure as hell have grown out of this.
July 18, 2021
Picked this up because I was curious to see how it compared to the videogame (specifically, whether the odd plotline involving carrier pigeons was retained). Turns out, the only real similarity between game and book is that both take place in Venice and feature a shadowy figure creeping around Nancy's room in the middle of the night. Otherwise, the plot and characters are completely different, and though it pains the bookworm in me to say this, the videogame is a lot more compelling.
The mystery itself in the book is actually pretty interesting. The revelation at the end was super cool, and although there were quite a lot of characters and crimes to keep track of, it's one of Nancy's more complicated cases, which could have made for a really satisfying ending. My main problem was with the weird subplots, which kind of sank the story for me.
The most obvious annoying side plot is the romance. Nancy's not technically Ned's girlfriend anymore, as they've decided to date different people as well as each other. While I'm not a fan of the relationship drama the 80s/90s ND books and ND Files tended to feature—if you want to give Nancy a one-off-book romance, I'd prefer you just pretend Ned doesn't exist, rather than try to justify a breakup or something, like, c'mon, there are kidnappers and art thieves to catch, there is no time for this drama!—Nancy's reasoning here is at least more mature and sympathetic than it usually is. She cares deeply for Ned and recognizes they work well together, but she isn't sure if she capital-L-LOVES him, or if she's just settling because he's comfortable and familiar. Fine, whatever. Personally, I like Ned. He's sweet and cute and goes out of his way to be kind to others. And like I said, I'm not reading these for the relationship stuff, so all the hot-and-cold and breaking-up-getting-together nonsense just gets in the way of the interesting mysteries, which is annoying. Still, the whole relationship angle in this book isn't as obnoxious as it could be. Nancy meets Don, a fellow American in Venice, and is romantically interested in him for some reason even though he's pretty rude to her, they go on a couple dates, run-of-the-mill YA romance ensues, you know the drill. Until he drops a bomb...
The mystery itself in the book is actually pretty interesting. The revelation at the end was super cool, and although there were quite a lot of characters and crimes to keep track of, it's one of Nancy's more complicated cases, which could have made for a really satisfying ending. My main problem was with the weird subplots, which kind of sank the story for me.
The most obvious annoying side plot is the romance. Nancy's not technically Ned's girlfriend anymore, as they've decided to date different people as well as each other. While I'm not a fan of the relationship drama the 80s/90s ND books and ND Files tended to feature—if you want to give Nancy a one-off-book romance, I'd prefer you just pretend Ned doesn't exist, rather than try to justify a breakup or something, like, c'mon, there are kidnappers and art thieves to catch, there is no time for this drama!—Nancy's reasoning here is at least more mature and sympathetic than it usually is. She cares deeply for Ned and recognizes they work well together, but she isn't sure if she capital-L-LOVES him, or if she's just settling because he's comfortable and familiar. Fine, whatever. Personally, I like Ned. He's sweet and cute and goes out of his way to be kind to others. And like I said, I'm not reading these for the relationship stuff, so all the hot-and-cold and breaking-up-getting-together nonsense just gets in the way of the interesting mysteries, which is annoying. Still, the whole relationship angle in this book isn't as obnoxious as it could be. Nancy meets Don, a fellow American in Venice, and is romantically interested in him for some reason even though he's pretty rude to her, they go on a couple dates, run-of-the-mill YA romance ensues, you know the drill. Until he drops a bomb...
May 31, 2022
Good Lord this one was boring as all get out.
There are some Nancy Drew books where I wonder why I’m not quite able to get into them, but with this one it’s obvious: it’s absolute drivel. Nancy spends way more time wrestling with potential suitors than she does investigating anything, and the mystery was so little touched on that I could barely remember who half the characters were. I realized early on that this one directly followed The Bluebeard Room, which I already read. That book also wasted a lot of time on pointless romances. I haven’t been so impressed with the “Wanderer Era” thus far.
Each chapter of this book, Nancy wakes up and, rather than deciding how she will investigate that day, instead muses on what touristy spot of Venice to check out. Even when a cloaked figure with a skull mask enters her room at night, Nancy simply goes back to sleep after he runs away. Which is a shame, because the idea is COOL. It was also cool that the plot centered around a dude being shot out of a gondola and a glassmaker’s kidnapping, but Nancy apparently doesn’t agree, because she doesn’t try to solve the mystery. (Yet somehow at the end she’s able to suddenly explain everything that happened to the police.)
The last chapter, titled “Night of the Omelet,” features a stakeout and is the only part of the book that is slightly interesting. And yet, Nancy spends the beginning of the chapter making out with an engaged man. She feels zero moral compunctions about doing so, insisting that their feelings (for both his fiancée and Ned) will sort themselves out eventually. Yeah, Nancy, both of you are scumbags. And your self-righteous attitude throughout most of the book comes across as pretty hypocritical at this point. Worst of all, no omelets were made.
The book ends with the gondola dude actually being alive. He dressed up as the skeleton guy (with a “death’s head” - this author clearly has read phantom of the opera) because he didn’t want his enemies to know he was alive just yet. But he left his daughter Tara clues, like a random seashell in Nancy’s suitcase and wet footprints in her room, and whispered her name in the dead of night. Yes, this will surely convince your daughter that you are alive and she’s not being haunted by a ghost or demon or something.
It’s interesting that this book bore no resemblance to the PC game other than the title and location, but there were many small details that ended up being used in other games. Off the top of my head, I saw TRT, FIN, SAW, and CAR. The games have also become less and less similar to the books as I’ve continued on. In this one, however, I’m glad the plot got an entire makeover.
There are some Nancy Drew books where I wonder why I’m not quite able to get into them, but with this one it’s obvious: it’s absolute drivel. Nancy spends way more time wrestling with potential suitors than she does investigating anything, and the mystery was so little touched on that I could barely remember who half the characters were. I realized early on that this one directly followed The Bluebeard Room, which I already read. That book also wasted a lot of time on pointless romances. I haven’t been so impressed with the “Wanderer Era” thus far.
Each chapter of this book, Nancy wakes up and, rather than deciding how she will investigate that day, instead muses on what touristy spot of Venice to check out. Even when a cloaked figure with a skull mask enters her room at night, Nancy simply goes back to sleep after he runs away. Which is a shame, because the idea is COOL. It was also cool that the plot centered around a dude being shot out of a gondola and a glassmaker’s kidnapping, but Nancy apparently doesn’t agree, because she doesn’t try to solve the mystery. (Yet somehow at the end she’s able to suddenly explain everything that happened to the police.)
The last chapter, titled “Night of the Omelet,” features a stakeout and is the only part of the book that is slightly interesting. And yet, Nancy spends the beginning of the chapter making out with an engaged man. She feels zero moral compunctions about doing so, insisting that their feelings (for both his fiancée and Ned) will sort themselves out eventually. Yeah, Nancy, both of you are scumbags. And your self-righteous attitude throughout most of the book comes across as pretty hypocritical at this point. Worst of all, no omelets were made.
The book ends with the gondola dude actually being alive. He dressed up as the skeleton guy (with a “death’s head” - this author clearly has read phantom of the opera) because he didn’t want his enemies to know he was alive just yet. But he left his daughter Tara clues, like a random seashell in Nancy’s suitcase and wet footprints in her room, and whispered her name in the dead of night. Yes, this will surely convince your daughter that you are alive and she’s not being haunted by a ghost or demon or something.
It’s interesting that this book bore no resemblance to the PC game other than the title and location, but there were many small details that ended up being used in other games. Off the top of my head, I saw TRT, FIN, SAW, and CAR. The games have also become less and less similar to the books as I’ve continued on. In this one, however, I’m glad the plot got an entire makeover.
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November 12, 2016What the heck? This book has no business calling itself a Nancy Drew mystery. Whomever wrote it clearly had no real grasp on who Nancy is, or how she speaks. When has she ever called Carson "daddy"? Not to mention the whole thing with her relationship with Ned. It was like a terrible fan-fiction by someone who just knew the names...zero stars
August 10, 2022
'The Phantom of Venice' (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #78) by Carolyn Keene.
Rating: 2.0/5.
Review:
I read more of the Hardy Boys books while growing up than the Nancy Drew books. As such my experience with the Nancy Drew novels is limited except for the books featuring a Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys crossover, and some of the initially published Nancy Drew books that I was lucky to get my hands on in my school library back then.
Despite my limited experience in the Nancy Drew-verse, this book felt to be a huge letdown. The premise was interesting, and there seemed to be a lot of potentials. And I'm not even making unfair comparisons with the highly popular or even the modern era mystery books. This just falls short of the standards set by the earlier Nancy Drew works.
Nancy has been called to Venice to investigate the disappearance of a master glassblower. But all Nancy does is wake up each morning and decide upon a sightseeing location instead of investigating further. A mysterious figure creeps into her shared bedroom at night, and her room gets ransacked later, but Nancy Drew does nothing. In fact, she just stumbles upon the solution to the mystery by happenstance culminating in a rushed and highly unsatisfying finale.
