Nancy Drew Files Vol. I: Secrets Can Kill; Deadly Intent; Murder on Ice

Nancy Drew Files #1

by Carolyn Keene

The world’s favorite teen detective is back, and she’s on the case. Keep up with Nancy Drew in this thrilling collection of mysteries full of intrigue, boys, and murder.

In Secrets Can Kill , Nancy goes undercover to investigate the elusive thief stalking the nighttime halls of Bedford High. With her inside contact, gorgeous senior Daryl Gray, Nancy attempts to uncover the dangerous secrets that run deep at Bedford, but soon it’s a whole new game—a game called murder. And Nancy is the killer’s next target.

In Deadly Intent , Nancy is ready to rock out at a concert in New York City—but the band’s lead guitarist vanishes minutes before they’re set to go on stage. Nancy and her on-again-off-again boyfriend Ned investigate, and their list of suspects leads them to a conspiracy that threatens to shake the entire music industry.

In Murder on Ice , Nancy and Ned head to a ski resort to rekindle their romance. But instead of love, they find deadly peril. Can Nancy find the killer, before an avalanche of murder buries them all?

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Contemporary

416 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2019

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[noelle ! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, ok, it took me a while to read. But that’s only because I read a lot of books at once and forget to finish some. But I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read vol. 2

[sarah emmelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.25

(Spoilers Ahead!)



First Story Thoughts: I gave this book a 3 star rating. It wasn't all that good. And sometimes the characters made me mad. The thing that made me angry was that Nancy (as she had a boyfriend) knowingly cheated on him. When Ned came to visit later in the story, Nancy finally (on the last page) told him about it. Ned wasn't fully okay, but he didn't get that upset. Which I feel is a little unrealistic but maybe it isn't. The story and plot weren't as exciting as some of the other adventures Nancy Drew goes on. I was so freaking mad when the murderer in this story was someone who I don't believe was even mentioned. (I don't even remember, that's how unforgettable this was) But other than those couple of bumps, I did enjoy this quick read.

Second Story Thoughts: I also gave this book a 3 star rating. This story wasn't as bad as the last one, but it wasn't as good as the 3rd one. I don't have a lot to say, other than it was a mediocre book. I don't have anything amazing that I remember but I don't really have any complaints about the book.

Third Story Thoughts: I gave this story a 4 star rating because I did really enjoy this one more than the others. Maybe I was just happy this story was set at a ski resort. Maybe I was hoping there would be some romance in this story. (cause the only romance we got was in the first book, and it wasn't even with Ned :( team Ned all of the way!) But I did enjoy this story a lot more than the first 2.

After reading this, I realized that Nancy Drew being the wonderful detective she is, always gets into so much trouble. But I did enjoy reading this. Would I recommend it? Um......maybe? I don't really know.

[Silly Goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew Files Vol. 1: ★★★★

Secrets Can Kill: ★★★★
Deadly Intent: ★★★★
Murder on Ice: ★★★★★

Nobody:
Nancy Drew after nearly breaking a hip, arm, and leg, getting knocked out twice, nearly getting stabbed by a throwing knife, being slingshotted out of a chairlift, and almost pushed off a cliff in the middle of an avalanche: NoW wHO wAnTs tO gO sKiiNg

WHAT A NOSTALGIC JOURNEY, I'm telling yah. Reading my childhood obsession for Mystery & Thriller Week and having the Fearless re-recordings come out within a few days, I am on quite the vacation to memory lane.

This book really surprised me in many ways. For a bunch of stories that were written in '86 they are absolutely timeless. The one thing that felt off is that no one pulled out a phone, and I'll admit, I was waiting for it.

I felt like there were a few too many "convenient coincidences" in the first two stories, but the third one was like *typical Silly Goose chef kiss.* Even if they were all a little bit predictable (Like, Nancy, girl, look at the facts) I had a very fun time, obviously :D

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of three Nancy Drew stories was quick and easy to read and easy to follow. I never read this series as a child and my only knowledge of the franchise is though the TV show. I had heard that some of the earliest stories where problematic with appalling racism so I wanted to avoid those ones. These stories were written in the 80's and overt racism isn't an issue, although I'm pretty sure every character is white and straight so diverse it is not. Being written in the 80's there are plenty of throwbacks like payphones, video tapes, and no mobile phones. I'm pretty sure some of this would baffle kids today who have never lived without the internet. Truthfully, Nancy could have solved all of these cases in about two minutes if she just had a cell! No schlepping to the library to do research or phoning your friend on the landline you think they might be near at that moment. Times were hard kids, times were hard. Despite personally living through the 80's and so being significantly older than the targeted audience for this series I enjoyed each of the three stories. They were entertaining and kept my mind occupied without having to think too hard. I was ill when I read this so light and non-taxing was exactly what I wanted. This was a fun and relatively engaging book and I will definitely pick up volume 2.

