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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #22
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall
A sprawling estate was willed to a dancer who has vanished several years earlier. During their investigation at Heath Castle, Nancy, Bess and George realize that its crumbling walls contain a secret, but what is it? They search for clues in the neglected gardens of the vast estate, hoping to find a lead to the missing woman. Danger lurks in a castle tower and throughout the vine-tangled grounds as Nancy exposes a sinister plot to defraud the dancer of her inheritance. This book is the original text. The plot of the revised story (©1973) is similar with minor revisions.
217 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1945
121 people are currently reading
2590 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
948 books3,854 followersCarolyn 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
August 23, 2017
This has to be my all-time fave Nancy Drew mystery. It has an aging castle, and hidden trails through the overgrown gardens, and boat trips up secret tributaries, and a cloister walk down to the beach, and a clandestine Poet's Nook...and on and on.
This is one guilty pleasure I do allow myself a grown-up read now and then on winter days by the fire.
This is one guilty pleasure I do allow myself a grown-up read now and then on winter days by the fire.
August 31, 2019
This is one of the most exciting Nancy Drew books that I have read in a long time.
Nancy is trying to solve the mystery of a missing dancer who owns a caste near her town. To do tis she sneaks into the run down and abandoned caste with her friends Bess and George by climbing over the walls. Well, they are not alone because some men are blasting away walls and chiseling away other walls looking for a treasure. And did I mention the dogs?
In the meantime we have a little boy thief who has stolen Nancy’s purse and a pearl that she had found in an oyster shell. Then he steals some articles of clothing. The Brat.
Then there is a kindly fisherman named Salty who helps the girls out and gets into trouble himself.
Nancy is trying to solve the mystery of a missing dancer who owns a caste near her town. To do tis she sneaks into the run down and abandoned caste with her friends Bess and George by climbing over the walls. Well, they are not alone because some men are blasting away walls and chiseling away other walls looking for a treasure. And did I mention the dogs?
In the meantime we have a little boy thief who has stolen Nancy’s purse and a pearl that she had found in an oyster shell. Then he steals some articles of clothing. The Brat.
Then there is a kindly fisherman named Salty who helps the girls out and gets into trouble himself.
June 9, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
Okay, but why did the ending make me want to tear up a bit? It was actually really beautiful haha
This was another fun mystery! I have to admit that some of the directions and setting of the crumbling castle got my head in a tangle, but that’s besides the point.
Also, Nancy can read and translate Middle English, so that’s cool!
I loved how this story was predictable and yet it had some elements that felt different enough to be unique.
Overall, an enjoyable one!
Content:
A child hits a dog with a stick & shows no remorse 😭
Okay, but why did the ending make me want to tear up a bit? It was actually really beautiful haha
This was another fun mystery! I have to admit that some of the directions and setting of the crumbling castle got my head in a tangle, but that’s besides the point.
Also, Nancy can read and translate Middle English, so that’s cool!
I loved how this story was predictable and yet it had some elements that felt different enough to be unique.
Overall, an enjoyable one!
Content:
A child hits a dog with a stick & shows no remorse 😭
May 14, 2018
This mystery involves yet another abandoned mansion that's a stone's throw away from Nancy's hometown River Heights. In this particular book, the mansion is most easily reached by boat. I'm reminded that River Heights has the word "river" in it, and this book definitely makes the most of it.
Nancy's sleuthing brings her to encounter a seafaring gentleman known as "Salty" who makes a living selling mollusks to the townsfolk. Everyone knows him as "the singing clam digger of Muskoka River." (Hey! The river has a name!) No one explains why a saltwater man is hanging around a freshwater river, UNLESS it's a clue to the location of River Heights! I've always wondered whether it's a New England town, but several online sources say River Heights is in the Midwest.
It really doesn't matter. Nancy's world is a fictional fantasyland. Regardless, I'm getting the urge to map it. It'll be a lot of fun. Abandoned mansions everywhere!
Nancy's sleuthing brings her to encounter a seafaring gentleman known as "Salty" who makes a living selling mollusks to the townsfolk. Everyone knows him as "the singing clam digger of Muskoka River." (Hey! The river has a name!) No one explains why a saltwater man is hanging around a freshwater river, UNLESS it's a clue to the location of River Heights! I've always wondered whether it's a New England town, but several online sources say River Heights is in the Midwest.
It really doesn't matter. Nancy's world is a fictional fantasyland. Regardless, I'm getting the urge to map it. It'll be a lot of fun. Abandoned mansions everywhere!
November 13, 2018
Ned was missing from this book. Apparently, Nancy "missed her special friend who had gone to South America on a school project." (See chapter 10, paragraph 3). Hopefully, he's in the next one.
2018 challenge: a book mentioned in another book (The Secret in the Old Attic)
2018 challenge: a book mentioned in another book (The Secret in the Old Attic)
October 4, 2014
In chapter one, in a non-sequitur action sequence, Nancy finds a pearl in a freshwater clam from a door-to-door clam salesman. What the hell is a door-to-door clam salesman, besides another veiled reference to lesbianism? Ned Nickerson appears once in writing, but apparently he and the other guys are in South America.
Nancy helps find a missing woman whose inheritance is being mismanaged by a crooked lawyer. Part of the inheritance includes a Lost Textile Process.
