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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #59
The Secret in the Old Lace
Nancy Drew has entered a contest to solve an old mystery—the disappearance of a Flemish nobleman, a pair of lace cuffs, and a priceless treasure. In a thrilling story shadowed by a romance of the past, Nancy and her friends work to solve a mystery over one hundred years in the making.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
79 people are currently reading
2113 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
984 books3,861 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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 87 reviews
August 14, 2023
Another exciting mystery in this series, but with a different feel this time around.
December 1, 2021
I'm done! Last Nancy Drew. . .I've packed up the entire set and am moving it on. A childhood box checked! I'm reading a history of the books and that will really close the chapter for me. The power in the reading of these books really came from the reading that was done in the moment of growing up. . .they revealed truths to me that my ordinary day to day life did not. Nancy was an example of a type I didn't have in my life, and although I understood the idea of a fictional character, what I really understood was that fiction and reality are not mutually exclusive - I could become Nancy. And the things I took from her, I'm grateful for.
Reading all the books at this end of my life was entertaining, amusing to compare the decades, and the two brains doing the reading - that brash, gullible, often chicken-hearted 8 - 14 year old, and now this opinionated bag of experience, free associating at random, and as my kids will say - too many words, mom, too many words. yep. I know.
With a smile, I gently close the cover on my last Nancy Drew. "Hypers!" as George would say, "she did it!"
Reading all the books at this end of my life was entertaining, amusing to compare the decades, and the two brains doing the reading - that brash, gullible, often chicken-hearted 8 - 14 year old, and now this opinionated bag of experience, free associating at random, and as my kids will say - too many words, mom, too many words. yep. I know.
With a smile, I gently close the cover on my last Nancy Drew. "Hypers!" as George would say, "she did it!"
November 30, 2015
Nancy Drew books are always good reading when something light and uncomplicated is needed. This one story is no exception.
The foreign setting was new to me and a nice change of scenery. The story also contains the typical bad guy, mysterious messages, old attics, and missing treasure.
Recommend.
The foreign setting was new to me and a nice change of scenery. The story also contains the typical bad guy, mysterious messages, old attics, and missing treasure.
Recommend.
October 8, 2017
Another good Nancy Drew mystery.
Nancy Drew enters a contest to solve an old mystery. The old mystery takes place in Belgium, and, as luck would have it, Nancy's friend Bess has a new mystery for Nancy to solve that involves the girls (Nancy, Bess, and George) traveling to Belgium.
Nancy Drew enters a contest to solve an old mystery. The old mystery takes place in Belgium, and, as luck would have it, Nancy's friend Bess has a new mystery for Nancy to solve that involves the girls (Nancy, Bess, and George) traveling to Belgium.
January 6, 2021
I always feel bad giving a low rating to a book that is intended for readers significantly younger than me. However, I’m pretty sure that even 10 year old me would have been rolling her eyes at all the unrealistic coincidences and the girls’ utter disregard for basic common sense and personal safety. On the other hand, I did enjoy the setting of Bruges, Belgium. It was nice being able to picture it from firsthand experience. This has made me want to seek out other books that feature places I’ve visited.
#2021BookBingo #SetSomewhereYouHaveBeen
#2021BookBingo #SetSomewhereYouHaveBeen
December 23, 2025
I always enjoy returning to these fun, fast-paced classics. I really enjoyed the immersive aspects of this story and the setting! Plus, the history was a great component too! The body shaming comments directed toward Bess and the flirting with other boys while George and Bess had boyfriends was a bit uncomfortable for me. Other than that, I liked it!
May 27, 2015
Another well done and exciting addition to the Nancy Drew book series. This time, Nancy travels to Europe to solve a mystery involving people on two continents!
October 10, 2017
I had to read a book from childhood for a challenge and now I remember why I read all of the nancy drew books.
