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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #50
Neiti Etsivä ja pahanilmanlintu
Neiti Etsivän kotitalon nurmikolle on salaperäisesti ilmestynyt täytetty lintu. Taloudenhoitaja Hanna tietää, että juuri tämän lajin linnut ennustavat pahaa; niitä on käytetty uhkaukseen, varoituksen välittäjinä.
147 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
86 people are currently reading
2280 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
955 books3,836 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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 105 reviews
December 21, 2022
“Hey, mercy, mercy me, oh…
Things ain’t what they used to be.
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can she stand?”
-Marvin Gaye
In the opening pages of the story, we read about a disagreement between two parties. The cause of it has to do with the control of a parcel of valuable, perfectly situated land.
On one side of the dispute is a man named Oscar Thurston, owner of a farm located just a few miles from River Heights. Thurston’s farm is unique in that it features a small zoo which contains a number of rare and exotic birds. Mr. Thurston is unwilling to sell his land.
On the other side of the dispute is a firm named The High Rise Construction Company. This company is determined to gain control of Mr. Thurston’s land in order to build apartment buildings on it as part of a larger complex that they plan to situate nearby.
The land developer first attempted to gain control of Mr. Thurston’s land by approaching him directly with an offer to purchase. And when the owner turned him down, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was uninterested in selling. That’s when this persistent firm began to explore ways of taking control of the Thurston land through other, less direct, and less scrupulous ways, one of which was an attempt to convince the town council that the Thurston Farm should be condemned.
Upon learning of the developer’s attempt to malign Mr. Thurston’s name by claiming he was a negligent zookeeper, the zookeeper became concerned that this influential, and very powerful firm would find a way to convince the council that their claim was true. He also knew that if he lost his ability to keep the zoo, he might be forced into the position of having to sell his land for a lack of income. It was at this point that Oscar Thurston knew he needed legal assistance, and who else would he turn to than River Heights most celebrated and trusted lawyer, Carson Drew?
Mr. Drew, for his part, was intrigued with the case, and at the same time was angered by the fact that the firm was choosing to have the Thurston Farm declared unsuitable only AFTER they were unsuccessful in making a purchase offer to the farmer.
On top of all this, Mr. Thurston’s small zoo was a popular place for parents to take their kids to, and it was an important educational field trip location for many local schools to bring students to. The community enjoyed visiting Mr. Thurston’s Zoo, and the farmer and his operation had a good reputation with the local people. Carson Drew was aware of all this, which significantly influenced his decision to take the case in the first place.
So, the idea that a developer would attempt to use its influence and power to persuade the council that Mr. Thurston’s operation should be condemned due to negligence seemed like a devious and unfair way to do business in the mind of Carson Drew.
But as is usually the case with people who have a reputation for being very good at what they do, Mr. Drew found himself accepting Mr. Thurston’s request for help at the very same time as he was working on a number of other cases. As a result, he had very little time to devote to Oscar Thurston, but he had a solution to this problem, one involving his daughter, a multi-talented young woman of impressive investigative skill…
Of course, we are referring to none other than Nancy Drew!
Carson Drew invites his daughter to assist him with this worthy case, knowing that Nancy’s participation will add serious fuel to the fire of protest against the unfair business practices of The High Rise Construction Company and their dealings with the Thurston Farm situation.
We learn about Nancy’s passion for the case when we read…
“The idea of destroying the bird farm and ousting the Thurston’s was abhorrent to her.”
On top of the fire that burned in Nancy to get a just ruling for Mr. Thurston was her ability to be persistent in digging until she got to the bottom of any case. By now she’d proven her ability to get to the truth when solving complex cases, over and over again. And this wasn’t just a case of a father believing in his daughter out of a sense of fatherly pride, Carson Drew knew she could get the job done, better than almost any investigator anywhere. He also knew that this case would provide Nancy with plenty of opportunity to do what she was best at…solving mysteries, and almost as importantly, he knew how much she loved taking on these kind of mysteries. In a way, helping others by solving mysteries was his daughter’s love language, and he was very proud of the woman she’d turned out to be.
So, while Carson Drew was working on the legal complexities of The High Rise Construction Company’s late-breaking claim that Thurston was negligent in his care of the zoo, Nancy would tackle the other less legally conventional aspects of the case, beginning with gathering any evidence that the developer may be prematurely “staking their claim” before approval to do so was granted from the council.
To this end, Carson instructs Nancy to, “Look for surveyor’s stakes that might have been pounded into fields or marks made on fences or trees…”
And those were just the initial, more typical kind of investigative pursuits Nancy is to take on with this case. For example, she discovers, early in the first chapter that someone might have been trying to throw Oscar Thurston “off balance” by putting a jinx on him.
Nancy eagerly takes on her part of the case, and almost immediately a bizarre occurrence takes place when a stuffed, mounted Wryneck bird is left on the Drew’s front yard.
Nancy is initially confused by the presence of the strange stuffed bird until the Drew’s housekeeper, Hannah Gruen explains that Wrynecks were often used in the practice of witchcraft to put jinxes on people.
Nancy knew right away that she needed help, and to this end, invited her friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin to assist her with her part of the investigation.
Bess and George both enthusiastically agreed to help their friend with the case, and as we reach the end of the first chapter, we read that the three young women are driving to the Thurston Farm to look for any suspicious surveyor’s markings.
They arrive at the farm, just in time to witness a man cutting a hole in the wire of a cage using clippers. He was making a large hole in the fencing which caused the three to deduce that he was attempting to allow the birds a means of escape.
“We must stop him!” Nancy urged, then started running toward the man.
Just then, the man noticed Nancy approaching, with George and Bess right behind her. He immediately stopped his work and ran away, still carrying the clippers.
“We must catch him!” Nancy called out, then added, “George, you come with me, Bess, will you try to block up that hole so no birds can get out?”
The race after the fleeing man began…
And that closed out the first chapter, and needless to say, I was looking forward to finding out how the “David and Goliath” case between a single farmer and a large, well-financed firm would turn out…especially when the farmer had Nancy and Carson Drew working for him. Also, I wondered if a jinx was actually put on Mr. Thurston, by whom and why. Finally, what was the reason for putting the stuffed Wryneck bird on the Drew’s front lawn?
I read on with excitement, wondering about these things, while at the same time encountering a number of amazing situations. I also found myself very intrigued with some of the unique characters I read about along the way. Here were just a few that stood out for me:
An owl’s hooting a bad omen of ill health, a Raven a signal of an impending libel suit! A shopping cart attack at the supermarket, Merv Marvel the “Peter Pan” of dancers, the theft of an exotic bird from a college dorm room, a leaping robed specter, and Nancy’s ability to solve the mystery of how to prepare a meal in an unfamiliar kitchen!
