Bad Times, Big Crimes

Nancy Drew: Girl Detective #14

by Carolyn Keene

So I was sitting with Ned in a lecture, and then bam, Ned's in a three-piece suit, and I'm in a city hall meeting on how to get through the beginning of the Great Depression.

As in the Depression, in the 1930s.

What's more, there's a thief to track down. Someone's robbing local banks of what little money they have. Everyone's panicked about their money, so the thief could be just about anyone. But after spending just a little time in this odd place, I have a hunch there's more to it...

Bad Times, Big Crimes

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Middle Grade, Detective

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't your typical Nancy Drew. She goes back in time with Ned. It's a little different and weird.

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

Doesn't the title remind you of a certain Led Zeppelin song? Good times, bad times...

Okay, seriously: This was different than usual for Nancy Drew; she mysteriously travels back in time to the thirties, when the Great Depression is happening. Her fish-out-of-water mistakes were rather funny; I was reminded of some of the old-school time travel movies on which I grew up. As usual, there's a mystery afoot, and it's up to the famed teenage sleuth to solve it! The standard action and intensity were present, even if the setting was different; fans of the franchise will likely have a blast with this one...even if it is a bit of a history lesson.

[Haylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the original series, but still pretty good :)

[Sona · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book in Nancy Drew girl detective series.....Totally loved it and super different:)

[Denise Elwyn McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up with 70s/80s Nancy Drew so this was a new format for me. It was different to read the story from a first person perspective.

Nancy seems more her age in this 18, rather than going on 35. A more bubbly personality. I have no problem with either perspective.

In two minds about the time travel. It was kind of fun to see modern Nancy take on a time when classic Nancy first appeared. But it did seem rather random that she just found herself back in time, yet all the friends and family were all conveniently still around.

I would have thought if Nancy found herself in a time warp that would be the mystery she would be trying to solve.

Still a perfectly good book.

I know I should never judge a book by its cover, but I I thought it was ugly.

[Rianna *Hermione* B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok once you got past her random time warp.
She's so bold, but then also will let the adult men get the credit when she basically handed the police the culprits AND the evidence. It's ridiculous and Idk.. yielding. I mean it's humble. Idk how I feel about that, but it doesn't really sit right. It's good how helpful she is. I love that. lol. She has a big compassionate heart, and that is clear throughout the book. She's a great low-key heroine of her time.


YAYY, 40th book completed for this year! I conquered my Book Challenge for the year. I may now increase it to 50. hmm.

[C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only giving this book two stars because I didn't enjoy reading it as much as I did the ones that came before it, even it's unique compared to all of them.

In this book, Nancy attends a lecture with her friends George and Bess and her boyfriend, Ned; at some point, she falls asleep and travels back in time to the Great Depression and helps out a family who loses the deed to their house because of gambling with a gangster.

I already knew who the culprits would be and I just wanted to get though this book.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely my favorite in the series so far!

Seeing a “modern day” Nancy encountering what the world was like back in the 1930’s (the setting of the original books) was so much fun. I especially
loved that the author kept making fun of the way George talked back in the original series (“Jeepers!” and “hypers!”) because every time I read those words in one of the older books it always makes me laugh.

[Sarah Bonder · Rating 5 out of 5]

stunning.

this book made no sense and i loved it.

it also reinforces my theory that Nancy & co are ageless. time moves around them, with them forever remaining as constants, unaware of their own eternal existence.

the only person who knows is Bess and George’s great aunt, who knew Nancy both as a child and an adult.
it makes no sense and i’m here for it. amazing.

[Dhylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really my favorite but among the other Girl Detective books, this is quite good. Feels refreshing and nostalgic to read Nancy in another timeline, I even thought I was reading a OT Nancy Drew written in first person.

[Matilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Nancy Drew book. I liked the time travel, and that most of the book was themed in the Great Depression.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, great cozy mystery

[Karisti Severt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very unusual story for the Nancy Drew series as it is supernatural in nature. It begins with her in a lecture and then she is suddenly transported through time back to the 1930's during the great depression. She is still her and all her friends and family are still themselves as if it was an alternate reality rather than a time-jump.

She makes several comical mistakes as she's not from the 1930's and the language is different making it a really cool historical mystery. She's obviously much more bold then a woman was respectfully supposed to act in that time period but she came from money and would have been allowed a certain more freedom because of it..

It was a very refreshing take on the Nancy Drew series and I wouldn't mind reading more like this.

[Kajal Nehra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, read this when I was a kid, like 7 years back. Actually I never finished with this one for some reason. But I remember it being nice. Maybe some years from now, I'll go back to these again. :) Hehe :P

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

in some parts i didn't really get anything.she's at a meeting then sudennly she's in the Great Depression.after she solves a obvious mystery.she goes back to her century and,figures out one of the family's children she met in the Great Depression is Bess and George's great aunt

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “time travel” Nancy Drew--great premise that sets this story apart from the usual Nancy Drew mystery. That and some light politics about the Depression. If only the author had also tied it in with the original texts of the original series, the earliest of of which written in the 1930s.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew are great books! I love them I want more of them i already have #9-#16

[Halyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was good i just wish it wasn't so obvious.

[Prashansa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's smashing. The best part was when Nancy, disguised as Neum, and Bess and George go to play poker.

[Kaela23 · Rating 2 out of 5]

if you are a fan you will like it, but otherwise, it depends what kind of books you like, at the beggining it is a little weird... But, the ending is pretty cool.

[Antony Rohin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Ikram · Rating 2 out of 5]

totally different from other nancy drew books i've read
This one seemed so unreal

[Nejia]

It was a nice book, at times and points I god bored but it was a nice experience to read Carolyn Keene's book.

[Tiffany Goulbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting way to present Drew. Great book.

[Akshala Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book fascinated me a lot i LOVE nancy drew. :)

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! The story is told in two different dimensions, the past and the present. The way in which the author has written it in two different perspectives is refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and seriously recommend it to all.

[matilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked THIS a lot more than I thought I would