Another thing that irritated me the most was the downgrade to the YA teen romantic elements. While there had always been some sexual tension between Nancy and Ned in the earlier books, it didn't take precedence over the plot and the central mystery. But here, in this book, it feels like a gutter of infatuation and creepy behavior that occupies most of the book without even factoring into the central mystery. Eh, don't like this change at all.
Overall, it was a pretty bad Nancy Drew book. Although I have read only a handful of these, this one was the worst of them all. And it's sad because the setting and the central mystery seemed promising. If the later Nancy Drew books continue with this disappointing trend, I would simply prefer to read the earlier ones instead.
Rating: 2.0/5.
Review:
I read more of the Hardy Boys books while growing up than the Nancy Drew books. As such my experience with the Nancy Drew novels is limited except for the books featuring a Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys crossover, and some of the initially published Nancy Drew books that I was lucky to get my hands on in my school library back then.
Despite my limited experience in the Nancy Drew-verse, this book felt to be a huge letdown. The premise was interesting, and there seemed to be a lot of potentials. And I'm not even making unfair comparisons with the highly popular or even the modern era mystery books. This just falls short of the standards set by the earlier Nancy Drew works.
Nancy has been called to Venice to investigate the disappearance of a master glassblower. But all Nancy does is wake up each morning and decide upon a sightseeing location instead of investigating further. A mysterious figure creeps into her shared bedroom at night, and her room gets ransacked later, but Nancy Drew does nothing. In fact, she just stumbles upon the solution to the mystery by happenstance culminating in a rushed and highly unsatisfying finale.
Another thing that irritated me the most was the downgrade to the YA teen romantic elements. While there had always been some sexual tension between Nancy and Ned in the earlier books, it didn't take precedence over the plot and the central mystery. But here, in this book, it feels like a gutter of infatuation and creepy behavior that occupies most of the book without even factoring into the central mystery. Eh, don't like this change at all.
Overall, it was a pretty bad Nancy Drew book. Although I have read only a handful of these, this one was the worst of them all. And it's sad because the setting and the central mystery seemed promising. If the later Nancy Drew books continue with this disappointing trend, I would simply prefer to read the earlier ones instead.
June 12, 2025
I initially bought this book because of the cover, and once again, the old age adage has proven true, and that's "do not judge a book by it's cover". If I hadn't been so taken in by this cover, I would have saved myself 1o dollars and a whole lot of annoyance.
The romances in this felt sleezy and out of place. Gianni forced himself on Nancy, and the "sweet" Don was a glorified cheater, who in the end was also preying on a teenage girl, who while legal is probably barely so. But it's okay, neither of them did ANYTHING wrong because they were honest with themselves and each other. Quite frankly, I was disgusted. Don is not cute nor is he the romantic ideal. Now I'm pissed off I'm putting this much energy into someone who probably doesn't show up again. I don't know why Ned was shafted in later books in favor of a STRING of romances that didn't last more than one book. But I would LOVE to know.
The mystery was barely focused on and when it was, it was quickly wrapped up. The fact that Tara's very live father sneaking into the girls' room at night was just glossed over as well because he was trying to tell Tara he was still alive.
All in all, this was a very annoying book and not like the Nancy Drew books of old. I missed the older characters.
Insert *James Gunn disgusted gif here*.
The romances in this felt sleezy and out of place. Gianni forced himself on Nancy, and the "sweet" Don was a glorified cheater, who in the end was also preying on a teenage girl, who while legal is probably barely so. But it's okay, neither of them did ANYTHING wrong because they were honest with themselves and each other. Quite frankly, I was disgusted. Don is not cute nor is he the romantic ideal. Now I'm pissed off I'm putting this much energy into someone who probably doesn't show up again. I don't know why Ned was shafted in later books in favor of a STRING of romances that didn't last more than one book. But I would LOVE to know.
The mystery was barely focused on and when it was, it was quickly wrapped up. The fact that Tara's very live father sneaking into the girls' room at night was just glossed over as well because he was trying to tell Tara he was still alive.
All in all, this was a very annoying book and not like the Nancy Drew books of old. I missed the older characters.
Insert *James Gunn disgusted gif here*.
July 22, 2025
This was stupid. The mystery was fine but it gets lost in the stupid stuff. A dude stalks Nancy while her friend flip flops back and forth on whether she is jealous of Nancy getting stalked by the dude or not (I guess it's okay to them cause he's cute?) Nancy and Don both cheat on their boyfriend and fiancé with each other and give a pep talk about how it's okay they aren't two timing if they cheat together (been to any Coldplay concerns recently Nancy?)