Along the way I was surprised to read of an ink attack, two people tumbling into a turbulent waterfall, a family heirloom returned in a mist unique way, and Nancy stumbling on a stash of cash and jewels!
Reading “The Double Jinx Mystery” was anything but bad luck, but more like a boon for the avid mystery reader!
Things ain’t what they used to be.
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can she stand?”
-Marvin Gaye
In the opening pages of the story, we read about a disagreement between two parties. The cause of it has to do with the control of a parcel of valuable, perfectly situated land.
On one side of the dispute is a man named Oscar Thurston, owner of a farm located just a few miles from River Heights. Thurston’s farm is unique in that it features a small zoo which contains a number of rare and exotic birds. Mr. Thurston is unwilling to sell his land.
On the other side of the dispute is a firm named The High Rise Construction Company. This company is determined to gain control of Mr. Thurston’s land in order to build apartment buildings on it as part of a larger complex that they plan to situate nearby.
The land developer first attempted to gain control of Mr. Thurston’s land by approaching him directly with an offer to purchase. And when the owner turned him down, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was uninterested in selling. That’s when this persistent firm began to explore ways of taking control of the Thurston land through other, less direct, and less scrupulous ways, one of which was an attempt to convince the town council that the Thurston Farm should be condemned.
Upon learning of the developer’s attempt to malign Mr. Thurston’s name by claiming he was a negligent zookeeper, the zookeeper became concerned that this influential, and very powerful firm would find a way to convince the council that their claim was true. He also knew that if he lost his ability to keep the zoo, he might be forced into the position of having to sell his land for a lack of income. It was at this point that Oscar Thurston knew he needed legal assistance, and who else would he turn to than River Heights most celebrated and trusted lawyer, Carson Drew?
Mr. Drew, for his part, was intrigued with the case, and at the same time was angered by the fact that the firm was choosing to have the Thurston Farm declared unsuitable only AFTER they were unsuccessful in making a purchase offer to the farmer.
On top of all this, Mr. Thurston’s small zoo was a popular place for parents to take their kids to, and it was an important educational field trip location for many local schools to bring students to. The community enjoyed visiting Mr. Thurston’s Zoo, and the farmer and his operation had a good reputation with the local people. Carson Drew was aware of all this, which significantly influenced his decision to take the case in the first place.
So, the idea that a developer would attempt to use its influence and power to persuade the council that Mr. Thurston’s operation should be condemned due to negligence seemed like a devious and unfair way to do business in the mind of Carson Drew.
But as is usually the case with people who have a reputation for being very good at what they do, Mr. Drew found himself accepting Mr. Thurston’s request for help at the very same time as he was working on a number of other cases. As a result, he had very little time to devote to Oscar Thurston, but he had a solution to this problem, one involving his daughter, a multi-talented young woman of impressive investigative skill…
Of course, we are referring to none other than Nancy Drew!
Carson Drew invites his daughter to assist him with this worthy case, knowing that Nancy’s participation will add serious fuel to the fire of protest against the unfair business practices of The High Rise Construction Company and their dealings with the Thurston Farm situation.
We learn about Nancy’s passion for the case when we read…
“The idea of destroying the bird farm and ousting the Thurston’s was abhorrent to her.”
On top of the fire that burned in Nancy to get a just ruling for Mr. Thurston was her ability to be persistent in digging until she got to the bottom of any case. By now she’d proven her ability to get to the truth when solving complex cases, over and over again. And this wasn’t just a case of a father believing in his daughter out of a sense of fatherly pride, Carson Drew knew she could get the job done, better than almost any investigator anywhere. He also knew that this case would provide Nancy with plenty of opportunity to do what she was best at…solving mysteries, and almost as importantly, he knew how much she loved taking on these kind of mysteries. In a way, helping others by solving mysteries was his daughter’s love language, and he was very proud of the woman she’d turned out to be.
So, while Carson Drew was working on the legal complexities of The High Rise Construction Company’s late-breaking claim that Thurston was negligent in his care of the zoo, Nancy would tackle the other less legally conventional aspects of the case, beginning with gathering any evidence that the developer may be prematurely “staking their claim” before approval to do so was granted from the council.
To this end, Carson instructs Nancy to, “Look for surveyor’s stakes that might have been pounded into fields or marks made on fences or trees…”
And those were just the initial, more typical kind of investigative pursuits Nancy is to take on with this case. For example, she discovers, early in the first chapter that someone might have been trying to throw Oscar Thurston “off balance” by putting a jinx on him.
Nancy eagerly takes on her part of the case, and almost immediately a bizarre occurrence takes place when a stuffed, mounted Wryneck bird is left on the Drew’s front yard.
Nancy is initially confused by the presence of the strange stuffed bird until the Drew’s housekeeper, Hannah Gruen explains that Wrynecks were often used in the practice of witchcraft to put jinxes on people.
Nancy knew right away that she needed help, and to this end, invited her friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin to assist her with her part of the investigation.
Bess and George both enthusiastically agreed to help their friend with the case, and as we reach the end of the first chapter, we read that the three young women are driving to the Thurston Farm to look for any suspicious surveyor’s markings.
They arrive at the farm, just in time to witness a man cutting a hole in the wire of a cage using clippers. He was making a large hole in the fencing which caused the three to deduce that he was attempting to allow the birds a means of escape.
“We must stop him!” Nancy urged, then started running toward the man.
Just then, the man noticed Nancy approaching, with George and Bess right behind her. He immediately stopped his work and ran away, still carrying the clippers.
“We must catch him!” Nancy called out, then added, “George, you come with me, Bess, will you try to block up that hole so no birds can get out?”
The race after the fleeing man began…
And that closed out the first chapter, and needless to say, I was looking forward to finding out how the “David and Goliath” case between a single farmer and a large, well-financed firm would turn out…especially when the farmer had Nancy and Carson Drew working for him. Also, I wondered if a jinx was actually put on Mr. Thurston, by whom and why. Finally, what was the reason for putting the stuffed Wryneck bird on the Drew’s front lawn?
I read on with excitement, wondering about these things, while at the same time encountering a number of amazing situations. I also found myself very intrigued with some of the unique characters I read about along the way. Here were just a few that stood out for me:
An owl’s hooting a bad omen of ill health, a Raven a signal of an impending libel suit! A shopping cart attack at the supermarket, Merv Marvel the “Peter Pan” of dancers, the theft of an exotic bird from a college dorm room, a leaping robed specter, and Nancy’s ability to solve the mystery of how to prepare a meal in an unfamiliar kitchen!
Along the way I was surprised to read of an ink attack, two people tumbling into a turbulent waterfall, a family heirloom returned in a mist unique way, and Nancy stumbling on a stash of cash and jewels!
Reading “The Double Jinx Mystery” was anything but bad luck, but more like a boon for the avid mystery reader!
February 8, 2022
خبببب مجموعه نانسی درو همیشه بالا پایین داشته
بخاطر متفاوت بودن نویسنده ها هم هست
ولی هیچ وقت بد نبوده
و همیشه میگم که مجموعه به شدت آندر ریتدیه!
این داستان قشنگ بود ولی هیجان بقیه رو نداشت و خیلی زود جمع و جور شد.
دلم برای یه نانسی خوب دیگه پر میزنه
ولی خب...
بهرحال دوسش دارم همیشه😁
بخاطر متفاوت بودن نویسنده ها هم هست
ولی هیچ وقت بد نبوده
و همیشه میگم که مجموعه به شدت آندر ریتدیه!
این داستان قشنگ بود ولی هیجان بقیه رو نداشت و خیلی زود جمع و جور شد.
دلم برای یه نانسی خوب دیگه پر میزنه
ولی خب...
بهرحال دوسش دارم همیشه😁
July 4, 2022
this was okay until that garbage ending!
March 12, 2022
This is probably one of the dumbest Nancy Drew stories I have ever read. I do not recommend it, even to the most dedicated ND fan.
July 23, 2020
Starting in late 2013, I set out on a quest to read all of the Nancy Drew books in order. Nancy Drew has been a constant in my life since I was a very young girl. I still remember when I got my first boxed set of the first five books, and my youth and adolescence was shaped by the adventure game series.
I remember reading most of the original 64 mysteries as a youngster, but I couldn't for the life of me remember most of the plot points with the exception of The Clue in the Broken Locket (#11, which is my favorite to this day).
So here we are... 7 years later, and I'm nearing the end of the original series. And I get to this book. :) I remember thinking to myself every 5 or 10 pages "what a bizarre installment."
To sum it up:
Nancy is scared of a stuffed bird on her lawn because it might have a bomb inside
Nancy & gang visit an aviary and learn about birds
Nancy & gang meet Kamenka, a foreign exchange student with ESP who foretells Nancy being attacked by a rogue shopping cart at the grocery store
Nancy & Ned return to aforementioned aviary so that Nancy can cook dinner (?) and saves Oscar and Ned from being chloroformed
Nancy & Ned attend the ballet where Nancy is given a dancing lesson with Boris Borovsky, famous leaping danseur, who wants to steal her away because she is such a good leaper
Ned, seemingly jealous of Boris' fawning over Nancy, is actually sick with a particularly bad case of ornithosis
Nancy & gang take 9 children to the aviary in one car and are pulled over by the police but released with a warning
Nancy climbs into a tree to attempt to catch a bird and almost falls
Oops - Nancy now has a mild case of ornithosis so she is out of commission
Enter Burt and Dave who accompany the gang to sleuth while Nancy and Ned recover - Bess and George have paint thrown at them
Nancy and Ned, both healed from ornithosis, go to confront their suspect only to be thrown into a raging river and forced to go down a dam waterfall, but miraculously come out unscathed
Finally, Nancy is kidnapped by another leaping danseur, Merv Marvel, who whisks her away to join a cult but thankfully the police were nearby and the kidnapper is apprehended
Said kidnapper is released because he needs "psychiatric help" and his boss is arrested instead
Lots of birds die
No one was actually jinxed.
BIZARRE
I remember reading most of the original 64 mysteries as a youngster, but I couldn't for the life of me remember most of the plot points with the exception of The Clue in the Broken Locket (#11, which is my favorite to this day).
So here we are... 7 years later, and I'm nearing the end of the original series. And I get to this book. :) I remember thinking to myself every 5 or 10 pages "what a bizarre installment."
To sum it up:
Nancy is scared of a stuffed bird on her lawn because it might have a bomb inside
Nancy & gang visit an aviary and learn about birds
Nancy & gang meet Kamenka, a foreign exchange student with ESP who foretells Nancy being attacked by a rogue shopping cart at the grocery store
Nancy & Ned return to aforementioned aviary so that Nancy can cook dinner (?) and saves Oscar and Ned from being chloroformed
Nancy & Ned attend the ballet where Nancy is given a dancing lesson with Boris Borovsky, famous leaping danseur, who wants to steal her away because she is such a good leaper
Ned, seemingly jealous of Boris' fawning over Nancy, is actually sick with a particularly bad case of ornithosis
Nancy & gang take 9 children to the aviary in one car and are pulled over by the police but released with a warning
Nancy climbs into a tree to attempt to catch a bird and almost falls
Oops - Nancy now has a mild case of ornithosis so she is out of commission
Enter Burt and Dave who accompany the gang to sleuth while Nancy and Ned recover - Bess and George have paint thrown at them
Nancy and Ned, both healed from ornithosis, go to confront their suspect only to be thrown into a raging river and forced to go down a dam waterfall, but miraculously come out unscathed
Finally, Nancy is kidnapped by another leaping danseur, Merv Marvel, who whisks her away to join a cult but thankfully the police were nearby and the kidnapper is apprehended
Said kidnapper is released because he needs "psychiatric help" and his boss is arrested instead
Lots of birds die
No one was actually jinxed.
BIZARRE
September 27, 2021
Nancy D.'s 50th adventure is all about Jinxes. . . .and those who take seriously all superstitions. One of the first Alarms (all ND books have Alarms!) is finding a possible bomb on her front lawn in River Heights, whereon a Eurasian Wryneck Woodpecker is perched:
". . .then she added, "I understand this is a wryneck. these birds were used to put jinxes on superstitious people."
"That's right," the man replied. "the question is, was the bird left here as a warning and is it intended for you three girls or for the Drew family?" He looked directed at Nance. "Has your father acquired any enemies lately?"
The ultimate reason for their "Warning" was much more prosaic than that. . .just regular ol' commercial crime and harassment. Nancy comes out on top, again, saving the day for birds, zoos, aviaries, all with the help of her besties, Bess and George, and their male compatriots as well. Oh, and Nancy gets a little professional ballet in, as well. Sometimes she is such a show-off, but no one ever says a word.
On to #51!
". . .then she added, "I understand this is a wryneck. these birds were used to put jinxes on superstitious people."
"That's right," the man replied. "the question is, was the bird left here as a warning and is it intended for you three girls or for the Drew family?" He looked directed at Nance. "Has your father acquired any enemies lately?"
The ultimate reason for their "Warning" was much more prosaic than that. . .just regular ol' commercial crime and harassment. Nancy comes out on top, again, saving the day for birds, zoos, aviaries, all with the help of her besties, Bess and George, and their male compatriots as well. Oh, and Nancy gets a little professional ballet in, as well. Sometimes she is such a show-off, but no one ever says a word.
On to #51!
August 25, 2023
2.5 stars & 3/10 hearts. I would have liked this better, of course, if it hadn't had all the jinx and superstition and stuff. What I did like was to see Ned and Nancy actually sick for real (rather unusual) and also the way the author had a lot of the explanations given by the dancer when he thought Nancy was on his side (also unusual). I liked Oscar and Kammy though. On the other hand, I disliked having the male dancer at all (they gross me out) and also, I was really disgusted by the scene where Nancy is pulled over. I mean, COME ON. Of all people, Nancy should know better than to overload her car!! And the officer just letting her on?! That's not even safe!! And also, the whole thing of K being "psych"/reading stuff in the stars was never fixed. So... yeah. I'm not sorry I read it but I won't be rereading it. Not my cuppa tea.
September 25, 2011
An eerie and interesting addition to the Nancy Drew book series.
July 1, 2023
I have been reading this for 8 and a half months because it was so boring I would put it down and not pick it up again for ages. I'm so glad to be done with it oh my god
that was actually so stupid it made me angry. one thing happened after another that had NOTHING to do with eachother. I do not care about land development at all. They just pulled so many random elements out of nowhere. Bird aviary? Ballerinos dressed as ghosts? Scammy witchcraft cults? Evil apartment developer? What are we doing here?? I get this is #50 and they probably ran out of good ideas at this point but this is just ridiculous. And why did Burt and Dave show up at the eleventh hour for no reason, like they contributed nothing why include them at all.
The one redeeming factor is that there were some cute Nancy and Ned moments I'll admit. I thought it was funny when Ned got chloroformed and then later on developed ornithosis.
that was actually so stupid it made me angry. one thing happened after another that had NOTHING to do with eachother. I do not care about land development at all. They just pulled so many random elements out of nowhere. Bird aviary? Ballerinos dressed as ghosts? Scammy witchcraft cults? Evil apartment developer? What are we doing here?? I get this is #50 and they probably ran out of good ideas at this point but this is just ridiculous. And why did Burt and Dave show up at the eleventh hour for no reason, like they contributed nothing why include them at all.
The one redeeming factor is that there were some cute Nancy and Ned moments I'll admit. I thought it was funny when Ned got chloroformed and then later on developed ornithosis.
October 19, 2024
4.5 stars!!! ✨✨✨✨
A unique mystery with an evil development company, curses, and ornithology! Oh, and ballet dancing (which Nancy is of course amazing at).
This one was so different and I really enjoyed the story. Nancy actually was down and out for a bit in this book which was nice as some other characters had to step up and help her.
There was some last minute quirkiness which often happens in these stories (random demonic cult making an appearance lol), otherwise would have been a five star read 🙏🏻.
I enjoyed Nancy packing 12 people into her convertible ☠️ 1973 driving standards.
A unique mystery with an evil development company, curses, and ornithology! Oh, and ballet dancing (which Nancy is of course amazing at).
This one was so different and I really enjoyed the story. Nancy actually was down and out for a bit in this book which was nice as some other characters had to step up and help her.
There was some last minute quirkiness which often happens in these stories (random demonic cult making an appearance lol), otherwise would have been a five star read 🙏🏻.
I enjoyed Nancy packing 12 people into her convertible ☠️ 1973 driving standards.
Read
April 27, 2021Nancy Drew and Satan worshipper cult. Such a funny plot twist. Nancy is also talented in everything. I mean, she used to take balet lessons as a kid and now she can spontaneously dance just like a professional dancer. Love it 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2022
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The Double Jinx Mystery gives me fond memories of my childhood. Most Nancy Drew books do, but this one was extra special for me. My cognitively disabled sister, who is twelve years older than me, had this and one other Nancy Drew book and would read them to me as bedtime stories. It was at that early age that I was introduced to Nancy and a lifelong love began.
“The bird was about seven inches long. It had a speckled breast, variegated shades of white, brown and gray on its back, and a soft tail. Most noticeable was the peculiar way its neck was twisted and its drooping head turned backwards… “It’s a wryneck.” (a type of woodpecker) Once again there’s an info dump in a Nancy Drew book. I remember not minding it so much because I was always eager to learn more about many different subjects. Indeed, that was one of the reasons I enjoyed the later Nancy Drew books so much.
“Nancy, did you have an accident on the way home?” the woman asked. “Why yes, I did—a little one,” she replied, and told what had happened to her. “Kammy knew it. Her ESP was workingl She came rushing to me a little while ago and said, ‘I just had a strange vibration that Nancy Drew has been hurt!’” For some reason, superstitions and jinxes and ESP were added to the story to make it more interesting. However, I felt this took away from the story as a whole, and it just doesn’t age well.
At stake in this mystery is a developer who wants this children’s zoo and aviary to sell so they can continue building their McBuildings and resorts. Birds die, Ned contracts some sort of bird flu and is pretty sick, and Nancy gets a milder case.
At one point, Nancy and Ned are sleuthing for clues and are asked, “By the way, since you’re not in a hurry for an apartment, you ought to wait for one of these. When do you plan to marry?”
AT Mr. Hinchcliff’s startling remark Nancy blushed deeply and Ned looked at the ground. They hastened to assure the councilman that they did not plan a wedding and were not looking for an apartment.” Too funny.
As usual, Nancy Drew books are notorious for feasts. One such dinner had “split pea soup, broiled lamb chops, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. “I’ll make boiled custard and after it’s chilled I’ll pour it over canned peaches,” she decided.”
In what has to be one of the dumbest things Nancy has ever done with her car, she packs it like a clown car with adults and children to take to the zoo and aviary. Not surprisingly, she gets pulled over. “I think I know the traffic laws,” she replied. “Is something the matter? Surely I wasn’t speeding.” “No, you weren’t. But you are still breaking the law. Your car is overcrowded.” He looked inside. “My word, how many children are in here?” Bess answered. “There are nine.” “And three adults,” the policeman said. “By my arithmetic that adds up to twelve persons. The most your car can hold is six.”
In another incredulous series of events, Nancy and Ned are pushed off a cliff by a giant man. “Being excellent swimmers they were able to twist their bodies into perfect dives. When they surfaced, the two had already been swept a good distance downstream. Battling hard against the strong current, they tried to turn toward shore but found this impossible to do. “The dam is not far ahead with the high falls!” Nancy thought. Ned was trying frantically to reach Nancy’s side and help her. He could not make it. A few moments later the two went over the dam!” Seriously. Somehow they survive, but the fun’s not over yet!
“The next moment he swooped her up in his arms and held a hand over her mouth so she could not scream. Taking great leaps, he carried the helpless girl away from the Thurston farm!
“You little vixen!” he exclaimed. “You may as well stop fighting because you’re not going to leave me. I’ll teach you to be my dancing partner.”
Merv Marvel was very much interested in witchcraft. “He might be a member of some demoniac group.” Yeah, I don’t even know what to say about this. Witchcraft, a name like Merv Marvel, crazy man who wants to teach Nancy to be his dancing partner after he kidnaps her. Let’s just say that some of these books from the 1970’s are trippy.
The Double Jinx Mystery gives me fond memories of my childhood. Most Nancy Drew books do, but this one was extra special for me. My cognitively disabled sister, who is twelve years older than me, had this and one other Nancy Drew book and would read them to me as bedtime stories. It was at that early age that I was introduced to Nancy and a lifelong love began.
“The bird was about seven inches long. It had a speckled breast, variegated shades of white, brown and gray on its back, and a soft tail. Most noticeable was the peculiar way its neck was twisted and its drooping head turned backwards… “It’s a wryneck.” (a type of woodpecker) Once again there’s an info dump in a Nancy Drew book. I remember not minding it so much because I was always eager to learn more about many different subjects. Indeed, that was one of the reasons I enjoyed the later Nancy Drew books so much.
“Nancy, did you have an accident on the way home?” the woman asked. “Why yes, I did—a little one,” she replied, and told what had happened to her. “Kammy knew it. Her ESP was workingl She came rushing to me a little while ago and said, ‘I just had a strange vibration that Nancy Drew has been hurt!’” For some reason, superstitions and jinxes and ESP were added to the story to make it more interesting. However, I felt this took away from the story as a whole, and it just doesn’t age well.
At stake in this mystery is a developer who wants this children’s zoo and aviary to sell so they can continue building their McBuildings and resorts. Birds die, Ned contracts some sort of bird flu and is pretty sick, and Nancy gets a milder case.
At one point, Nancy and Ned are sleuthing for clues and are asked, “By the way, since you’re not in a hurry for an apartment, you ought to wait for one of these. When do you plan to marry?”
AT Mr. Hinchcliff’s startling remark Nancy blushed deeply and Ned looked at the ground. They hastened to assure the councilman that they did not plan a wedding and were not looking for an apartment.” Too funny.
As usual, Nancy Drew books are notorious for feasts. One such dinner had “split pea soup, broiled lamb chops, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. “I’ll make boiled custard and after it’s chilled I’ll pour it over canned peaches,” she decided.”
In what has to be one of the dumbest things Nancy has ever done with her car, she packs it like a clown car with adults and children to take to the zoo and aviary. Not surprisingly, she gets pulled over. “I think I know the traffic laws,” she replied. “Is something the matter? Surely I wasn’t speeding.” “No, you weren’t. But you are still breaking the law. Your car is overcrowded.” He looked inside. “My word, how many children are in here?” Bess answered. “There are nine.” “And three adults,” the policeman said. “By my arithmetic that adds up to twelve persons. The most your car can hold is six.”
In another incredulous series of events, Nancy and Ned are pushed off a cliff by a giant man. “Being excellent swimmers they were able to twist their bodies into perfect dives. When they surfaced, the two had already been swept a good distance downstream. Battling hard against the strong current, they tried to turn toward shore but found this impossible to do. “The dam is not far ahead with the high falls!” Nancy thought. Ned was trying frantically to reach Nancy’s side and help her. He could not make it. A few moments later the two went over the dam!” Seriously. Somehow they survive, but the fun’s not over yet!
“The next moment he swooped her up in his arms and held a hand over her mouth so she could not scream. Taking great leaps, he carried the helpless girl away from the Thurston farm!
“You little vixen!” he exclaimed. “You may as well stop fighting because you’re not going to leave me. I’ll teach you to be my dancing partner.”
Merv Marvel was very much interested in witchcraft. “He might be a member of some demoniac group.” Yeah, I don’t even know what to say about this. Witchcraft, a name like Merv Marvel, crazy man who wants to teach Nancy to be his dancing partner after he kidnaps her. Let’s just say that some of these books from the 1970’s are trippy.
May 22, 2023
Why'd the writer wait until the very last chapter to hit us with the racist stick; to make matters worse it was entirely unnecessary.....the rest of the story was okay, almost hoped for something political and interesting to say about high-rise development companies but ofc that's too much to ask from this series....
September 13, 2021
This book was not named well, and it drove me crazy throughout the novel - I found it distracting. I also couldn't come up with a better name, so I suppose that was the issue. Maybe "The Mystery of the Aviary"?
There were an awful lot of red herrings in this book, and it disrupted the flow of the mystery, of course without them this book would have been all of 50 pages.
I did appreciate that there was an actual mystery here, complete with legitimate villains with a true, villainous plan - what a refreshing change of pace! I also loved that this mystery was set in River Heights, it's been a while since any more than the first chapter was spent there. Also, George wasn't a shrew and Ned was more present - both BIG plusses!
I recommend to fans of Nancy Drew!
There were an awful lot of red herrings in this book, and it disrupted the flow of the mystery, of course without them this book would have been all of 50 pages.
I did appreciate that there was an actual mystery here, complete with legitimate villains with a true, villainous plan - what a refreshing change of pace! I also loved that this mystery was set in River Heights, it's been a while since any more than the first chapter was spent there. Also, George wasn't a shrew and Ned was more present - both BIG plusses!
I recommend to fans of Nancy Drew!
June 24, 2015
A+ for all of the Nancy Drew books!
December 29, 2018
This mystery is a little strange. (When aren’t they)? A stuffed bird is left on Nancy’s doorstep which is only the first in many weird incidents. Nancy believes it is connected to the case she is helping her father with. High-rise apartments are set to be built on private property which the owner is refusing to sell/give up. Mr. Thurston doesn’t want to sell his property because of a zoo and bird sanctuary he has built on it. It is Mr. Drew’s job to stop the city council from forcing Mr. Thurston off his land. And with help from Nancy, he succeeds.
Okay, first things first. The bird. It’s a wryneck bird (like the one on the cover) and apparently superstitious people believe the bird is a jinx. That it’s a sign of ill-omen. Nancy doesn’t know this, but Hannah Gruen tells her. Which then makes Nancy panic and think there’s a bomb inside??
