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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #117
Mystery on the Menu
George’s prize-winning Raspberry Chiffon Cake has earned her, Bess, and Nancy a week at the Wolfe Culinary Institute in upstate New York. But soon after their arrival, Nancy discovers that ambition, jealousy, and greed are also on the menu. Attempted murder provides plenty of food for thought, but that’s a mere appetizer to the dangers to come. In her search for the chef with a taste for terror, Nancy knows she’ll have to watch her diet and watch her back. The kitchen is crammed with suspects, and tensions are fast coming to a boil. The knives are all sharp, the ingredients are all poison, and the final course—most likely fatal—has yet to be served!
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 1994
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,203 books4,067 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 5, 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.
December 19, 2020
Exciting and clever☺
I enjoyed this mystery very much. Once again I didn't know till the end who dun it. It had me puzzled as to who was the person committing the crimes. I kinda thought it was Paul, but the others really seemed guilty too.Not a bad read.
I enjoyed this mystery very much. Once again I didn't know till the end who dun it. It had me puzzled as to who was the person committing the crimes. I kinda thought it was Paul, but the others really seemed guilty too.Not a bad read.
December 16, 2019
As a life long fan I can't resist another Nancy Drew adventure. Liked this one
May 5, 2020
this one always used to be my favorite. the combo of the setting and food and all the different suspects is just too good!
September 18, 2020
I liked this short mystery. Loved the twist! I didn't see it coming!
November 3, 2023
FUN READING
George, Nancy & Bees bringimg justice to a great bunch of goodlovers - but including, of course, payback for the wicked.
George, Nancy & Bees bringimg justice to a great bunch of goodlovers - but including, of course, payback for the wicked.
October 20, 2024
Cute!
March 28, 2026
Deliciously good mystery to read to get back into cozy mystery stories.
January 15, 2016
The reason I picked this one out to read from my collection was because I'm a fan of the cooking shows like Top Chef and, since Nancy's going to a cooking school, I thought this book might prove interesting.
Nancy is 18 in the book and goes to a culinary school for one week with her friends George and Bess. There is some cooking, of course, but the main part is the mystery of who is attacking the cooks? Nancy almost gets knifed (and she does get knocked out) A chef gets poisoned and other things happen. Nancy also ends up investigating some stolen recipes, but the person causing all the fuss is someone with a major motive to ruin the school.
It's an interesting book and a good addition to the series.
Nancy is 18 in the book and goes to a culinary school for one week with her friends George and Bess. There is some cooking, of course, but the main part is the mystery of who is attacking the cooks? Nancy almost gets knifed (and she does get knocked out) A chef gets poisoned and other things happen. Nancy also ends up investigating some stolen recipes, but the person causing all the fuss is someone with a major motive to ruin the school.
It's an interesting book and a good addition to the series.
February 13, 2014
Nancy, Bess and George are taking classes at the Wolf Culinary Institute, ready to make great tasting food and have a good time, but the good times don't last long when attempted poisoning, explosions and sabotage, plague the school.
May 5, 2023
I really miss the format of the earlier (Stratemeyer era) NDs, in which the main mystery always led to a second, twistier mystery that needed to be solved to uncover the solution to the main mystery. These later books are very "wham bam what you see is what you get" and they suffer for it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews