Vanishing Act

Nancy Drew Files #34

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy and her friends become convinced that the disappearance of rock star Jesse Slade is suspicious, and soon the music icon resurfaces, only to reveal a sinister plot against him that could also prove deadly to Nancy

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

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another fun volume in this series, this one with a different sort of mystery.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a reader just needs a little Nancy Drew mystery in her life.

Three years ago, rockstar Jesse Slade vanished into the darkness. While the Nancy, George, and Bess are watching a tv special about Jesse Slade, our favorite super sleuth notices something in the background footage.

Flash foward twenty four hours, and the girls are flying to California to investigate. Did Jesse truly vanish or was foul play involved?

Nancy never disappoints.

[V. Arrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the (loose) basis for an episode of the GLORIOUSLY low-budget, short-lived 1995 Nancy Drew TV series, and that show is amazingly terrible and fun to watch if you can acquire it. The book is, as always, much better than the episode, but honestly they're almost exactly the same. The episode veers a little too hard into Kurt Cobain territory, though.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these ridiculous books!

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys throughout my school and college days.
Nancy Drew is an amateur detective who solves crimes with occasional help from her best friends, Bess and George and, her boyfriend Ned. She also has occasional help from her father Carson Drew who runs a private law practice. From finding stolen goods to missing persons and solving mysterious happenings, Nancy is a force of nature.
Until I discovered that Carolyn Keene is a pen name for a whole bunch of ghostwriters, I used to feel confused about the slight differences in each character from books to book over the many series of Nancy Drew mysteries. I like the character of Nancy best in the original books written by Mildred Wirt Benson where Nancy is truly a character to root for – an independent and street smart girl with a penchant for trouble.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. One of the best in the series. Nancy goes undercover as a veejay to solve the disappearance of a famous pop star. I love the mysteries that take place or has to do with Hollywood and celebrities and this one was a blast from beginning to end. It was a wild ride with a lot of fun reveals and twists and turns.

[Alexandra Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very good book but not for rock stars

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

Don't remember much but I know I loved it.

[Maddiem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was hard to get in to at the begging but closer to the end it had a lot of action.