Nancy claims multiple times that she’s not superstitious. She even goes so far as to convince Mrs. Thurston to stop believing in them. Yet, her first conclusion upon seeing the bird is: bomb. At this point, she hadn’t even started working on the case! Then the cops show up and inform her there is no bomb and all is well. How unrealistic is that? No warning? No telling her to stop calling the cops when there is no perceived threat? I call B.S.
And then, oh my goodness. Later on in the book Nancy, Bess and George invite a group of kids to see the zoo and bird sanctuary. So they all pile into her car. There are 9 kids. 9!! Plus Nancy, Bess and George. That’s 12 people in 1 car! Of course, a cop pulls her over on the way. But he lets her go!! He tells her that her car is only designed for 6 people, but since she’s near her destination she can go. As long as the situation is remedied on the way back.
Again, I call some MAJOR BS!! Speaking from experience, I know for a fact that would not fly. Must be nice to be a titian haired, blue-eyed teenager with a prominent attorney as her father. Or it could be a 70’s thing. Who knows. When did child car seats become law anyway? *googles car seat history* 1971!
The mystery itself is super straightforward. The bad guys are preying on people’s superstitious beliefs to get what they want. Nancy and Ned fall sick with ornithosis (some kind of bird disease). The big, evil, high-rise corporation is taken down. It’s all in a week’s work.
Overall, it was a decent story. It’s wild how times have changed though.
Okay, first things first. The bird. It’s a wryneck bird (like the one on the cover) and apparently superstitious people believe the bird is a jinx. That it’s a sign of ill-omen. Nancy doesn’t know this, but Hannah Gruen tells her. Which then makes Nancy panic and think there’s a bomb inside??
Nancy claims multiple times that she’s not superstitious. She even goes so far as to convince Mrs. Thurston to stop believing in them. Yet, her first conclusion upon seeing the bird is: bomb. At this point, she hadn’t even started working on the case! Then the cops show up and inform her there is no bomb and all is well. How unrealistic is that? No warning? No telling her to stop calling the cops when there is no perceived threat? I call B.S.
And then, oh my goodness. Later on in the book Nancy, Bess and George invite a group of kids to see the zoo and bird sanctuary. So they all pile into her car. There are 9 kids. 9!! Plus Nancy, Bess and George. That’s 12 people in 1 car! Of course, a cop pulls her over on the way. But he lets her go!! He tells her that her car is only designed for 6 people, but since she’s near her destination she can go. As long as the situation is remedied on the way back.
Again, I call some MAJOR BS!! Speaking from experience, I know for a fact that would not fly. Must be nice to be a titian haired, blue-eyed teenager with a prominent attorney as her father. Or it could be a 70’s thing. Who knows. When did child car seats become law anyway? *googles car seat history* 1971!
The mystery itself is super straightforward. The bad guys are preying on people’s superstitious beliefs to get what they want. Nancy and Ned fall sick with ornithosis (some kind of bird disease). The big, evil, high-rise corporation is taken down. It’s all in a week’s work.
Overall, it was a decent story. It’s wild how times have changed though.
June 15, 2020
This is the most stressful Nancy Drew book I've read yet. A group of councilmen wants the bird farm owner to sell his property so that high-rise apartments can be built. The owner refuses so he gets jinxed multiple times. His wife gets attacked by a specter. Nancy and Ned randomly attends a ballet recital to look for someone who can jump like a specter. A prized bird owned by university student gets stolen. Most of the birds left gets sick, and a lot even die (I hate it when there's death in a Nancy Drew novel). Ned contracts ornithosis from the birds. Nancy is left to run around town to convince each of the difficult councilmen not to push the construction of the high rise building. She later contracts ornithosis as well. On one of her visits, she gets pushed into a river. Bess and George take over and they get printer ink thrown at them.
There was so much running around town, the bird farm, the recital hall, the university, the police station, the councilmen's offices. I felt Nancy's exhaustion as well. There was already a good buildup (like a high-rise tower) only to have it crashing down on the last chapter even though the mysteries were solved anyway. The writer must have run out of ideas to give this exciting story a satisfying ending. This was not only a double-jinx mystery, but a n-tuple-jinxed mystery.
There was so much running around town, the bird farm, the recital hall, the university, the police station, the councilmen's offices. I felt Nancy's exhaustion as well. There was already a good buildup (like a high-rise tower) only to have it crashing down on the last chapter even though the mysteries were solved anyway. The writer must have run out of ideas to give this exciting story a satisfying ending. This was not only a double-jinx mystery, but a n-tuple-jinxed mystery.
October 15, 2020
This was a fun mystery to read! It has it all: sweet older couple in danger if losing their literal farm to a greedy land developer. The city council is already set to vote and kick the Thurstons off their land! Nancy must but only solve the mystery but also convince the councilmen to change their minds! Politics! There are mysterious happenings at the farm! Snipped cages! Land mines! Ghosts! Then Nancy and Ned come down with bird flu! They’re fine. No one ever needs a hospital in Nancy Drew mysteries. There’s also a ballet plot that made me giggle. Especially at the end. I did feel sorry for the poor birds, though. Mrs. Thurston gets annoying after a while. Luckily she’s talked out of her superstitious beliefs in... five minutes?
There is also the Eurasian character of Kamenka, or Kammy, who is psychic. This is used once and never mentioned again! Also liked her wryneck. I did feel bad that Kammy’s secret was being stalked.
Ned is less annoying in these books. I also like that even Hannah doesn’t believe in jinxes!
The ending is fun but slightly silly. A good read!
There is also the Eurasian character of Kamenka, or Kammy, who is psychic. This is used once and never mentioned again! Also liked her wryneck. I did feel bad that Kammy’s secret was being stalked.
Ned is less annoying in these books. I also like that even Hannah doesn’t believe in jinxes!
The ending is fun but slightly silly. A good read!
November 22, 2020
This is a Nancy Drew book, so pretty much what can be expected from a Nancy Drew book.
For this one, I wondered and/or made note of:
>some fairly good information about woodpeckers
>some decent information about hummingbirds
>who, really, keeps an eyewash kit in their medicine cabinet?
-I mean, as in the book, among people who do not have occupations or hobbies that might need eye washing, and in that case why is it in the medicine cabinet and not next to the place where the activity is being done?
>Nancy is a ballet dancer? Seriously?!?
-yup, apparently too, having not really done any dancing since childhood lessons she is still so good that people who have been fully trained and dance for a living want her to join their troop...
