Mystery Train

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys: Super Mystery #8

by Carolyn Keene, Franklin W. Dixon, Anne Greenberg (Editor)

AMERICA'S TOP TEEN DETECTIVES TEAM UP TRACK DOWN A CRIMINAL MASTERMINDNANCY DREW joins some of the best minds in the mystery field to help crack a famous unsolved case: the theft of the Comstock diamond. A private train will take the elite group from Chicago to San Francisco, the same route taken by the jewel thief fifteen years before. But someone is out to derail the search for clues and send Nancy on a chilling cross-country ride to terror.

Meanwhile...

FRANK AND JOE HARDY climb on board, lured by the promise of a $25,000 reward for whoever finds the diamond. Instead they find trouble: an open-air fist fight atop the speeding train, a runaway locomotive, and a beautiful gem of a different kind -- actress Kate Harkins. Joe is dazzled by her entrance -- and stunned by her exit.

The teen detectives suspect she's been kidnapped, and it soon becomes clear they've all been ticketed for disaster... on the

"MysteryTrain"

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery Thriller, Middle Grade, Suspense

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1990

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really isn't a great Frank/Nancy book, which is my usual criteria for ratings, but I think this mystery is fun and I want to take a cross country train trip to try to find a stolen diamond.

[Jasmin Chua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly high literature—every chapter ends on a question mark or exclamation point—but I wanted to see how much it inspired the HER Interactive game Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, which is to say, not so much. The scant similarities: a long-haul train ride, the hidden treasure of a miner named Jake, a secret location on a map elucidated only via gemstone/s, someone vanishes mid-journey, a mine-car rollercoaster, the Hardy Boys, and a prickly authoress. Despite its lack of train-roof fisticuffs, the game is far superior.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Mystery Train
Author: Carolyn Keene
Series: Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Super Mystery, 8
Format: mass market paperback
Length: 220 pages
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:
NANCY DREW joins some of the best minds in the mystery field to help crack a famous unsolved case: the theft of the Comstock diamond. A private train will take the elite group from Chicago to San Francisco, the same route taken by the jewel thief fifteen years before. But someone is out to derail the search for clues and send Nancy on a chilling cross-country ride to terror.
Meanwhile...
FRANK AND JOE HARDY climb on board, lured by the promise of a $25,000 reward for whoever finds the diamond. Instead they find trouble: an open-air fist fight atop the speeding train, a runaway locomotive, and a beautiful gem of a different kind -- actress Kate Harkins. Joe is dazzled by her entrance -- and stunned by her exit.
The teen detectives suspect she's been kidnapped, and it soon becomes clear they've all been ticketed for disaster... on the
"Mystery Train"

Mini-review: Not bad. Had a few moments of wondering if the person who wrote this knew about the characters, as Bess was more desperate for love then usual, and too outrageous with her clothes (one of her outfits was described as being lime green, neon orange and neon pink). Frank made decisions worthy of Joe and Joe was smart enough to challenge Frank for the role of the smart Hardy. Other than that, it was okay.

Fan-cast:
Nancy Drew - Katherine McNamara
Frank Hardy - Timothée Chalamet
Joe Hardy - Skyler Gisondo
Bess Marvin - Abigail Breslin
Laurie Adams - Juliette Lewis
Jack Lerner - Patrick Wilson
Maggie Horne - Annette Bening
Sara Finney - Lashana Lynch
Conrad "Connie" Everett - Paul Kaye
Kate Harkins - Glennellen Anderson
Paul Fox - Lucas Till

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda slow throughout, but I think the ending is my favorite of the ND mysteries so far.

It's not easy to make the contact the culprit, but the author managed to do so in a way that worked. The explanations behind their behavior made sense and didn't seem like they came out of left field, as in other stories. I really wish we had gotten some conclusion on the mine's location, though. The ending of the game is much more satisfying in that we learn what became of Jake and his fortune. I would've loved to see them actually recover the diamond and use it on the map. That could've been very epic.

I can't decide whether the book's length worked in its favor or not. They did have more time to develop the mystery, but there were a lot of pointless scenes that could have been thrown out. Also, I would've liked to see more characterization of the other suspects on the train. Maggie Horne and John Gryson were thrown to the wayside, and I kept expecting for them to make their own progress on the case. Instead, it seemed like Nancy and her friends were the only ones who accomplished anything.