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a great journey into my teenage years. There 3 Nancy Drew stories in this book from the 80’s. I remember the older books more but what fun these were.
Nancy Drew is now 18yrs old and along with her best friends, sisters, Bess and George and her boyfriend , Ned she solves crimes and mysteries.

In the first story, Secrets can Kill, she goes undercover at a high school to investigate thefts but the case soon takes a dark turn with a death on campus.

Deadly Intent sees the gang pulled in to the dark underbelly of the music industry when the lead guitarist of a famous rock band disappears.

Murder on Ice sees Nancy and Ned’s romantic skiing holiday turning dangerous as it seems they are on someone’s hit list.

Such easy to read, adventure stories that will hopefully bring a whole new generation of young people to help Nancy find the bad guys (and girls). Fast paced and action packed I had a great time reading these!

I may have accidentally bought a few of the 70’s books on eBay just for the nostalgic fix but I will deny it if asked 😂

[Dinnu Reads Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew is an absolute nostalgia for me. There's only 10 Nancy Drew books translated into Estonian but I have read them multiple times when I was a lot younger and only read in my own mother tongue...I have since grown my list a bit but it's still not that easy to get my hands on older Nancy Drew books. This is why I was really excited when I found that there is a new collected version of a few of the books from the Nancy Drew Files series (from 1986) ... 😍😊
Nostalgia is everything and so I enjoyed the stories a lot. Although this Nancy Drew series is a lot more mature and concentrates a lot more on romance and even has a few murders happening. The books I read when I was younger were mostly bloodless and benign. 😆
As usual, Nancy solves all the cases with the help of her friends George, Bess and Ned and of course she is basically good at everything and also she's quite indestructible...As per usual for a Nancy Drew mystery! 😆
There were moments when romance got the better of them all and blinded them from their investigations. All the boy-craziness going around was a bit out of character for Nancy and George and I did not enjoy that direction of the narrative. For Bess it has always been a part of her personality, so that annoyed me less. 😂
Overall, loved it still a lot and will read the 2nd volume as well! 😉

[your neighborhood friendly book python :D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge Nancy Drew fan so I loved these stories. I'm waiting to find the second one, but for now I enjoyed these a lot. I highly recommend this and the second one to any Nancy Drew fans, or anyone who loves mysteries in general. :)

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic Nancy Drew ! It brought back my childhood memories of reading these books growing up. These were great quick reads and I do enjoy Nancy as a character. She isn't whiny and very independent ! Especially for the time that these were written in, so it is nice to read her story without getting annoyed!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nancy is unrecognizable. I would give it 1 star but it's still a Nancy Drew book so even though the charactization is awful, it gets 2 stars.

[Anna Reads Mysteries · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was terribly disappointing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secrets Can Kill - 3 stars (it's not good, it's a generous rating because of nostalgic reasons)

If you played Nancy Drew, the first ever game HeR Interactive released was under the same title. And while I don't recall what the exact storyline of the game was about, I think it's pretty similar.

So far, this was like playing a video game and getting inspiration from the stories written back in the day. (with the typical car chase scenes, espionage, Nancy goodie-two-shoes and good old drama)

The tone, I would say sounds younger than YA (like shopping for designer jeans, Nancy being described as 'hot' or dreaming about having a convertible car all give me middle-grade vibes)

Storywise I haven't expected much - some weird things are happening in Bedford High (things go missing, lockers are broken into), so Nancy is hired to go undercover as a student to investigate. She meets a few suspects, I mean students, one of which quickly becomes a stark love interest, with the two constantly flirting and touching each other.

