The Ghost of the Lantern Lady

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #146

by Carolyn Keene

AT A HAUNTED HISTORIC VILLAGE, NANCY SEES THE GHOSTLY SIGNS OF FOUL PLAY Nancy loves a good mystery. That's why she, Bess, and George are volunteering at Persimmon Woods Pioneer Village, a living history museum of the 1830s. Nancy's heard that a lot of weird things have been happening there, like the eerie sightings of the Lantern Lady -- the ghost of an original settler. But as soon as Nancy starts investigating, she learns that even though the workers at Persimmon Woods are in costume, the danger isn't an act. Someone has concocted a cunning scheme to destroy the village, and if Nancy doesn't find the culprit, she could become history, too.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Childrens, Mystery Thriller, Adventure, Fiction, Juvenile

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Eric Wood]

A very good ND book! The mystery and setting was very interesting, Nancy was great, and her investigating was very fun. I especially liked the scenes where Nancy, Bess, and George investigate after hours at the village during the night. Who doesn't like night-time sleuthing, especially at a pioneer village! Although, some things weren't explained, like why someone who got fired from the village was spotted there and acted weird when Nancy asks them about it. And there's a weird error on page 131 where George's ankle is referred to as "his ankle". I had a feeling who the culprit was and was right, but the author did a good job not making them look obvious. Overall, a great, intriguing, fast paced mystery and it deserves 4 stars.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library)]

Pretty good.

[Mandy]

It was the perfect day to binge a Nancy Drew book and this one did not disappoint! I loved the old-timey feel from the girls working in the village to figure out what was causing all the accidents, and the ending was one of the most clever I’ve read in awhile!

[Ria]

An exciting Nancy Drew mystery with a spooky twist.
When Nancy and her friends, Bess and George offer to help out at the Persimmon woods pioneer village they get more than they bargained for!
With sightings of a ghostly lady with a lamp and other creepy things going on at the village including vandalism Nancy sets to work.
Why and who is behind all these seemingly malicious acts?
Does someone want the village closed down? If so why?
With plenty of suspects and many motives Nancy and her friends had better act fast before something drastic happens and the village goes under!
Fast paced and a great read for any age.

[Emily]

This being my 2nd Nancy Drew book to read, I feel I have had a good sampling of the series. The reading level is ages 10-12 but I wouldn't reccomend it to that age group. I think more maturity is required to navigate the ethics presented in the series and to maturely handle the romantic content. It's unfortunate that by the time a child reaches that maturity, they, like me, will be bored by the simplicity and implausibility of the lead female's adventures.

[Miri]

Nancy Bess and George are working at the Pioneer Village, a living history museum that is being plague by accidents, there are also rumors swirling around that the owners is embezzling money, plus guests have been spotting a ghostly woman carrying a lantern wandering the village. It's up to Nancy to get the the bottom of these hauntings!

[Bethany Meadows]

Average Nancy Drew book. Nothing particularly memorable about it. The setting was interesting. Mostly read it to check it off my Nancy Drew TBR. Wouldn’t read it again. It was the typical sabotage for revenge storyline. Ned wasn’t in the book, Bess and George were. Carson Drew and Hannah Gruen also make brief appearances.

[Kathryn]

Pop sugar reading challenge #18 A book that was published anonymously (Carolyn Keene is a pseudonym for multiple different authors)

This was a fun mystery. I've had it in my collection for quite a while. Love a good mystery at a historical village.

[Serena]

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

[Nina]

Cleaning out my parents' place and found a couple of these which I read for nostalgia. While the pioneer village setting was fun, not one of the better mysteries.

[Melmo2610]

This is a fun read with an interesting mystery. I liked the element of the historical village and the mystery that is plaguing it. Enjoyed!

[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu]

Nancy and her friends are recruited to spend a week working at a historical village in this Nancy Drew. Nancy's next-door neighbor, who works at the village, suspects foul play with the business' numbers. Nancy, Bess, and George, along with new friends Amy and Cory, enjoy learning their roles- the lifestyle in the pioneer days. I enjoyed that the author weaved historical facts into the novel, from working at a blacksmith to pioneer cooking.
Back to the mystery, Nancy and her friends learn of a mysterious ghost that haunts the grounds in the evening and wonder if it ties into the mysterious events occurring in the village, from the destruction of property to the rumors and appearances of the ghost.
I enjoyed this Nancy Drew for three reasons: the mystery was what I expected from Nancy Drew, nothing too violent and risky, Nancy didn't share the weight of the investigation, and the fun historical setting.
I recommend this mystery to fans of Nancy Drew and fans of history.

[peter f mathias]

Family Historical animosities never worth it!

A wonderful historical theme park could have been completely ruined because a descendent of one of the original families could not confrontj her family's past losses by legal means.t

[˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜]

Good plot with all the endings tied up.

[Alex]

Very entertaining.

[Molly]

Nancy drew is the og girlboss of my childhood

[Annika Miller]

A classic childhood favorite that makes for a great Summer read!

[Izzy]

Fantastic! And dear to my heart as a lover of living history museums (RIP to the one my family loved that was shut down by the Trump administration)

[Brad Wilber]

Shenanigans at a local version of colonial Williamsburg. Bess has her Hunk of the Week. Culprit reveal gave high emotion but not great plausibility.

[James Crawford]

This is a very interesting story. Nancy and the others are working as volunteers in one of the towns that tries to re-create the past. Tourists can see how the early settlers lived their lives without having the conveniences of the modern day.

Lots of things seem to be going wrong at the place, though, including a guy hurt by a musket, a gift shop that ends up destroyed and what seems to be a ghost walking along at night holding a lantern. There's a threatening call and a major argument between the current owner of the site and the guy that used to run the site. Embezzlement might be going on and even arson makes its way into the story.

It's a difficult one for Nancy, what with various suspects and at the same time trying to figure out whether the ghost is real or not and, if it is real, who's playing the ghost and why? It all makes for another good Nancy Drew mystery.

[V. Arrow]

I wanted this to be spookier than it would commit to being.

[Darshana Unnikrishnan]

really good :-) loved it!!!

one of my favorite in nancy drew series :-)