December 5, 2021
It was alright, it wasn’t the usual thriller but it wasn’t a complete bore either. The part of Nancy’s piece of writing was completely unnecessary. But I loved the foreigner style of this book. The story contains the typical bad guy, mysterious messages, old attics, then some missing treasure as usual. The part about the threat was pathetic, and the story was vague. There weren’t enough details, but as usual the voice and the plot are amazing, although the plot twist at the end was unexpected, it didn’t make sense. It seemed like it was written last minute. I expected more from my favorite mystery series.
November 27, 2019
Nancy enters a magazine contest to finish a true life mystery. Of course, someone overhears her discussing it, then her house is broken into etc.., then conveniently she is invited to Belgium by a woman who holds the key to the solution. Frankly, this was one of the weakest ND books I have read. Too many improbabilities for me.
December 6, 2017
Not at all interesting or mysterious, hardly challenging to Nancy. Most of the clues were hard to believe and readily available for Nancy.She hardly did any sleuthing in this book and the mystery was not that interesting or hard enough for her.
February 11, 2021
This was a book that was given to me when I was 10. I read it out loud to my boys. I’m not sure they enjoyed it as much as I did at their age, but they did like the mystery and the cliff hanger chapter endings. :)
May 21, 2024
A favorite of mine!
Despite not being one of the earlier books in the series, this one had the feel of the originals. A fun book to re-visit!
Despite not being one of the earlier books in the series, this one had the feel of the originals. A fun book to re-visit!
December 3, 2021
I guess that in my opinion, the original 56 books better than the newer ones. They didn't seem as exciting anymore. When I first started reading the Nancy Drew series, I was very excited. Each book was very suspenseful. I was planning to read until I got to 64, but now I might not.
March 11, 2023
For my complete review, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
The Secret in the Old Lace brings back fond memories for me as this was the Nancy Drew I grew up with, bridging the hardcover and paperback world to get my Nancy fix. This was one of my first Nancy Drew book purchases, and I had a special interest in Nancy’s trip to Belgium since I have Belgian ancestry and live very near the largest concentration of Belgian immigrants to the United States.
Nancy’s got a mystery to solve on the other side of the pond. “It starts in Brussels, Belgium, in the nineteenth century. A handsome young man whose name was François Lefèvre received a pair of mysterious lace cuffs which he wore with a red velvet dress jacket… François disappeared suddenly with a rather sizable fortune. Neither his family nor friends ever heard from him again.” Nancy found out about the mystery in a magazine that asked for submissions to finish the story, and whomever wrote the best selection would win a prize.
Meanwhile, Bess gets and invite from a Madame Chambray to come to visit Belgium and solve a mystery of an antique cross. How coincidental! In the case of a Nancy Drew book, that’s hardly true. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two mysteries had something to do with each other. Oops, have I said too much? Even as a child, I could connect those sorts of clues rather easily, so it should be no surprise to adults, either.
I enjoyed this mystery despite the fact that there’s a few too many characters in it, and quite frankly, Nancy’s submission for the contest just adds to the convoluted solution. I’m sure kids wouldn’t mind, but as an adult going back to read the story, it’s a bit much. Otherwise, a thumbs up for me as I always enjoy when writers slip in some factoids into a children’s story.
The Secret in the Old Lace brings back fond memories for me as this was the Nancy Drew I grew up with, bridging the hardcover and paperback world to get my Nancy fix. This was one of my first Nancy Drew book purchases, and I had a special interest in Nancy’s trip to Belgium since I have Belgian ancestry and live very near the largest concentration of Belgian immigrants to the United States.
Nancy’s got a mystery to solve on the other side of the pond. “It starts in Brussels, Belgium, in the nineteenth century. A handsome young man whose name was François Lefèvre received a pair of mysterious lace cuffs which he wore with a red velvet dress jacket… François disappeared suddenly with a rather sizable fortune. Neither his family nor friends ever heard from him again.” Nancy found out about the mystery in a magazine that asked for submissions to finish the story, and whomever wrote the best selection would win a prize.
Meanwhile, Bess gets and invite from a Madame Chambray to come to visit Belgium and solve a mystery of an antique cross. How coincidental! In the case of a Nancy Drew book, that’s hardly true. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two mysteries had something to do with each other. Oops, have I said too much? Even as a child, I could connect those sorts of clues rather easily, so it should be no surprise to adults, either.
I enjoyed this mystery despite the fact that there’s a few too many characters in it, and quite frankly, Nancy’s submission for the contest just adds to the convoluted solution. I’m sure kids wouldn’t mind, but as an adult going back to read the story, it’s a bit much. Otherwise, a thumbs up for me as I always enjoy when writers slip in some factoids into a children’s story.
November 14, 2021
This was a really good and quick read (ignore how it took me like two days, I only read like half an hour the first day and then another hour the next day).
Overall the pacing of the writing was really quick, allowing lots of pleasant surprises for a reader and really unpleasant surprises for Nancy to happen throughout the book. The story itself was really fun, set in Belgium, and I really like it. My problem was when I got to the end of the book I feel like the mystery fell a little short.
It’s definitely worth the read though considering how short and fun it is! 😃
I think I’ll definitely read another book with Nancy Drew and the crew clue ;)
Now I gave the book only three stars because sometimes the ‘events’ of the book were obviously really convenient (which makes sense and I don’t mind at all) and it’s kinda insane how many times Nancy has to call the police lol. Also the amount of time police officers just handed out strangers private information (like where they live) to Nancy was... interesting... Is that even allowed? Maybe it is because they are fictional crooks, which in that case then eh.
So if your wondering how a mans disappearance and a pair of old lace cuffs are connected then you should definitely read the book! 😆👍🏻
3/5 ⭐️
Overall the pacing of the writing was really quick, allowing lots of pleasant surprises for a reader and really unpleasant surprises for Nancy to happen throughout the book. The story itself was really fun, set in Belgium, and I really like it. My problem was when I got to the end of the book I feel like the mystery fell a little short.
It’s definitely worth the read though considering how short and fun it is! 😃
I think I’ll definitely read another book with Nancy Drew and the crew clue ;)
Now I gave the book only three stars because sometimes the ‘events’ of the book were obviously really convenient (which makes sense and I don’t mind at all) and it’s kinda insane how many times Nancy has to call the police lol. Also the amount of time police officers just handed out strangers private information (like where they live) to Nancy was... interesting... Is that even allowed? Maybe it is because they are fictional crooks, which in that case then eh.
So if your wondering how a mans disappearance and a pair of old lace cuffs are connected then you should definitely read the book! 😆👍🏻
3/5 ⭐️
June 20, 2020
While I love that this is mostly set in Brugge, Belgium and there are good elements to build on such as the story contest and lace cuffs, it moves too fast and has more implausibilities and coincidences than the usual NDMS. Perhaps because this comes at a time of transition for the brand as the originator's daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams was aging (this was the last book she outlined on her own, I believe), the books beyond 56 were published by a new publisher and there was a court case about publishing rights. Nancy's banter with Hannah, her housekeeper and mother-substitute, is enjoyable but seems somewhat out of character relative to others in the series.
August 25, 2014
This story was better than the other more recent ones I've read ... it was fairly well written and kept my interest, complete with secret passages and old letters, disappearances, and even the unbelievable coincidences that always occur. But a pretty good story, and great fun!
December 1, 2024
I kind of got bored with it when I was reading it only a few times, but now that I think about it the story was REALLY interesting. You should read it!
(G rating)
Grades 6-7
(G rating)
Grades 6-7
January 13, 2021
Hands down the worst Nancy Drew book I have ever read. No contest. 1. Everything is rushed heavily. 2. Everything is too planned out. Nancy enters a writing contest about some random guy and then she gets a mystery in the same town that guy uses to live in and then she finds out that the house she's staying in used to be his AND THEN her mystery turns out to be about that guy. 3. Bess' weight is mentioned every couple of pages and not in a good way. Especially not in a way that young impressionable kids should be reading about. 4. "Calories are bad" 5. An 8 year old child throws something at George so George grabs the boy and starts shaking him back and forth as if that's an acceptable thing to do to a child. 6.At the end of the book Nancy finds out that someone involves with this case used a fake name and she's absolutely flabbergasted. Nancy is an experienced detective at this point, why is she STILL shocked that people use fake names?
This book was so bad I actually looked up the author. It's Harriet Stratemayer Adams. If you're aren't familiar with her here's a short summary. Mildred Wirt Benson and a man wrote the first 30 Nancy Drew books. Harriet Adams is the publisher's daughter and so she was allowed to look over their shoulders and critique them on everything. This wasn't necessary as Mildred had already written TONS of children's novels. Mildred then retired and Harriet Adams took over. She then rewrote the first 30 books and tried to claim that she was the original author of the books just to take some money away from the elderly Mildred. This isn't the first time I've seen the entire book focus on Bess' weight. If I looked up the book numbers I'm sure I'd find that they were written by Harriet too.
This book was so bad I actually looked up the author. It's Harriet Stratemayer Adams. If you're aren't familiar with her here's a short summary. Mildred Wirt Benson and a man wrote the first 30 Nancy Drew books. Harriet Adams is the publisher's daughter and so she was allowed to look over their shoulders and critique them on everything. This wasn't necessary as Mildred had already written TONS of children's novels. Mildred then retired and Harriet Adams took over. She then rewrote the first 30 books and tried to claim that she was the original author of the books just to take some money away from the elderly Mildred. This isn't the first time I've seen the entire book focus on Bess' weight. If I looked up the book numbers I'm sure I'd find that they were written by Harriet too.
November 26, 2020
Definitely better than the last few I read, this is the "new" Nancy Drew.
It's a bit of a convoluted mystery and there are bad guys who are hard to keep track of, but it's fine. The first mystery is an unsolved mystery of a famous Belgian aristocrat who vanished in the 1700s and a magazine has a contest where people can write the "solution" and win a prize. Nancy's solution, is, of course, the correct one and Bess' mom has asked the gals to travel to Belgium to solve a mystery of a friend of hers who has just moved into a mansion in Bruges and found a fancy cross that she wants Nancy's help in finding the owner.
I think a museum or an antique dealer would be a better choice, but, of course, the cross belongs to the missing aristocrat.
There's a side plot where the bad guys, having heard about the cross, try to sidetrack Nancy by stealing her story and submitting it before her entry arrives, so she's accused of plagiarism. Luckily, one of the bad guys is an editor. Which I cry foul on. Editors are nice people. Maybe the author wasn't fond of them.
It was enjoyable enough. It's another travelogue Nancy Drew where she solves mysteries while touring museums and learning how to make lace.
My favorite part is where the bad guys throw a rubber knife toy at Nancy with a note that says "You will get this." So threatening.
Spoilers ahead:
The story with Francis and his hidden treasure makes no sense. Surely he would have told his wife about their fortune?
Anyway, it's a nice little adventure. Bess is still one of my favs.
It's a bit of a convoluted mystery and there are bad guys who are hard to keep track of, but it's fine. The first mystery is an unsolved mystery of a famous Belgian aristocrat who vanished in the 1700s and a magazine has a contest where people can write the "solution" and win a prize. Nancy's solution, is, of course, the correct one and Bess' mom has asked the gals to travel to Belgium to solve a mystery of a friend of hers who has just moved into a mansion in Bruges and found a fancy cross that she wants Nancy's help in finding the owner.
I think a museum or an antique dealer would be a better choice, but, of course, the cross belongs to the missing aristocrat.
There's a side plot where the bad guys, having heard about the cross, try to sidetrack Nancy by stealing her story and submitting it before her entry arrives, so she's accused of plagiarism. Luckily, one of the bad guys is an editor. Which I cry foul on. Editors are nice people. Maybe the author wasn't fond of them.
It was enjoyable enough. It's another travelogue Nancy Drew where she solves mysteries while touring museums and learning how to make lace.
My favorite part is where the bad guys throw a rubber knife toy at Nancy with a note that says "You will get this." So threatening.
Spoilers ahead:
The story with Francis and his hidden treasure makes no sense. Surely he would have told his wife about their fortune?
Anyway, it's a nice little adventure. Bess is still one of my favs.
December 29, 2018
Nancy is writing a mystery story for a magazine writing contest. The prompt provided by the magazine is based on a Belgian couple’s missing fortune. Coincidentally, a family friend of Bess’s invites the girls to her new home in Belgium. Madame Chambray needs Nancy’s assistance in tracking down the rightful owner of a piece of valuable jewelry she discovered in her home.
Some guy steals Nancy’s manuscript. Then she’s accused of plagiarism. But she, Bess and George continue on their trip to Belgium while Mr. Drew works to clear his daughter’s name. While staying with Madame Chambray, they learn of another mystery involving the new home. somewhere on the grounds, there is a hidden treasure. Long story short: Nancy solves a century old mystery.
What made this story awful? For starters, Nancy was quite rude. I counted at least 5 times in which she interrupted someone that was speaking to her. Let others speak, Nancy! Sheesh. It rubbed me the wrong way. One of my personal pet peeves. And the number of times Ned’s usefulness as protector was mentioned! My goodness! He didn’t even help her out in this case!!!! Ugh!! But it was always if we need help we’ll call Ned to protect us. Or Nancy stating that she couldn’t stop a culprit herself because she needed a guy to do it. What?!?! My intrepid little sleuth would never say such things. Never would she hesitate in trying to stop a bad guy. Never!
Some guy steals Nancy’s manuscript. Then she’s accused of plagiarism. But she, Bess and George continue on their trip to Belgium while Mr. Drew works to clear his daughter’s name. While staying with Madame Chambray, they learn of another mystery involving the new home. somewhere on the grounds, there is a hidden treasure. Long story short: Nancy solves a century old mystery.
What made this story awful? For starters, Nancy was quite rude. I counted at least 5 times in which she interrupted someone that was speaking to her. Let others speak, Nancy! Sheesh. It rubbed me the wrong way. One of my personal pet peeves. And the number of times Ned’s usefulness as protector was mentioned! My goodness! He didn’t even help her out in this case!!!! Ugh!! But it was always if we need help we’ll call Ned to protect us. Or Nancy stating that she couldn’t stop a culprit herself because she needed a guy to do it. What?!?! My intrepid little sleuth would never say such things. Never would she hesitate in trying to stop a bad guy. Never!
November 6, 2019
AUTHOR Keene, Carolyn
TITLE The Secret of the Old Lace
DATE READ 11/06
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE "Nancy what are you doing"" asked Hannah Gruen, pausing at the door of Nancy's bedroom. The attractive, titian-haired girl was seated at her desk writing something hurriedly on a notepad.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF YA Mystery/1980/Simon Shuster/167 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #59
CHALLENGE Good Re ads 2019 Reading Goal 165/111; 80 Countries for 2019-2021 - Belgium - 26/80
GROUP READ Nancy Drew Group
TIME/PLACE 1980/Belgium
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew -- girl detective
COMMENTS Nostalgia… I just love reading these quick Nancy Drews. And this one was a bit of treat going to Belgium to visit a friend of Bess's mother . It coincided with a historical mystery Nancy was writing for a magazine.
TITLE The Secret of the Old Lace
DATE READ 11/06
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE "Nancy what are you doing"" asked Hannah Gruen, pausing at the door of Nancy's bedroom. The attractive, titian-haired girl was seated at her desk writing something hurriedly on a notepad.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF YA Mystery/1980/Simon Shuster/167 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #59
CHALLENGE Good Re ads 2019 Reading Goal 165/111; 80 Countries for 2019-2021 - Belgium - 26/80
GROUP READ Nancy Drew Group
TIME/PLACE 1980/Belgium
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew -- girl detective
COMMENTS Nostalgia… I just love reading these quick Nancy Drews. And this one was a bit of treat going to Belgium to visit a friend of Bess's mother . It coincided with a historical mystery Nancy was writing for a magazine.
January 1, 2023
I had no clue this was the 99th book in the series. The ccoer said 159 or something, but 99 seems timely right before New Year's Day. I enjoyed the curious, romantic, little mystery that began with a story contest Nancy entered to win the prize for charity.
It involves finishing the magazine's mystery story that happens in Belgium during the 1800s, I believe, and Nancy and the cousins happen to be invited there by the Belgian lady with the very mystery. Thieves are stalking them from River Heights to try to find the great treasure awaiting them upon solving the mystery. Of course, they're terrifying the girls and the lady as well, but no one is much hurt.
I enjoyed getting to know Brugge, Belgium and had fun in a mildly pleasant way with the mystery. I don't remembr reading it as a girl, but maybe I did.
It involves finishing the magazine's mystery story that happens in Belgium during the 1800s, I believe, and Nancy and the cousins happen to be invited there by the Belgian lady with the very mystery. Thieves are stalking them from River Heights to try to find the great treasure awaiting them upon solving the mystery. Of course, they're terrifying the girls and the lady as well, but no one is much hurt.
I enjoyed getting to know Brugge, Belgium and had fun in a mildly pleasant way with the mystery. I don't remembr reading it as a girl, but maybe I did.
December 8, 2024
1.5 stars
This is my first foray into the Nancy Drew series beyond the original 56 books. My first impression? Not great. One superficial change from the first 56 books is the style of illustration. Rather than the line drawings of the original books(of varying degrees of quality, I admit), The Secret in the Old Lace has fully shaded pencil drawings. They are technically decent artworks, but something is lost in the pursuit of more realism. The characters always seem stiff and the scenes lack atmosphere and a sense of movement.
As for the story itself, it's on a par with the weakest of Nancy's previous mysteries. Belgium was a potentially interesting setting, but once the characters arrive there things happen too quickly to let the location develop the atmosphere of the story. The mystery is feeble and seems much too easy to solve without some random incident delaying Nancy every chapter. The magazine story contest was an odd tie-in to the mystery. Why did the crooks purposely create the story contest? How did they know Nancy would even enter it? Was the whole idea just to create an elaborate ruse to pick Nancy's brains?
The prose is at first glance very similar to the classic Nancys, using words like "attractive" and "chided" a lot. But the writing seems to have an identity crisis, as if the author wanted to make it sound more contemporary but couldn't fully commit. The word "boyfriend" actually pops up several times, but the author always slides back to "favorite date" and "special friend", perhaps in case "boyfriend" might be slightly too risque.
Nothing special happens with any of the beloved characters here. Nancy runs away while Ned grapples with some baddies, feeling highly out of character. Bess outright flirts with a boy right in front of his girlfriend for no reason. The girlfriend, Hilda, later helps the girls investigate, and the boyfriend never becomes a relevant character. George gets the obligatory random-incident-that-happens-for-no-reason in nearly every Nancy Drew book. A boy throws a couple of lace bobbins at a statue, so George straight-up grabs the kid by the arm, and when he throws a bobbin at her she starts shaking him before his mother arrives, seemingly unfazed by the stranger laying hands on her child. As bratty as the kid may be, I suspect this kind of thing is legally considered assault, and therefore not an advisable thing to have one of your heroines do in a story.
The Secret in the Old Lace is quite a mess, and hopefully not representative of the rest of the post-56 books.
This is my first foray into the Nancy Drew series beyond the original 56 books. My first impression? Not great. One superficial change from the first 56 books is the style of illustration. Rather than the line drawings of the original books(of varying degrees of quality, I admit), The Secret in the Old Lace has fully shaded pencil drawings. They are technically decent artworks, but something is lost in the pursuit of more realism. The characters always seem stiff and the scenes lack atmosphere and a sense of movement.
As for the story itself, it's on a par with the weakest of Nancy's previous mysteries. Belgium was a potentially interesting setting, but once the characters arrive there things happen too quickly to let the location develop the atmosphere of the story. The mystery is feeble and seems much too easy to solve without some random incident delaying Nancy every chapter. The magazine story contest was an odd tie-in to the mystery. Why did the crooks purposely create the story contest? How did they know Nancy would even enter it? Was the whole idea just to create an elaborate ruse to pick Nancy's brains?
The prose is at first glance very similar to the classic Nancys, using words like "attractive" and "chided" a lot. But the writing seems to have an identity crisis, as if the author wanted to make it sound more contemporary but couldn't fully commit. The word "boyfriend" actually pops up several times, but the author always slides back to "favorite date" and "special friend", perhaps in case "boyfriend" might be slightly too risque.
Nothing special happens with any of the beloved characters here. Nancy runs away while Ned grapples with some baddies, feeling highly out of character. Bess outright flirts with a boy right in front of his girlfriend for no reason. The girlfriend, Hilda, later helps the girls investigate, and the boyfriend never becomes a relevant character. George gets the obligatory random-incident-that-happens-for-no-reason in nearly every Nancy Drew book. A boy throws a couple of lace bobbins at a statue, so George straight-up grabs the kid by the arm, and when he throws a bobbin at her she starts shaking him before his mother arrives, seemingly unfazed by the stranger laying hands on her child. As bratty as the kid may be, I suspect this kind of thing is legally considered assault, and therefore not an advisable thing to have one of your heroines do in a story.
The Secret in the Old Lace is quite a mess, and hopefully not representative of the rest of the post-56 books.
June 23, 2025
I've read The Secret in the Old Lace of Nancy Drew story book by Carolyn Keene. It might be about an young girl Nancy who entered in a contest to solve a mystery. The mystery she willing to solve was nobleman, pair of lace cuffs and a hidden treasure. So I enjoyed reading the book because it was an surprising story book to read with friends and family. Overall I dedicate this type of book to an six year old age group of people those who also like to read books that are surprisingly with their friends and family.
By: Shaalini Gogineni
By: Shaalini Gogineni
August 23, 2021
Entah terjemahan aslinya memang begitu atau nggak, kualitasnya nggak terlalu bagus dan pemilihan katanya ada yang nggak biasa buat novel, jadi agak gimana gitu.
Nancy Drew ini semacam Lima Sekawan versi lebih dewasa, jadi mau berbuat apapun juga orang tuanya santai. Asyik sih, banyak sekali hal-hal yang terjadi hanya dalam beberapa hari. Tapi pacing-nya terlalu cepat menurutku. Dan di buku ini dunia benar-benar sempit. Seolah kebetulan-kebetulan yang terjadi sudah dirancang oleh semesta.
Nancy Drew ini semacam Lima Sekawan versi lebih dewasa, jadi mau berbuat apapun juga orang tuanya santai. Asyik sih, banyak sekali hal-hal yang terjadi hanya dalam beberapa hari. Tapi pacing-nya terlalu cepat menurutku. Dan di buku ini dunia benar-benar sempit. Seolah kebetulan-kebetulan yang terjadi sudah dirancang oleh semesta.
July 25, 2023
When I was a girl, this was my favorite Nancy Drew mystery. I read them all, but there was something about this one that really stick with me over the years. Fast forward about 35 years later and I tell my now-husband that I loved this book but could never find an old copy of it. He goes out and finds it for me for Valentine’s Day. Finally got around to rereading it and I love it just the same as the little girl inside me did.
August 14, 2023
Upper elementary appropriate. I didn’t expect to find Nancy Drew still worth reading in modern times. I thought at the least that the invention of cell phones would make the stories obviously dated. However, the story worked without me ever noticing the lack of cell phones or modern technology, was engaging, and was mostly plausible. At least this particular mystery was still a good story for kids!
October 23, 2024
I read a Nancy drew mystery after many years and I really enjoyed reading it.
The trio of Nancy Bess and George once again fall into an adventure and a mystery which takes them to Brussels and more all the way from the USA.
The trio of Nancy Bess and George once again fall into an adventure and a mystery which takes them to Brussels and more all the way from the USA.
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