The mystery is a murdered man and another kidnapped for ransom for a treasure they found and hid and Nancy is too boy crazy for 3/4 of it to really do much.
The mystery is a murdered man and another kidnapped for ransom for a treasure they found and hid and Nancy is too boy crazy for 3/4 of it to really do much.
January 16, 2026
This book is atrocious! If it weren't for the mention of her name, I would never know it was a Nancy Drew book. They should nix this and rewrite it based on the game, it would be much better then.
I couldn't stand the kissing in this. KISSING DOES NOT BELONG IN NANCY DREW!!!
Now, I'm not a prude. I read erotica and dark romance. That's not the issue. What is the issue is that this is Nancy Drew. From my childhood. It does not need to be tainted with this bull----, nor do I need some other guy with Nancy. It's her and Ned. Only. ALWAYS! If you're going to ghost as Carolyn Keene, at least do it right!
I never thought someone could f--- up a Nancy Drew book.
I couldn't stand the kissing in this. KISSING DOES NOT BELONG IN NANCY DREW!!!
Now, I'm not a prude. I read erotica and dark romance. That's not the issue. What is the issue is that this is Nancy Drew. From my childhood. It does not need to be tainted with this bull----, nor do I need some other guy with Nancy. It's her and Ned. Only. ALWAYS! If you're going to ghost as Carolyn Keene, at least do it right!
I never thought someone could f--- up a Nancy Drew book.
June 8, 2022
This book actually has a well put together mystery, but there are so many out of place Nancy moments it kind of sours the whole read. Only this particular Nancy author writes Nancy much more polite and demure than normal. She even addresses her father as "daddy". It's weird, and there is far too much emphasis on Nancy's relationship with young men. Girl is here to solve a mystery, not make out with men of questionable moral.
February 5, 2026
I’ve read lots of these Nancy Drew Mysteries that came after the original yellow back books, but I sure didn’t remember reading this one even though I’ve got this paperback. Nancy had an exciting adventure in Venice, Italy with a new friend she was helping. The showdown was a good one and I could just imagine Hannah’s face when Nancy would get back home and tell about the adventure, lol. Everyone who deserved a happy ending, especially one of Nancy's new friends, got that happy ending.
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March 29, 2023There aren’t too many layers to peel back here. If you want an example of how to create narrative tension in a who-dun-it, this might be the place to look and with minimal investment of time. But don’t give it to your kids to read except as an example of outdated tropes and problematic gender norms. And there IS no Carolyn Keene, why did I not know this?
May 25, 2025
I recall coming across the Australian edition of this with the black cover more than a decade ago and thinking it was strange why there was so much romance drama as opposed to focus on the mystery like the earlier books. But this is not surprising since Carolyn Keene is a pen name for a syndicate of writers.
December 11, 2025
Good Suspenseful Mystery
I like the later Nancy Drew books a lot because they went beyond the petty criminals in the early series. Things that were once taboo were able to be incorporated to make a more interesting storyline. In older Nancy Drew books there was not allowed any kissing. The fact that murders were considered in these books was a big step forward.
I like the later Nancy Drew books a lot because they went beyond the petty criminals in the early series. Things that were once taboo were able to be incorporated to make a more interesting storyline. In older Nancy Drew books there was not allowed any kissing. The fact that murders were considered in these books was a big step forward.
June 14, 2021
This book is not like the original books and is more about Nancy’s romantic life than an actual mystery. Besides that this was a book I had to read in one sitting. All in all it is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a thrilling mystery with a side of romance.
August 9, 2021
This book contains *a lot* of descriptions about Venice, which I found boring. The mystery itself was meh as well. As someone currently learning Italian, I did enjoy the Italian vocabulary sprinkled here and there in the text. It bothered me how the author got the spelling for 'yes' in Italian wrong though - it's "sì" (with an accent mark), not "si."
June 16, 2025
A fairly boring mystery held together by unessasary romantic drama, and stupid scares that don't even make sense in the end. (I mean really, who would do it like that??)
The kissing was excessive, and this book has just gone to show me that the original 56 are the only ones worth reading.
The kissing was excessive, and this book has just gone to show me that the original 56 are the only ones worth reading.
April 9, 2020
I, uh. I'm not sure I can actually mark this as a mystery? But I don't think it qualifies as romance either considering we get no depth...
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March 5, 2021It was so exciting.
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November 3, 2022
I don't remember squat about this book but I do know this is the first Nancy Drew book I ever read, thus altering the course of my life. So yaaaaaaay 5 stars.
September 24, 2023
Lite osäker på om betyget är rättvist ännu, kanske ändrar det senare
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews