The Treasure in the Royal Tower

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #128

by Carolyn Keene

On a winter vacation in Wisconsin, Nancy and her friends stay in a two-hundred-year-old castle where there is the rumor of a hidden treasure.

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up Nancy Drew The Treasure In The Royal Tower (1995) recently which deals with a 200 year old diamond jewellery treasure royal mystery.

Nancy Drew, George and Bess wanted to enjoy their winter vacation in Wisconsin with lots of skiing and fun. While staying in the lodge, Workford Castle, they got to discover a maze of concealed doors, mysterious dead-end doorways and stairways, creepy sounds, unexplained questions and questionable people in and around the lodge.

Sadly, I think the who-done-it didn't turn out well or, let's say, not that convincing. The writing is rather bland for a mystery book. I find the characters rather bland as well. The plot lacked progress and planning. The characters lacked that x-factor for me. Maybe I have read too many similar books before.

However, I would suggest this series for the beginners and middle grades.

🎶As of now, I cannot stop wayv-ing to WayV 💕

I love Ten, Xiaoxun, Jisung, Kun, Yangyang and Lucas 💕

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

I'm short on time today, so, let me be brief: This is another good mystery featuring that famed teenage sleuth. It's a little bit different than the old-school original novels, but, still enjoyable.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Nancy Drew. Every chapter is just the most batshit thing you can imagine.

Read this one for my game to book comparison project: this one is surprisingly close!

[Gauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I was curious about how it compared to the HerInteractive computer game based on it. I enjoyed noting the similarities and differences between them, and I enjoyed the story as well.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

that karate scene at the end was hilarious

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

While in the middle of an excruciating reader's block, I decided to pick up this random Nancy Drew title. And viola! I devoured the whole book in a single setting. I don't know what it is about these Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, but they manage to transport me to the times they were written in. And whenever I pick them up, it brings me back to the times when I used to relish them as a school kid.

This book, just like most titles in this series, throws Nancy and her two cousins into the deep end of an intriguing mystery. Nancy visits a ski resort for the winter vacation but finds herself embroiled in a case filled with spine-tingling surprises, strange secrets, lurking enemies, and a hidden treasure.

Overall, I found the mystery and adventure elements of the books intriguing enough to keep me hooked to the story until the last page. Bess and George, with all their individual quirks and friendly bickering, turned out to be useful allies. Gus, the dog, played a vital role in the story as well. I had to keep guessing until the end regarding the identity of the main culprit—and which, luckily enough, didn't turn out to be anyone that I had suspected so far. This was a welcome change compared to other books where I would generally deduce the identity of the antagonist well in advance. All in all, this turned out to be a good read. Hopefully, this gets me out of the awful reader's block I find myself in.

[Riti · Rating 3 out of 5]

re-reading old books from childhood is, honestly, a form of therapy

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Nancy Drew book that inspired one of the beloved computer games! There were several more characters in the book vs the game, but all the most important characters were still included in the game, as well as lots of important elements. So fun!!

[Tori Samar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The game does Professor Hotchkiss and the treasure hunt better. Can confirm both versions of Lisa are awful. Wondering what Nancy *can't* do considering she skis on the fly without poles and gets in a karate duel.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full disclosure, Treasure in the Royal Tower was my first Nancy Drew computer game. I was obsessed with it in elementary school, and it’s the first time I eventually made a breakthrough and progressed in a game without hints or an adult helping me. Huge milestone. Nostalgia for days. I will hear no word against that game.

Somehow, this was my first time reading the book the game was based on, and I was shocked at what a disappointment it was.

The only thing the book really has going for it is the ambience. More mysteries should take place at architecturally unique ski lodges previously owned by reclusive eccentrics.

But I really feel like even the setting wasn’t taken full advantage of in the book.

Even worse, the suspects barely exist. We spend the most time with Jacques and Meg Alvarez, but Nancy, Bess, and George are super friendly with both of them. The more likely suspects are basically nonexistent. There is no time spent establishing their characters or motives. They are name-dropped occasionally, merely to remind the reader they’re still here. I’ve never read a Nancy Drew book so disinterested in establishing a basic cast of characters.

The computer game is an improvement in every way, to the point it’s not even funny. Everyone gets a compelling, surprisingly complex backstory. Everyone gets a motive. Everyone at some point actively tries to befriend Nancy, and the player is tasked with figuring out who’s putting on an act. It’s incredibly well-balanced.

In the book, Nancy barely even interacts with most of the characters. Nancy is not supposed to be a passive observer! She is the greatest social engineer of her generation! She’s supposed to get in there and talk to people!!

Nancy gets kneecapped (literally) in the book. The culprit pushes a snowmobile on top of her, resulting in an injury to her leg. I was actually excited by that at first. I think it shakes thing up when a normally active main character has to figure out other ways to get around and do what needs to be done.

Unfortunately, the leg injury is only a factor when it’s convenient for the author. It tends to only flare up when Nancy is the only one who spots the culprit snooping around and tries to give chase when they bolt. The book would be half the length it is if Nancy’s leg wasn’t hurt. Otherwise, Nancy can ice skate, ski, ski without poles, run, take the stairs, and do karate without her grievous wound bothering her at all. It is the most frustrated I’ve been with a blatant plot contrivance in quite some time.

The culprit tries to trap Nancy on the ski lift overnight (of course,) and Nancy ends up having to save herself. Remember, she already has a massive hematoma across half her leg from a blunt force injury. Even so, she manages to drop the equivalent of two stories to the ground with her skis on, lands flat on her feet, and is completely uninjured. You have got to be kidding me. Nancy’s hips should be in her armpits. Nancy should have multiple compression fractures. Nancy should permanently lose a couple inches of height after the doctors manage to reassemble her spine. Like, honestly, playing it fast and loose with the consequences of injury on the human body goes beyond contrivance at this point. Frankly, I think it’s genuinely irresponsible of the person writing this book for children to tell them you could conceivably land on your feet from a second-story window and not even seriously reaggravate a previous shin wound.

Bess and George are here. They may as well not be. Bess and George are beloved by fans because they are active and useful. Nancy bounces ideas off them. They have ideas of their own. George, for sure, always, joins Nancy in giving chase to the culprit. Bess is always here for moral support, and is surprisingly brave when her friends are in danger. They are invaluable members of the team. When they’re written by someone halfway competent, that is.

Bess moons over Jacques to the point of baselessly defending him against possibly attempting to murder Nancy. Bess would never. Bess’s friends always come before cute boys. If there was the slightest possibility Jacques was responsible for hurting Nancy, she would not defend him to Nancy’s face.

George is even worse, somehow. She baselessly defends another suspect even more strongly, and for absolutely no reason. George is immediately and permanently fooled by the singular attempt to throw them off the trail. George, the cranky cynic, would never trust a stranger so completely.

With Nancy in even more physical peril than normal, I was looking forward to Bess and George being even more active than usual. Lol. Again, conveniently, they never notice when the culprit needs to be chased. Nancy comes hobbling back to bed in the middle of the night after leaving their room door wide open after a failed pursuit to find Bess and George cowering in bed and wondering what’s going on. Who are these two useless ninnies and what have they done with my girls?

Gus, the lodge’s resident dog, is the MVP. When Nancy is trapped on the ski lift, she comforts herself that Bess and George will realize she’s missing and will figure out what happened. Normally, yes. This time, they stay in the warmth of the lodge and passively hope she’s okay. Freaking Gus saves Nancy from hypothermia. Gus bursts in and pins the culprit as they’re attacking Nancy as Bess and George wait downstairs for everything to turn out. To be upstaged multiple times by a dog. Embarrassing. No disrespect to Gus. Nancy needs to fire the two humans and take Gus on the road.

Mark and Christi need to be sued by these guests for allowing Nancy carte blanche access to their rooms. I know Nancy and her employers operate in a legal gray area. Normally I am able to suspend my disbelief. But just giving another paying guest a key to the other guests’ rooms and not even being present as she snoops through their belongings? Jail. These two also need to go to jail. I hope Wickford Lodge goes out of business and Dexter is able to buy it cheap.

At any rate, I’ve developed an even greater appreciation for the computer game after the book. I didn’t even think that was possible, so at least that’s something.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

My love of reading started when i was young, and it gives me immense pleasure to provide books to Spread the Word Nevada, an organization that passes them on to children in the community. They are a terrific organization supporting an important cause. If your local I encourage you to check them out. For those living further a field, look in your own community, their may already be a similar program in place. And if not, you can always help start one.

http://spreadthewordnevada.org/

Myself, I go out on the weekends and
shop thrift store and bulk book lots to rescue books and donate them. Sometimes I'll find a book I remember reading when I was young and will read it again before passing it on.

I don't rate these books using my normal scale, instead I give most of them three stars. This isn't a Criticism of the book, simply my way of rating them as good for children.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of the Nancy Drew paperbacks but I got this because I liked the game and wanted to see what it was based off. It was okay. It really wasn't too exciting. I sold my copy cause I really didn't care to re-read it anytime soon.

[Christy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this a few years ago at Goodwill because it is the book version of my favorite PC Nancy Drew game. There were some differences like best and George were with her professor Hotchkiss is a man. The owners of Wicker Castle was there instead of just Dexter. And there was sweet doggie Gus.

Nancy George and Bess are on a ski trip vacation and end up having to solve the mystery of who's making all the noises in the night who traps them in the elevator on the ski lift. There's multiple suspects and multiple things going on but the main thing is the letters that are hidden in the castle that belong to the queen and her Tower.

It was a fast read and I tried to play the game but sadly it's so old the game I have would not play on my laptop which is sad I enjoyed both I wish best and George have been in the game otherwise it was a perfect matchup.

[Heather Rochon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comparison to the Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower computer game. Another classic that was adapted well into a game. The atmosphere of the cozy Wickford Castle in the middle of a snowstorm is perfect, as is the cast of characters. The substance of the mystery was the same, centered around the history of Marie Antionette, though I was disappointed that Professor Hotchkiss played a much smaller role in the book than the game. Plus, the beloved Prof. was a man in the book and way less interesting than his game counterpart. A little bit less of an adventure than the game, but solid. 9/10

[Trips Starlake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a very boring mystery, there are not really any clues to get you an idea of who did what, just stuff constantly happening and Nancy consistently getting herself into life threatening danger. The differences between the HerInteractive game are stark, and I actually think the changes the developers decided on made for a better story.

[peter f mathias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marie Antoinette character much more complicated - a not nice story..

Liked the doggie character so very much and enjoyed all the characters' romps in the snow and cold. New York wearher not like Wisconsin . Allusion to French culture and language always pleasant for me. Glad Nancy studied French for 3 years in high school.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excuse me, I cannot accept Professor Hotchkiss as anything other than a wacky older woman who never gets Nancy's name right.

I'm glad I finally got around the reading the book that inspired the video game, but.... I prefer the game.

[Amanda Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a Nancy Drew mystery book in a while. This book is based of the Nancy Drew CD-ROM I had as a preteen and when I realized that the game was based off a book I had to read it. Just like I remember Nancy Drew mystery book fascinate me and hold my attention.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[dipandjelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Nancy Drew :')

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

these books are so fun!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

YEAHHHH I love this game and this book was good. I love all the changes they made to the game.tho (minus making jacques ugly)

[exulnqsis_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My English teacher said, this book is for kids. But this book is for all ages, and it is wonderful

[Gautami Raghu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A leisure read. Nancy drew reminded me of my school days. Feeling nostalgic.

[Ong Dan Rei · Rating 3 out of 5]

The changes the game made were much better than the book and even so it was still a decent nolstagia trip.

[Keren Taj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good short read, quite fast-paced

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the game but not the best Nancy Drew mystery. Same culprit as the game.

Someone is after Marie Antoinette’s letters and diamond in a Wisconsin ski lodge/castle.

[Yta · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Nancy countered with a hard karate yell and a hard chop

First Nancy Drew book I read. I hope the rest are better.

4.5 hours

[Hillarie (Hillareads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a child, I started playing the Nancy Drew mystery games from HerInteractive.

The first game I played was "Stay Tuned For Danger." After that, I persuaded my parents to buy the rest of the games for me. Treasure in the Royal Tower was game four. At the time, it was my favorite of the Nancy Drew games. (The Final Scene was the first "new" Nancy Drew game. I even pre-ordered Secret of the Scarlet Hand.)

I digress.

I remember reading The Treasure in the Royal Tower. I may have been in third grade (2001-2002). I read the book in my old bedroom in one sitting. (Just like I remember reading Secrets Can Kill in my third grade classroom. I finished the book and swiftly moved on to another. I did not suffer from a book hangover until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, mind you.)

Nancy, Bess, and George travel to a ski lodge in Wisconsin with the intent of having a nice, cold vacation. As always, they stumble upon a mystery. It isn't a well-formed mystery, but it is still a mystery.

Here are some questions I asked myself as I read this book:
1. Shouldn't Nancy get a search warrant before she snoops? Nancy is an amateur detective, which means she has no formal training, and there might be legal implications if she messes up.
2. Why does it matter if Bess wants dessert after skiing? Bess always wants dessert!
3. Does Nancy have superhuman healing abilities?

I enjoyed revisiting Wickford Castle, but I also rolled my eyes every four pages. I don't think I can give this book an objective rating.

[🎀Anushi🎧 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it
Rtc..