-uhuh. yup, that's believable (<-sarcasm)
>Ornithosis (aka Psittacosis) is caused by a **bacteria** rather than a virus, as stated in the book (by the doctor no less)
-hence the reason that antibiotics are effective for it (antibiotics do not work on viruses)
-even in the 1970s they would have known this
>NO! no one should ever take anyone else's antibiotics
-a doctor, even one in the 1970s would not have suggested this
-it is irresponsible to put that in the book
>Oh, hey someone has a serious, contagious illness, and is still in bed with it, but really it has been a day so just go ahead and spend time with them
-oh, and be surprised if you happen to catch the illness too, because really that is only how contagious illnesses work
>Somehow, the city council runs on majority votes, except in this one case that Nancy is working on where, for no apparent reason, they need 100% consensus?
>everyone seems totally OK with a city councillor who just makes up his mind in an apparently knee-jerk response to an issue then never changes it, no matter what?
>The spouse of another councillor declares, in so many words, that her husband voting a particular way will bring many benefits to their family and a great deal of profit to them personally, so that is the way he will vote, no matter what?
-and no one sees that as a problem?!?
>and despite these conflicts of interest, they also decided the arbitrary need for a 100% consensus?!?
>a teenager (Nancy) can just walk into hospitals and medical clinics and the staff in these places fall all over themselves to give this stranger information about their patients
-usually not asking who she is nor what she wants, just handing out information about patients willy-nilly to whoever walks in the door
-I'm pretty sure even in the 1970s they had doctor-patient privilege (?)
>the police, including the chief, are really that incompetent?
-'thank you Nancy, we would not have thought to look for the tattoo without you suggesting that we do so' (<-not sarcasm, this really is a scene in the book)
>a student at the university has a dorm room but doesn't live in it? (and the university knows about it, though I suppose if she's still paying rent but not living there???....)
-or doesn't have a dorm room but is able to get one within an hour or so of needing it in mid-semester?
-because no other students need the space?
>Yeah, so someone causes misfortunes, and everyone on both sides of that equation knows that these misfortunes are being deliberately caused
-but still, people believe that it is due to a 'jinx' rather than, you know, someone causing it all
-and even the people on the causing it side might still believe in the jinx, even though they are the ones causing the misfortunes???
>a grandmother sends her nine grandkids off with three teenagers that she has never met before, all in the one car, because, reasons?
-I mean, I get it was the 1970s; I'm Gen-X and know how negligent adults were during those times, but even my abusive mother would never have sent me off in a car with strangers... yeesh!
>in the middle of falling into a river after being shoved, both Nancy and Ned manage to "twist their bodies into perfect dives" (pg. 94)
-yup, I totally belief that... uh-huh (<-more sarcasm)
>Nancy can spot finger prints by just walking around using her magnifying glass?
-not greasy, muddy, or otherwise obvious ones, just fingerprints
-you know, of the type that police use fingerprint power to see...
>we are less than 10 pages from the end of the book. The bad guys are still at large. Nancy decides to go outside to walk around for some air... gee... I wonder what will happen next?
>we are in book #50 of the Nancy Drew series and apparently she still does not know even the most basic of self-defence moves
-she seems to have nothing else to do with her time, why not take a class or two?
-I mean really, in every book there is a 'suspenseful Nancy is caught by the bad guys now what?' scene.
-After 49 previous ones of these scenes (so not a spoiler here) I would think she would finally say 'gee, maybe I should learn some moves to help me get away the next time'. But no, no. Nancy still does not even think to do anything, e.g. kick him in the leg, stomp his foot, knee his groin, palm-thrust to the nose, anything, anything at all...
>what exactly does Nancy do with her time?
-OK yes, she spends some of it solving mysteries, but all of the books start with a mention of how much time it has been since the last one and end with a mention of the time until the next one
-what does she do in the meantime?
-Ned, for example, goes to university and has summer jobs
-Nancy does what?? Sits around waiting for the next mystery?
All of that said, the book really is a Nancy Drew book, and so reads exactly as expected from a Nancy Drew book, including several points listed above. So, I knew what I was getting into when I read it, and appreciated it for what it is. I will also continue to read and reread the books in this series, because of nostalgia and because they are Nancy Drew books and I know what to expect from them.
For this one, I wondered and/or made note of:
>some fairly good information about woodpeckers
>some decent information about hummingbirds
>who, really, keeps an eyewash kit in their medicine cabinet?
-I mean, as in the book, among people who do not have occupations or hobbies that might need eye washing, and in that case why is it in the medicine cabinet and not next to the place where the activity is being done?
>Nancy is a ballet dancer? Seriously?!?
-yup, apparently too, having not really done any dancing since childhood lessons she is still so good that people who have been fully trained and dance for a living want her to join their troop...
-uhuh. yup, that's believable (<-sarcasm)
>Ornithosis (aka Psittacosis) is caused by a **bacteria** rather than a virus, as stated in the book (by the doctor no less)
-hence the reason that antibiotics are effective for it (antibiotics do not work on viruses)
-even in the 1970s they would have known this
>NO! no one should ever take anyone else's antibiotics
-a doctor, even one in the 1970s would not have suggested this
-it is irresponsible to put that in the book
>Oh, hey someone has a serious, contagious illness, and is still in bed with it, but really it has been a day so just go ahead and spend time with them
-oh, and be surprised if you happen to catch the illness too, because really that is only how contagious illnesses work
>Somehow, the city council runs on majority votes, except in this one case that Nancy is working on where, for no apparent reason, they need 100% consensus?
>everyone seems totally OK with a city councillor who just makes up his mind in an apparently knee-jerk response to an issue then never changes it, no matter what?
>The spouse of another councillor declares, in so many words, that her husband voting a particular way will bring many benefits to their family and a great deal of profit to them personally, so that is the way he will vote, no matter what?
-and no one sees that as a problem?!?
>and despite these conflicts of interest, they also decided the arbitrary need for a 100% consensus?!?
>a teenager (Nancy) can just walk into hospitals and medical clinics and the staff in these places fall all over themselves to give this stranger information about their patients
-usually not asking who she is nor what she wants, just handing out information about patients willy-nilly to whoever walks in the door
-I'm pretty sure even in the 1970s they had doctor-patient privilege (?)
>the police, including the chief, are really that incompetent?
-'thank you Nancy, we would not have thought to look for the tattoo without you suggesting that we do so' (<-not sarcasm, this really is a scene in the book)
>a student at the university has a dorm room but doesn't live in it? (and the university knows about it, though I suppose if she's still paying rent but not living there???....)
-or doesn't have a dorm room but is able to get one within an hour or so of needing it in mid-semester?
-because no other students need the space?
>Yeah, so someone causes misfortunes, and everyone on both sides of that equation knows that these misfortunes are being deliberately caused
-but still, people believe that it is due to a 'jinx' rather than, you know, someone causing it all
-and even the people on the causing it side might still believe in the jinx, even though they are the ones causing the misfortunes???