Overall, though, I liked it. I don't know why, but I thoroughly expected a Hardy Boys crossover to be lame. I'm happy to have been proven wrong.

P.S. Thought it was interesting that Francy is actually canon in the books. Not that they date or anything, but it's definitely hinted that they like each other. I like Nancy with Ned in the games, but I will say he's been kind of bland and annoying in the books I've read so far, so the Frank content is actually not so bad.

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good mystery, however I don't like how they treated Joe's and Bess's characters, it was just too much and there were some plot points that just didn't work that well. There were some pretty good moments, but I prefer the game that was based on this, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon. The story flowed a lot better, and there were fewer characters. Also, Joe was in character in the game. Sure he was thinking more about cheeseburgers than girls, but Joe's not thinking about girls all the time either, so it's fine. Overall, I would read it again, even though I'll be cringing the whole time during Joe's and Bess's interactions with their weekly crushes. Ugh.

[Abby Brummel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boys mystery read by the pool. 🌊 It was fun, there was action, and I didn't know who the culprit was gonna be til they revealed it which is a win in my book.

Unrelated to the book: when can Nancy and Frank get together?? Can someone write that for me?? Because this sexual tension is literally killing me and I'm sorry, but no one is rooting for Nancy and Ned. Just make it happen already!!! It's literally the subplot of every single crossover between Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys so like, it should already be a thing. Rant over.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are unintentionally funny when you read them cover to cover in one sitting as an adult.

I've decided to replay all the Nancy Drew games, read the books they're based of off, and compare them. This is the first one up, and while there is very little in common with the game, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, there is more than I was expecting, which is a nice way to start this project! Now it's time to replay the game and see if there's any other connections I can make...

[Kayla Pruitt-Zumwalt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book because one of my favorite Nancy Drew games was based on it (Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon), but this book was just objectively bad. Certain aspects of the plot didn’t even make sense, and then the ending confrontation was SO corny. Look, nobody expects literary excellence from Nancy Drew, but the bar really was on the floor with this one. I struggled to finish it.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure mystery. I always like it when Nancy, Joe, and Frank work together throughout the story rather than splitting up like they do in some books. This time, they are on a train trying to solve a 15-year-old mystery of a robbery and a missing diamond. It was fairly entertaining in a nostalgic way. Which is why I tend to pick these up when I see them at used bookstores. Hope to read more in the series.

[Trips Starlake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is shockingly slow for a Nancy Drew novel. Perhaps because the Hardy Boys were alongside for the journey? The different perspectives were fun, but the mystery is so vague, even Nancy had trouble making heads or tails of it. It is resolved quickly in the end, but doesn't quite have a satisfying punch to it.

[Fallon Ann Cribbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so dumb and even I knew this mystery made zero sense. Like, I don't even care about mysteries, I only care about Francy. But like this one was so nonsensical it overshadowed the fact that it had Frank and Nancy on a train together. Blech.

[Emily Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book that HER Interactive based Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon on. It was fun to see what parts were tweaked and where they were taken from. Overall a complete overhaul of the story, but really fun as always to read the source material!

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not enough Nancy-Frank will they won’t they tension in this one. Still 5 stars tho.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

hands down best Nancy drew mystery I've read. Which makes sense bc this is what the best Nancy game is based off of. UGH I LOVE TRAIN MYSTERIES

[Kelly Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong premise, weak payoff. The game was better.

My 8 month old son rated this game 3 stars. I think that’s a good measure.

[Kaitlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read a Nancy Drew book, and I was so excited to pick this one up. ESPECIALLY since it was a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys SUPER mystery. It made me happy and nostalgic, and everything else in between.

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these crazy Nancy Drew Mysteries with their constant dangers, threats and narrow escapes, mostly thanks to Nancy, but this takes things too far a few times--like a top of the train chase with Nancy, Frank and Joe! As usual the various characters are interesting without being stereotyped and their interactions enjoyable.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may not be of the highest literary merit but I enjoyed it. While the characters, of course, were in danger a lot of times I didn't think they were as far-fetched as in some of these stories.

[Ashley Zander · Rating 4 out of 5]

awsome mystery book

[Stefanie Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book the game is based on! I actually think I like the games story better, but this was a really good story nonetheless