And this is where I think the story flops big time - because we are introduced to Nancy, the Cheater and I do not know how I feel about that, especially as her actions had 0 consequence or not even a heartfelt conversation between the couple later down the line. When she finally confesses the whole episode she had with this new guy, she describes it as nothing much happened and he should not be jealous, as she didn't fall in love, it was just attraction....

We are told early on that Ned and Nancy are dating, yet Nancy is not that bothered to spend time with Daryl, the former mentioned love interest, and she doesn't even feel that terrible about it. The only thing that snaps her out of this fling is when she discovers that Daryl has the best motives for murder.
In the meantime she discovers that a guy named Jake Web has his 'web' around loads of people from the school, blackmailing them to do his bidding. It also looks like he was the one causing all the mysterious going-ons. So of course when he gets murdered, naturally, the main suspects become the ones he blackmailed.

I think a few opportunities have been missed with restarting this series. Either the author could have left Nancy single and introduced Ned in a later story and given them a proper love story, or just not refer to them as girlfriend and boyfriend, starting them off as friends, letting Ned rush in and help at the end of the story and perhaps igniting some feelings in Nancy she did not know she had.

The other good missed opportunity is George. Let's face it, we all know George likes girls. Back in the 30s, it was a taboo subject- but in 2019 it should not even have been a question. Instead, we get an insisting confirmation that yes, she has no boyfriend now, but she 100% likes boys. Why? Inclusivity, where you at?

And my last bone to pick is the culprit. It was painfully obvious who it was. But if the story keeps me entertained, I usually forgive a Nancy Drew story for this. (especially, because the ones written in the 1930s tell you to your face that the bad guy is the bad guy)

On the plus side, they did Bess justice. Yes, she still loves to eat, but who freaking doesn't? And while Nancy stays the 'good girl' and all the retaliation happens only in her head, Bess actually does something about the girl who bullied Nancy.

It's an alright start - this is such a popcorn read. A pallet cleanser, if you will.
So I'm off to keep cleansing my pallet with 'Deadly Intent', wish me luck ....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Intent; - 2 stars

The premis for this one wasn't particularly believable or enjoyable.
We follow Nancy and her friends, who visit a rock band because Nancy's father was a high school friend of one of the bandmates' fathers. So she, George and Bess all get full access to the backstage area...
But then, the lead singer of the band is kidnapped - and Nancy is tasked with finding him.
Ned also arrives and there is some unnecessary drama if he will forgive her or not, for you know, cheating on him in the previous story.
Her father also appears for the first time, says a few lines then disappears to go out with the band's producers, some lady that Nancy suspects is involved with the kidnapping.
Also, remember Bess's boyfriend, the guitar player from Secret's Can Kill? Yea, me neither. But he is also there and is asked to step in and play instead of the missing bandmate.
Later he is also suspected by Nancy, which causes friction between her and Bess.

Again, everyone blows smoke up Nancy's ass for what a great detective she is. She also keeps bragging about a karate belt, but there is very little written evidence to support both claims. We have the classic case of show, don't tell.

And what are we doing with George?! Guess what. From the rock band, the one she likes is the pianist, a girl... But don't get your hopes up, not like this novel is written in 2019. This team of writers are simply not open to the fact that one of the girls might be gay, and it's just disappointing.

The reveal is lacklustre - it turns out a gang of Chinese mobsters were stealing music to sell on the black market... On top of that, most resolutions fall into Nancy's lap (Like for example, the fact that Ned's old school colleague works for the Chinese mob boss. How lucky that a. Ned came to town and b. that the guy recognised Ned in a club and just walked up to and introduced himself. It feels like without this lead, the mystery would not have been solvable. Not like New York is a big city, am I right? What are the chances of them running into each other?)

In a nutshell, disappointing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murder on Ice - 1 stars

And we came to the last story. The worst one yet, where I ask for the third and final time, what are we doing with George?!

Not only did she act so out of character that it became unbearable to read, but the whole mystery made 0 sense.

Allow me to explain.
Nancy, George, Bess and Ned decide to go on a ski trip. How long for? Unclear. What year in the calendar of humanity is this taking place? Never mentioned.
Why is Ned with them? Seriously, why? He serves no purpose other than what feels like he is following Nancy around everywhere to make sure she doesn't cheat again?
He also gets a leg injury, which hurts when it's convenient to the story and stops hurting when he needs to jump on his skies and go help.

