The Crime Lab Case

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #165

by Carolyn Keene

Solving crimes with science is fascinating -- until a pretend mystery becomes all too real! Nancy gets Bess, George, and Ned to help out with a special program for high school students, a "chemystery" camp. They'll visit a forensics lab, a drug company, and a university to see how science is used to solve crimes. Then they'll use what they've learned to work on a made-up case. But the mystery begins even before the program starts when the professor who runs it suddenly falls into a coma. Now Nancy's in charge -- of the made-up case and the real one. Strange encounters of the dangerous kind and a list of promising suspects test all her talents of deduction. From the tiniest clue on a carpet to real menace in a quarry, Nancy's crime lab is bubbling with trouble!

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

147 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of a f2f discussion group where we compared various version of Nancy Drew- the original 1930s books, the modernized 1960's adventures and some of the most recent iterations.

This Nancy is very businesslike and professional- a recognized private detective not just a clever girl sleuth. The crime was more sinister. Nancy used a decided team approach to solving the crime using George Beth and Ned as assistants. Much use of forensic methods and internet that were not available to previous Nancys. The book did not seem overly formulaic nor childish -however, the ending seemed abrupt.

I think kids would come away from this with some good information. This was a series book that did not feel like a waste of trees.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was nothing hinting at the culprit until 2 sentences before the culprit is announced which was annoying. At one point a 'hard green chip' is found wedged in between the floorboards. The way it was described I thought it was like a poker chip but then later it's found out that it's a colored contact. That is honestly the worst description of a contact I have ever heard. Also they used animals blood to set up the practice crime scene which is all kinds of wrong and I really could have done without.

[Izzy]

Guessed the culprit within the first chapter #embarrassing #tryhardercarolyn

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Nancy Drew book! The last few pages truly define the word "dangerous". You will find yourself holding your breath!

[Prami{reader and dreamer} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't remember much but I liked Nancy and the mysteries.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy, Bess and George have volunteered to be counselors for a high school crime lab camp, created by the renowned scientist, Professor Parris. But when Professor Parris is poisoned, it is up to Nancy and her friends to solve the real life mystery.
This is a reread for me. I’ve owned this book for years but hadn’t read it in so long. One difference I noticed right away between this book and the others? The chapters. Every Nancy Drew book is 20 chapters long. Not this one. This one only has 15 chapters. And no artwork! There aren’t any pictures in this book. I kind of missed them.

The mystery itself is actually a lot less convoluted than usual. Hooray! The backdrop was a nice touch. While the high school students are working to solve a fictional case, Nancy is hard at work trying to figure out who poisoned Professor Parris and why. 

Speaking of the fictional case. I realized that the case the kids are working on isn’t solved. The kids are broken up in groups and each group is given clues. In the end, each group had a different suspect. So who committed the crime?? It wasn’t resolved! 

One additional note. Ned is finally, finally referred to as Nancy’s boyfriend! Only took 165 books to get there haha.

[Trips Starlake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This opinion is coming off of reading several older ND duds, but I really appreciated the plot having cohesion and that the majority of chapters were relevant to the plot with little meandering nonsense. The plot is not perfect, some descriptions of items and events are really poorly done. They offer a new culprit half way through the book that actually ends up being completely irrelevant (and honestly just a way to pad out book pages, but that is expected in these books at this point).

I can see a lot of people in the younger audience appreciating all the talk about crime investigation, many scenes were action-packed compared to a lot ND novels, and honestly? I wasn't bored reading this so it gets a higher rating.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not your mother's (or grandmother's) Nancy Drew! Instead, she is thoroughly modern, and involved in leading a forensics crime camp, along with her friends Bess, George, and Ned. Right off I had trouble believing that an 18-year-old would be given this much responsibility, especially since the campers can't be much younger. And actually, Nancy comes across much older. The plot is also more serious than in the books I remember from my childhood, since it actually concerns an attempted murder. Not much characterization. Probably wouldn't recommend.

[Pie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a tough on to get through. I'm not an expert on writing, I'm just a reader and I found something lacking but I'm not sure what. I think maybe the writing didn't flow, one scene from another seemed to just jump without some kind of transition. Some things that Nancy did didn't feel Nancy Drew, if that makes sense. If you haven't read #166 & #167, I recommend you check out those two Nancy Drew books.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of the original premise of Nancy and her friends working at a crime lab camp for high schoolers, this one stands about among these later NDMS for me. The old ND trope of George injuring her ankle was there, but no bickering between her and Bess this time

[Navya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book, which I read in my teen years.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Victoria Budkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most interesting ND book, but maybe one of the most realistic, actually.
Enjoyed.

[Jen Pritchard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Nancy Drew but this one is too rushed and just not quite as golden as the early stories.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun mystery. I liked it a lot with the crime scene camp and storyline. Really good read.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The crime scene camp sounds like fun. The mystery itself was just OK, the big reveal seemed to come out of the blue.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Nancy Drew book. It's so thrilling and a good book.

[Emma Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandma actually recommended Nancy Drew to me because they were her favorite books back in the day. This book took me a little longer to read because there was a lot going on at once and you have to really pay attention to keep up, but the mystery was a good one and the ending threw me for a loop!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Drew! I used to read nancy Drew books in elementary school. I lived in Japan and had them shipped to me in quantities of 5-7 at a time. Nancy is in college now in the current series. #165. Nancy and her friends, Bess, George and Ned help Nancy with a special program called a chemystery. (a summer camp for high schoolers) The professor assigned to monitor and help them falls into a coma of unknown origins. Nancy and her friends must solve the real case -the one involving the professor, and also solve the chemystery assignment as well.

[Seema M. Fazil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy is in college?! I thought she was a teenager! How could that be? Like seriously, I just don't get it! I don't listen to the fact that's she's in college! How could that be? How could that be?! That ghostwriter got Nancy's age wrong! She's supposed to be in high school. Sure, the mystery was kinda good, but the fact that she's in collage? I did not like it!
Most of the other books she's described as a teen detective. I just don't get!

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely reads dated -- because it is -- but it isn't AS dated as I thought it might be. DNA is a thing, although they're still testing fibers and hair type. I wanted this mystery to feel urgent, considering the stakes are life-and-death, but the telling of it doesn't center those stakes and it comes across as very stodgy. The suddenness of the villain reveal and villain monologue also took me out of the story.

[YeonJe Sung · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a crime scence camp. Mr.Paris is the captain of that camp, but he gets blackmailed. So Nancy becomes the director instead of Mr. Paris. Nancy found a lot of suspects, but the one who blackmailed Mr. paris isn't among the suspects. There are 15chapters, and Nancy finally finds the blackmailer in 14th chapter! Later on, Mr. Paris recovers from the poison and Nancy became respectful!!!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never know what to rate these books because I simply love them, but I am so used to Nancy's awesomeness so that it's nothing special for me, really.

I LOVE YOU NANCY DREW!

One Side Note: If there was no Ned, I bet Connor and Nancy would make a cute couple. :3

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

While helping to run a crime lab for students, the leader of the program is poisoned and Nancy must discover who the culprit is and get an antidote before the professor dies!