Murder on the Fourth of July

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys: Super Mystery #28

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy's participation in a whale-saving campaign is cut short when a major contributor is falsely accused of murder, while Frank and Joe attempt to stop a saboteur from ruining a fireworks display in Seattle

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Pastel Paperback · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mainly wanted to read this because it takes place in Seattle, where I live.

Pretty fun, with lots of behind-the-scenes explanations of how fireworks are made, overly guidebook-ish descriptions of the city, and Nancy and the boys running into each other yet again, to combine their mystery-solving skills.

I got a little lost with all the characters (there are SO many) and I had to laugh when the secret service was just giving Nancy some hot tips about an ongoing investigation. Surrrrreeee.

[Coralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, these classic ND/HB books are splendid. I love how the mysteries are entangled and I especially loved the surprise ending. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. Furthermore, we started out in Bayport! Yay!! I love travelling with this trio, but sometimes it's also fun to see a little bit of the hometowns. Another excellent mystery solved!!!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed discovering that Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys had teamed up when I was younger, because it was change from straight Nancy or straight Hardy Boys.

I liked this one, because of learning a little bit about firework making and the underground of Seattle, though I totally forgot the mystery in the years since I read it the first time. It's a good one for tweens, though Joe making goo-goo eyes at Tara a lot seemed a little unnecessary.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good! I loved the underground adventures, which made me really want to go there!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book to read because I wanted nostalgia to haymaker me a few years back to when I cared little for grammar, punctuation, story structure. To when reading for fun meant reading fast. But the aforementioned qualities are the baseline for how and what I read now--to yes, teach me the tricks of the trade. Still, to say I didn't enjoy this book would be wrong. For the most part I did. That's credit to the author miss Carolyn
Keene writing in some parts. Like this one:
"Outside, the waves were washing against the pier at the base of the Edgewater Inn, and in the distance a sailboat with a huge sunrise painted on its sail was traversing Elliot Bay. Bainbridge Island, with its evergreen forests, appeared as a rounded green mound on the horizon."

I read that twice.
Joe hardy is a teens takes on dean from super natural, and the more serious frank represents his brother Sam from the same show. The characters go well with each other and the inclusion of Nancy drew, a teen detective I'm unfamiliar with but know through passing added a great mix. Intersecting there separate cases was handled with skill, that's to say it's was plausible. Nancy deals with the Ian o Brian investigation while the hardy boys focus on the a fireworks company sabotage right before the ingest show the company has ever put on.

It's a decent quick read.

[Eric Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book! It was suspenseful and intriguing. I really liked the underground settings of Seattle and the characters were also interesting to read about. Although, one of the culprits were obvious from the start and the story was a bit slow at times. I also felt like Nancy and the Hardys solved the mysteries by coincidences and luck. Actually I don't think Nancy and the Hardys really did solve both mysteries. They pretty much stumble upon the culprits at the end and solve the mysteries that way. And unlike most of the ND/HB Super Mysteries, there also wasn't a lot of action in this one, but the story was fine without a bunch of danger involved. Overall, a pretty good book that's fun to read around Fourth of July. 4 stars.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed all of the Nancy Drew mysteries when I was young. But none of them involved murder, which (in my opinion) is out of place in a children's book. That said, I read this for the setting, since I have always lived in the Seattle area. It was interesting to come across all the iconic Seattle sights, from the Underground Tour to Pike Place Market, the Monorail to the Seattle Center. But how on earth would five teenagers be able to afford a meal at the Space Needle? As usual in these mysteries a great deal hinges on coincidences rather than solid deduction.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Leaving aside that there is no Frank/Nancy to speak of, this is sort of a failure of a crossover book. Way too little case interaction and it starts way too late in the book. BUT, maybe someone can speak to this, is Bayport supposed to be in Washington?? I had always assumed New York somehow. But this seemed to position it close to Seattle. I need to know.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think fireworks are awesome. Sue me.

[Chris Comden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murder on the 4th of July by Carolyn Keene
Series: Yes Nancy Drew Hardy Boys Super Mystery # 28
Format: Paperback
Stars" 2
Recommend: No
Would Reread: No


I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.

For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 review: I enjoyed this book more this time around. The ghostwriter really had fun with their Seattle guide book cramming as many places as possible in this book. One of the Hardys even gets hit by a fish at Pike Place Market. 😆 Gasworks Park is prominently featured multiple times. I still want to go to the Underground!

Also Monster Blaster. Green arrows. Bainbridge Island. Seattle Aquarium. The Space Needle of course. Seattle Center though in this book it resembles more of a shopping mall.

2021 review: Paint by numbers mystery where the culprit(s) are obvious from the beginning but Nancy Drew and her gang just have to prove it. I enjoyed learning about how fireworks are made and this book really made me want to visit Seattle! Especially the Underground and Gasworks Park. Needed more firework explosions.