The group decided to stay at a smaller dormitory-style inn, that is not far from another bigger hotel where they can always go for entertainment, as it has a swimming pool, a dancefloor, an ice skating ring, a library and a cafe. Just going to pick on the location of this other hotel, because the author played with the distance as it suited them. It's mentioned that it's a 2-hour drive by car, yet somehow, people manage to make it on skies in under 40 minutes. (when it suits the story)

Anyway, once they arrive, Bess lets slip that Nancy is a detective, so the inn owner decides to confide in her that she has some weird going ons and asks our Girl Detective to help.

So what are these weird happenings? Well, she saw a blond guy looking into the inn at night. That's it. And that will get blown out of proportion over time.
Both Nancy and Ned have multiple accidents and both these keep happening, seemingly, because they use equipment meant to be used by the local ski instructor. Nancy, being the great detective she is, deduces that someone wants to stop her snooping and not that perhaps someone is out to get the ski instructor. As the mystery goes on, she meets a guy who stays at the big hotel, a blonde guy, belatedly obvious that it must be the intruder, but it takes our genius detective over 160 pages to figure it out - and the suspects are but a handful.

And now I would like to sit down and explain why I gave this 2-star story 1 star.
Because of George.
Sure, I understand that somehow in 2019 we could not have possibly written George as gay or at least bi, but I will under no circumstance buy that she meets the instructor and in 1 day falls so deeply in love with him, that she no longer hangs with her friends and just because Nancy asked the guy a question, she will stop talking to her best friend. Because that's exactly the story we get.

You know, like in Deadly Intentions, where Nancy suspects Bess's boyfriend of working with the bad guys and Bess gets upset, except, this is not George's boyfriend, it's a guy she met 2 hours ago.

Not sure who picked up the mantle, but I don't think they are not doing a good job.
Yes, the stories in 1930 weren't good either, but they were written almost 100 years ago and there is a big difference between what was accepted then vs what you can write today.
Not to mention that the opportunities missed are endless and the choices the characters make are unbelievable.
Saying that I'm disappointed is a massive understatement.

[Francine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun lil read. Nancy Drew is one of my favourite fictional detectives through other media (games, movies, etc), but I had never actually read any of her stories, so I'm really happy to have done so now.

I googled the author because I wanted to know if she was a series of ghostwriters, because it sure seemed that way to me while I was reading this. (The answer is yes, btw: Carolyn Keene is a pseudonym.)
(My google search also taught me that these stories were published in the 80s! Interesting, I did not notice, they seem pretty timeless. Must have been edited?)

My favourite story of the three in this collection was the first one, in which Nancy goes undercover at a high school. It was so immensily Young Adult fanfiction, every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, I regaled the story to my housemates and we were all three fully entertained. It was A Lot.
What I didn't like about the first story was that Nancy cheats on her forever love, Ned. He's too good for her in that particular story she does not deserve him. (They deserve each other in the third story, though, at the ski lodge. Absolute cuties.)

The second story in this collection was fine and dandy, but not as entertaining as the first one imo.

In the third story OH BOY I did not enjoy George's huge crush - she dumped her girlfriends so hard for that boy, that was some heterosexual slander - George is ace in headcanon thanks. Their lack of communication bothered meeeee. They could have solved that case so easily if Nancy and George had just TALKED TO EACH OTHER. The idiot main characters!!!

I don't see myself re-reading these particular stories - they were entertaining but not mindblowing; popcorn entertainment - but I could definitely be persuaded to read other Nancy Drew stories. <3

[Kosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this collection of stories. I’ve always been a fan of Nancy Drew and this was a really nice addition to all the other books I have read about her mysteries.
This book was divided into three parts, each of them a different mystery which were all about 140 pages long. This book really interested me and I could easily follow each mystery as I tried to figure out who was responsible for the crimes.
I recommend this book if you’re into fun and easily readable mysteries. Even if you’re normally not a big fan of reading, each mystery was of a shorter length and therefore quick and enjoying to read.
I will always recommend Nancy Drew as a fun mystery read.

[Hanna Barnett · Rating 2 out of 5]

bess and george deserve better

[Emelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn between giving this compilation a 3 and a 4 star. I've read all of the individual books multiple times, thought not for some years and the series holds a lot of nostalgia for me. Just so you know I'm 30 and read these between 2003---2013ish. There are some spoilers below but I do mention when they'll pop up. I thought reading the compilation would be fun, and I wanted to see if they would update them since the originals (in this volume) were first published in the mid 80s. Some of the newer versions of other Nancy Drew series have been updated slightly for modern times. This volume does update the language slightly, such as swapping VCR for DVD player, battery pack to charging cables, and minor things like that. While I still love the books, overall the changes aren't enough to modernize the series, despite the modern cover. The way the characters speak is fairly outdated, in the general language and the attitudes of the characters plus the events happening. It still overall feels very 80s, and as it's a series geared towards teens and published by Simon and Schuster's modern teen imprint I think a little more could have been done. Sure, some of the mysteries would definitely have to be retooled, but other things like the inclusion of cellphones and other modern tech would be fairly simple. There are several scenes were having Nancy pick up a cellphone instead of a landline would have been as easy as swapping a few words. They managed to remove a scene from one of the mysteries where Nancy uses a payphone, but instead of using a cellphone she just...somehow uses a phone and it's never explained. There are other minor issues that were never fixed in the 80s and then not fixed for this compilation, like they can't decide if Nancy did Judo, Karate, or gymnastics, and Ned plays football until he never did play football but plays baseball instead.

The mysteries themselves are just okay for me, and that's fine. I had fun reading them, but my real issue is some of the lessons, (some of which are very outdated) that the series imparts. Minor spoilers ahead: Nancy's Dad is a rich lawyer, which he is in every series. But Nancy is absolutely spoiled and maybe not in a good way. In one mystery her car gets wrecked and it's glossed over but her dad gets her an identical brand new one the very next day. Nancy is also very reckless and doesn't seem to have much respect for when people ask her not to do dangerous things, which gets her and her friends hurt. Major spoiler ahead. Another issue that I had, which I feel is a big one: In Secrets Can Kill, the first in the series, they establish the back story. In the first couple of pages it's explained that in this series, Nancy and Ned, her boyfriend, knew each other since childhood and have been dating since young teens. No one could break them apart. The mystery in this one involves a high school, and Bess and George joke that Nancy definitely doesn't need high school boys following her around like "underage puppies", a cringey line that definitely should have been removed in this version. After all of that exposition about Nancy and Ned's unbreakable relationship she goes off on her mystery and on the way has a car race with a random handsome guy and she absolutely throws every bit of that to the wind. Turns out he's a 17 year old student (Nancy is 18) named Darryl and she cheats on Ned throughout the mystery. She imagines Darryl holding her in his arms, lots of comments on his beautiful blue eyes, and she never tells him she has a boyfriend when they're kissing or holding hands or talking romantically. Ned does find out, and doesn't want to discuss it but seems hurt. and at the beginning of mystery #2 Nancy wonders if Ned will ever forgive her, but no one addresses what she did as something that is not okay. No one calls it cheating. It's not dealt with very sensitively and honestly just should have been removed entirely for modern teen audiences unless they were going to better address it. They don't have to remove relationship drama entirely but at least try to be a bit more careful with how they address things when modern kids are the readers.

For me the rating is less because the stories are bad, and more because Simon and Schuster missed the mark on their editing and modernizing of the series. I'm going to read the next compilation, and I do hope they continue with the others in the series, I just wish they would do a little better on them.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this cute edition of the Nancy Drew Files while in Barnes and Noble, and promptly had to read it. With the current season, it's a great simple read to pick up! (Also, the new show airing on the CW isn't that bad, either.)

These novels take on a slightly older Nancy Drew, who is eighteen. Although she is older, the writing style feels a bit young for the age and the characters mindsets seem a little too young to be around eighteen-years-old. (Nancy doesn't even consider making money off of her detective work!) Some of the things that happen in these stories are a little outdated from today, like with the mention of VHS's and phone books. These aren't bad stories and still will make you think, but they aren't tip-top amazing.

Secrets Can Kill: 3 Stars
Deadly Intent: 3 Stars
Murder On Ice: 4 Stars
Average: 3.33 Stars

The first case in this collection is called Secrets Can Kill, where Nancy is brought back to a high school on the precipice of finding a thief. This was an interesting one to determine the suspect, but I didn't feel like it was that shocking. Also, there's a side romance that I definitely found GROSS (not in a overly mushy way - Nancy Drew stories are too pure for that) in this one. The romance definitely decreased my rating, but this story was a good page-turner.