>a grandmother sends her nine grandkids off with three teenagers that she has never met before, all in the one car, because, reasons?
-I mean, I get it was the 1970s; I'm Gen-X and know how negligent adults were during those times, but even my abusive mother would never have sent me off in a car with strangers... yeesh!
>in the middle of falling into a river after being shoved, both Nancy and Ned manage to "twist their bodies into perfect dives" (pg. 94)
-yup, I totally belief that... uh-huh (<-more sarcasm)
>Nancy can spot finger prints by just walking around using her magnifying glass?
-not greasy, muddy, or otherwise obvious ones, just fingerprints
-you know, of the type that police use fingerprint power to see...
>we are less than 10 pages from the end of the book. The bad guys are still at large. Nancy decides to go outside to walk around for some air... gee... I wonder what will happen next?
>we are in book #50 of the Nancy Drew series and apparently she still does not know even the most basic of self-defence moves
-she seems to have nothing else to do with her time, why not take a class or two?
-I mean really, in every book there is a 'suspenseful Nancy is caught by the bad guys now what?' scene.
-After 49 previous ones of these scenes (so not a spoiler here) I would think she would finally say 'gee, maybe I should learn some moves to help me get away the next time'. But no, no. Nancy still does not even think to do anything, e.g. kick him in the leg, stomp his foot, knee his groin, palm-thrust to the nose, anything, anything at all...
>what exactly does Nancy do with her time?
-OK yes, she spends some of it solving mysteries, but all of the books start with a mention of how much time it has been since the last one and end with a mention of the time until the next one
-what does she do in the meantime?
-Ned, for example, goes to university and has summer jobs
-Nancy does what?? Sits around waiting for the next mystery?
All of that said, the book really is a Nancy Drew book, and so reads exactly as expected from a Nancy Drew book, including several points listed above. So, I knew what I was getting into when I read it, and appreciated it for what it is. I will also continue to read and reread the books in this series, because of nostalgia and because they are Nancy Drew books and I know what to expect from them.
February 23, 2023
Haha yes. I read Nancy Drew after so so many years. I'm trying to read the kind of books I used to read when I first started reading novels (anything non textbook or study related was called a novel then).
A typical Nancy Drew mystery. I must admit I was excited when Ned showed up. And delighted to meet Hannah, George and Bess. How they keep the characters' temperament consistent across all the books is remarkable. Now as I was reading, I couldn't help but smile on how many things go right for the "young sleuth", (I learned this word from these books so many years ago).
The happy ending, mystery solving at the end, no lives lost, no gore type of mystery books that I used to indulge in; which also made me hope that some mystery would happen in which I would be involved and solve it.
A typical Nancy Drew mystery. I must admit I was excited when Ned showed up. And delighted to meet Hannah, George and Bess. How they keep the characters' temperament consistent across all the books is remarkable. Now as I was reading, I couldn't help but smile on how many things go right for the "young sleuth", (I learned this word from these books so many years ago).
The happy ending, mystery solving at the end, no lives lost, no gore type of mystery books that I used to indulge in; which also made me hope that some mystery would happen in which I would be involved and solve it.
June 27, 2019
one of the more over the top ones, and that's saying something! Nancy overcomes a "mild" case of ornithosis, a landmine explosion, and nearly snatches a bird by hand out of a tree she climbs. She rescues two grown men after she recognizes the smell of chloroform. She and Ned expertly swim over a waterfall that would have killed most people. The usual. Just another day in the life of Nancy Drew. However, she DID get pulled over by a policeman for having double the car occupancy (12 people!), so that's something. Gotta keep her relatable. ;)
August 3, 2021
Ah Nancy Drew, bless her heart. I read a lot of Nancy Drew as a kid and ended up with this one is my to-read pile, so gave it a go. Let's be honest here, all Nancy Drew's are pretty similar - Nancy is called in to help solve a mystery, and by golly, she sure does, with a little help from her pals, of course. My favorite part about this one is that not only does Nancy solve the mystery, she also whips up some pretty sweet meals and dances with a professional ballet - all in a days work. Is there anything Nancy Drew can't do? No, no there isn't and you have to love her for it, really.
February 26, 2018
Again! Extremely adventurous and full of accidents and illnesses. The amount of stuffs that happens to nancy in one novel is seriously unbelievable. The writing clearly indicates the multi-author factor. This is one of the later books and a lot different from the earliar ones. The earliar books are simpler and more believable (nancy rescuing a girl from a bunglow or finding some clue in an attic ) the later works are more complex and full of thrills.Still a nice narrative and interesting read.
November 29, 2021
This is the next Nancy Drew game.
Endless puzzles/minigames within - clean cages, learn about birds, put birds away, match footprints, explode landmines - almost everything Nancy does in the book could be a minigame.
But the ballet was a bit overdone. There is so much happening in this book, it's like the copyeditor handed over the plot for three books and the ghost was like 'how many?' and just got a 'yes' in response.
Endless puzzles/minigames within - clean cages, learn about birds, put birds away, match footprints, explode landmines - almost everything Nancy does in the book could be a minigame.
But the ballet was a bit overdone. There is so much happening in this book, it's like the copyeditor handed over the plot for three books and the ghost was like 'how many?' and just got a 'yes' in response.
July 18, 2017
This was one of my least favorites, that why I gave it 2 stars. The story wasn't as interesting to me, and I thought the cult group thing at the end was just sort of thrown in there to tie the ballet dancer into the story more. I think the author was starting to run out of story lines at this point...
October 4, 2020
Staggeringly dull— even if Nancy almost dies of bird flu— until the last chapter where Nancy is lured to a barn full of insane people who are going to curse her into becoming a witch! That part is actually pretty spooky, until, in typical Nancy Drew fashion, it still manages to end like a wet fart.
September 27, 2018
Once again Nancy Drew is in the middle of a case helping her dad. In this one a bird farm is threaten to be destroyed so high rises can go in their place. So when strange things happen Nancy and her friends are right in the middle of it.
October 1, 2021
The Nancy/Ned is strong in this one...
Greedy underhanded real estate developers, jinxes thrown out left, right, and center, a whole lot of birds, a leaping villain, and... a random cult that appears in the final chapter?
Greedy underhanded real estate developers, jinxes thrown out left, right, and center, a whole lot of birds, a leaping villain, and... a random cult that appears in the final chapter?
March 8, 2017
This book was really good, i am always impressed by how Nancy figuers out everything
July 10, 2017
jag har inte mycket annat och säga en att den är riktigt bra.
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