The second case, Deadly Intent, was my least favorite. It was a little boring to get through, and there were far too many things going on in the plot for the reader to maintain any accurate guesses. The ending, however, was pretty good because the stakes were pretty high. I liked the subtle transition between this one and the first, because we got to see characters having to navigate and work out their relationships like adults.

The last case was the best. Murder On Ice had a great plot that constantly made me guessing. The stakes felt high throughout this one; every time Nancy went out of the cabin I felt worried for her. The aesthetics of this one was nice too, I think it'd be a great mystery to read in cold weather. The only reason why this one wasn't a complete five stars was because I felt like this didn't have a good transition (or subtle one, since you can read them out of order) after the second installment.

[heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

SECRETS CAN KILL: I thought this story was entertaining enough, but nothing too special. I figured from the second the principal introduced her to daryl as the class president/good natured/golden retriever type character that he’d be involved somehow, and knew his betrayal would come sooner or later. also I feel like his part of the story was kind of not fully flushed out, I still don’t quite understand what he was even involved in, just some spy type stuff? and we didn’t even really find out HOW he got into that, just the why because his family went broke. also felt that the murderer being one of the spies he was involved with and nobody at the school was kind of a cop-out, because the murderer’s character was immediately introduced as “hey yeah this guy I worked is the one that actually killed webb.” another thing I didn’t like, or understand really, was the nancy/daryl/ned storyline? like I know nancy said at the beginning that they were kind of on and off, and would date other people but they know they’re the ones for each other, but it didn’t delve into what their relationship status was at the moment, and it seemed like ned calling and saying he was coming to see her and stuff that they were currently still involved so did she cheat on him and he was ok with it..? or? not sure, but just thought that was kind of weird and swept under the rug. overall I’d give this story 2.5/5 stars, it was pretty basic, but I was still able to enjoy it and read it in one sitting.

DEADLY INTENT: This story was definitely better than the first one when it comes to the twists and turns. Alan being kind of guilty was something I wasn’t expecting just because he was introduced in the first story, so I thought it’d all be connected to the band, and was thinking maybe at some point the another band member would be involved in his disappearance, like maybe the girl george was a fan of or something, but they all turned out innocent. I also liked the new york setting, and the discovery of illegal activity happening in the music industry, it was a bit more believable and made the stakes higher than the first one I think, because in the first story all that happening in just their small town was kind of hard for me to digest and believe. Overall I think I’d give this story a solid 3/5 stars.


MUDER ON ICE: I think this was my favorite of the 3? It was the only one I didn’t read in one sitting (nothing against the story, just didn’t have the time), but I still really enjoyed it. I liked the ski lodge setting, and the mystery surrounding everyone. I was kind of hoping(?) liz would be involved somehow, she just seemed very sketchy at times and then at the end it was just “she was having a hard time handling the things happening,” which.. I GUESS? but I also felt like her sketchy-ness was going above that. but one thing I didn’t like is the miscommunication between nancy and george, especially on george’s part, like if we could’ve just talked this out ladies we could’ve solved this so much sooner..?!!?? but once we found out more about luke’s past I actually really enjoyed the luke/george ship in this one, they were very cute. I’d give this one 3.5/5 stars

[Trenna Gessell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets Can Kill- 2 stars
I didn’t really enjoy the plot. I also thought that there wasn’t anything that really jumped out at you and made you come back for more. I also didn’t like how Nancy cheated on her boyfriend and then expected everything to be normal again! This part of the book definitely took the longest for me to read. I don’t remember the ending all that well and being honest I don’t remember who was actually responsible for the murder. If the book continued with stories like this I would have rated it 2 stars. In a mystery book I look for suspense, action, a story that makes sense and a plot I can follow along and guess who is guilty while I am reading it. This story just didn’t have any of those elements.

Deadly Intent - 3 stars
I enjoyed this one and I got to know the characters way more. I liked the plot and thought the author did a good job of writing it. But again there wasn’t anything that kept me wanting more. I am again going to bring up this point, Nancy kept expecting Ned to be totally okay with her cheating on him, but get this: he was! I thought that was a little unrealistic and yes, I know that Mystery books, all books really are not meant to be realistic but this for some reason really got on my nerves!

Murder on Ice - 4 stars
This story redeemed the whole book for me! I loved it! I am a tough reviewer and hardly ever give out four and five stars and this story deserves the credit! It kept me on my toes and is one of those few mystery books where I genuinely can’t guess who the person guilty is. I loved the setting! I also liked getting to know George a bit more because in ‘Deadly intent’ I got to see a lot of Bess. I liked all the elements of this book and adored the characters. It was total night and day difference from ‘Secrets Can Kill’. It was not slow and I loved the adventure packed into it!

So would I recommend it to somebody? Yes! Over all I liked the book. I think the last story definitely helped me like this book better. I am planning on reading the second book in this series. :)

[Aisha Faisal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling, fast-paced collection that brings Nancy Drew back with sharper danger and more mature mysteries. Each story, school secrets, rock-and-roll conspiracies, and icy resort murders keep the tension high and the pages turning. Perfect for fans who want classic Nancy Drew energy with a suspenseful, modern twist.

This collection brings back the classic teen detective energy of Nancy Drew, but with higher stakes, sharper danger, and a more mature tone that fits the Files series. Each mystery delivers a fast-paced blend of suspense, romantic tension, and Nancy’s signature fearlessness.

Secrets Can Kill

A strong start to the volume. Nancy goes undercover at Bedford High, where petty theft quickly escalates into a deadly game. The high-school drama, hidden alliances, and the charming Daryl Gray add a fun twist until the plot turns dark and Nancy becomes the next target. It feels like a YA thriller with classic Nancy Drew charm.

Deadly Intent

This story brings more action and a bigger setting. The disappearance of a lead guitarist before a major concert pulls Nancy and Ned into a web of music industry secrets. The mystery moves at a quick rhythm, with plenty of suspects and backstage tension. Nancy and Ned’s relationship friction adds emotional depth to the chaos.

Murder on Ice

A wintery, atmospheric mystery with high danger and strong romantic tension. Nancy and Ned’s attempt to reconnect turns into a fight for survival at a ski resort where nothing is what it seems. The snowy setting, suspicious characters, and avalanche-like suspense make this one the most cinematic of the three.

Overall

This volume is a nostalgic yet fresh return to Nancy Drew, smarter, bolder, and more grown-up. Each mystery is short, punchy, and full of danger, making it perfect for readers who love classic detective vibes with a modern YA thriller feel.

[Danielle Booey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was hard to rate because it is actually three books in one. So...

Secrets Can Kill
Starts out as a potential bullying and stealing situation at a nearby high school. Nancy goes undercover (apparently she has graduated high school and is a private detective, but no college...) to discover who is responsible for the shenanigans. But then there is a murder and things snowball from there. Like really snowball! We are talking cars blowing up, Russian agents, the whole shebang. Quality Nancy Drew and you don't really notice that it was written in the late 80s. 4 Stars

Deadly Intent
Ok, this one is the weak link in my opinion. A missing rock star, some racism, a confusing plot that even Nancy has a hard time sorting through. Bess has a deadbeat boyfriend. George is 100% a lesbian in this being shoehorned into the straight and narrow, because of the 80s. And Nancy suffers the first of many for this series concussions. Yeah, it's ok, but not her best. 3 stars, was entertained, but also it kind of drug.

Murder on Ice
Entirely not enough ice skating for the title of the book. Nancy, Ned, Bess, and George go on a ski vacation. Bess for once is the one listening to sense and George goes completely out of character and is quite the shrew for most of the book. Some potential paranormal creepiness, Nancy being a boss athlete on skies and skates. Ned being occasionally useful for once, but also very understanding that he ranks below any mystery in Nancy's heart. Nancy suffers her second traumatic brain injury with little repercussions. Steadily entertaining, its 3.5 Stars for me.

Worth reading if you enjoy Nancy Drew, and especially if you prefer her with a bit of edge.

[Water Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, the cover art by Fernanda Suarez is beautiful. That’s what made me buy this book, which is a reprint of three Nancy Drew mysteries published in the ’80s, now together in one volume. I think some elements were modernized (DVDs were not available until late ’90s but are in one of the books) but the bulk of the stories are very ‘80s cheeseball tween mysteries. I never read these as a kid but I’m sure I would have enjoyed them. They make for very easy reading and it was a nice break from reality. The clues are easy to follow, even if the story sometimes rushes through at the end. However, I did notice that while Nancy Drew’s character was quite unique, not as much attention was given to the supporting characters. Some have distractingly unrealistic names like Ned Nickerson, a George who is Nancy’s school friend and a girl but you’re constantly forgetting, “Hunk” Hogan etc. In one mystery her friends might be vapid and superficial and in another they might be whip-smart and kind, helping Nancy solve the mystery. It seems to depend on where the story needs to go. It didn’t stop me enjoying them but it definitely was a little lacking in that regard. However, overall, it’s easy to see why they were and still are really popular. And when you look into the history of the series – which was written by multiple ghost writers over the years, Carolyn Keene being a collective pseudonym for all – you can understand why all the inconsistences.

[Laura Mauro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this higher but non of the mysteries wowed me. I did like them but I did not love them. This book was def aged up in regards to both Nancy age but also technology. I found it hard to grow emotionally connected to anyone in the stories expect for the 3 leads. I did like that this story collection had a bit for a through line, stuff the connected all the stories together. I wish that was stronger. I also felt like story one was super predicable but I did like story two. I felt the romance in this books was not the "best" and that was major focus in all the stories for all the characters. But I did enjoy the collection overall. I did like the music mystery the best and I love the setting of the skiing one the best!

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up reading Nancy Drew and read mostly from this series. However, I had never read the first one or any of the others included in this collection. I loved the PC game Secrets Can Kill and was therefore very excited to read the book it was based on. This collection was a fun, nostalgic, easy read. I plan on reading the second volume and any other Nancy Drew books I can get my hands on. The only problem with this collection is the third book, Murder on Ice. The culprit was pretty obvious, it was slow and boring, and I just really hate Skiing. I don’t want to watch it, so I REALLY don’t want to read about it. Secrets Can Kill was fun, if cheesy and Deadly Intent was a really good mystery with a little of everything.

[Kristina Jagger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Nancy Drew. I read so many of the books growing up and am currently watching the TV show (and am loving it). HOWEVER, I found this book incredibly disappointing. It may have been simply that the plot moved too fast, as these stories are built on previous knowledge that we already have about the characters from a series that has been years in the making. This may have also been because the characters seemed really one-dimensional, with the biggest mistakes that they make in solving these cases being a result of them being blinded by boys. This might have even been because the writing style was incredibly simplistic and didn’t flow at all. Regardless of which way was what really stood out to me, all of these things left me with no choice but to rate this book as low as I did despite my love of this character.

I will say that if you love Nancy Drew and are looking for a book that has a fast-paced plot that will make you want to keep reading, these stories do that very well. While I anticipated some of the twists, I do have to give this book credit for keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time (even if I had so many problems with it along the way).

[Tirzah Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just nostalgic for the originals, but it seemed kinda dull. All three stories had just as much boy drama as actual mysteries, and Nancy didnt come across as a great detective, just some person who followed a few clues then accidentally stumbled into the answer. Bess came across as even more one dimensional than the originals. We get it, she likes shopping and boys and has no other important characteristics. Over all, I'd much rather read the Secret in the Old Clock but I'm glad they are continuing the Nancy drew legacy still.

[Justine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hate Nancy's characterization in these books. She's reckless and makes rash judgements about both the cases and her relationships with Ned/Bess/George... feels like a completely different character.
Also not a lot of detective work going on in these books, Nancy mainly wanders around asking people questions to come up with numerous insane theories before finally settling on the right answer. None of the mystery solving feels earned imo.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets Can Kill - 4 stars
Deadly Intent - 3 stars
Murder on Ice - 4 stars

Overall I give Nancy Drew Files vol. 1 four stars. Each one is fast and easy to get through. I think it would a good introduction to new YA mystery readers. I will say it does lack diversity (the publication for these were originally in the 80s and I think I little bit revised maybe) but overall is a quick easy read.

[Cheyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love a good mystery book but I've never really read the Nancy drew series so when I saw this book that had three of the books in it I had decided to get it and start reading them. Over rall I really enjoyed this book it was really fast paced and fun to read while trying to figure out who was behind the mysteries.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast moving and fun to read

[Laura]

Finally read my first Nancy Drew stories at 31. Took me long enough. I loved how this book combined three stories in one.

[Lizzie the Book Hoarder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Nancy Drew stories.