Bess loses consciousness when she falls out of a boat and hits her head on a rock. Nancy loses consciousness when she's in a factory that explodes. Hannah is bound and gagged.
Nancy helps find a missing woman whose inheritance is being mismanaged by a crooked lawyer. Part of the inheritance includes a Lost Textile Process.
Bess loses consciousness when she falls out of a boat and hits her head on a rock. Nancy loses consciousness when she's in a factory that explodes. Hannah is bound and gagged.
January 13, 2024
5 stars. This ending actually made me put down the book and “aww.” Nancy Drew isn't known for her awesome endings, but this one was heartwarming. I loved Miss J. and Joan & her mother. The whole mystery was very sweet and fascinating; exciting and with a touch of danger, but not freaky. I really enjoyed it!
August 12, 2023
Reliving my girlhood by reading Nancy Drew. This was was published in 1945, and was in my older sister’s collection, which I would have read in the 1960s. I have always felt that Nancy began my love of reading mysteries, which has continued into my senior years.
It isn’t great literature, but it was, and still is, good fun.
It isn’t great literature, but it was, and still is, good fun.
August 7, 2019
I thought this was a lovely read. The castle reminded me of ones in Romantic-era books and I could really visualize it (something that's usually hard for me). I also enjoyed the Cinderella-like mystery at the heart of it.
May 23, 2018
Nancy is trying to locate a missing dancer. A delightful mystery.
August 30, 2019
One of the better books in the Nancy Drew series. Very atmospheric with the old castle, overgrown gardens and various crumbling stone walls.
Good way to spend a little time.
Good way to spend a little time.
May 30, 2022
When four rose bushes disappear from Nancy Drew's garden, she's plunged into another mystery. The bushes are stolen by Joan Fenimore, a poor little girl with a love of beautiful plants. Joan and her widowed mother are living in reduced circumstances and are convinced that if only the mother's sister, Florianna Johnson--a famous dancer--could be found, then things would change for them.
Florianna was engaged to Walter Heath, heir to a fine estate and the family business. But she disappeared nearly ten years ago. Her health had been bad and she'd been advised to take a break from work and go on a vacation. She never returned. Walter loved her and believed she'd come back, but died five years later. His will revealed that he had left everything to Florianna, provided she was found within five years of his death. There are only three weeks left and if the dancer isn't found the estate will revert to the county to be turned into a park.
Nancy promises the Fenimores that she will do all she can to find the missing dancer. There is also a rumor of clues to be found and the Heath estate so she and Bess and George make it their business to investigate. They discover that someone has been damaging the walls of the gardens and buildings--evidently in search of something. Nancy soon discovers a plot to defraud the missing dancer of her inheritance and she must race against the clock to find Florianna, as well as the valuable secret hidden at Heath Castle.
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall was one of my top ten favorite Nancy Drew stories when I was young. And the mystery still holds up forty-some years later. There are good clues for Nancy to follow and just the right amount of danger and adventure. The girls are attacked at various times, but never seriously hurt and they manage to outsmart the crooks very cleverly. It was nice to see Nancy working with her Dad on this one--he and Nancy follow a lead to Florianna in a nearby town. Usually, Carson Drew is off doing lawyerly things and just gives Nancy little "that-a-girl" pep talks when he appears. I really like the ending--how Florianna uses her new-found wealth and the happy ending for Joan and her mother.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Florianna was engaged to Walter Heath, heir to a fine estate and the family business. But she disappeared nearly ten years ago. Her health had been bad and she'd been advised to take a break from work and go on a vacation. She never returned. Walter loved her and believed she'd come back, but died five years later. His will revealed that he had left everything to Florianna, provided she was found within five years of his death. There are only three weeks left and if the dancer isn't found the estate will revert to the county to be turned into a park.
Nancy promises the Fenimores that she will do all she can to find the missing dancer. There is also a rumor of clues to be found and the Heath estate so she and Bess and George make it their business to investigate. They discover that someone has been damaging the walls of the gardens and buildings--evidently in search of something. Nancy soon discovers a plot to defraud the missing dancer of her inheritance and she must race against the clock to find Florianna, as well as the valuable secret hidden at Heath Castle.
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall was one of my top ten favorite Nancy Drew stories when I was young. And the mystery still holds up forty-some years later. There are good clues for Nancy to follow and just the right amount of danger and adventure. The girls are attacked at various times, but never seriously hurt and they manage to outsmart the crooks very cleverly. It was nice to see Nancy working with her Dad on this one--he and Nancy follow a lead to Florianna in a nearby town. Usually, Carson Drew is off doing lawyerly things and just gives Nancy little "that-a-girl" pep talks when he appears. I really like the ending--how Florianna uses her new-found wealth and the happy ending for Joan and her mother.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
August 24, 2022
Did you know there's a random castle in Nancy's vicinity within driving distance? But it all starts when a rosebush is stolen from her garden. She traces it back to a young delinquent, Joan Fenimore. Her case worker reveals to Nancy that she may be helped if only someone is able to find her aunt, a dancer who is to receive an inheritance from her late lover. Nancy sets out to find this long-lost woman before time runs out and the castle could revert to the local government.
I rather enjoyed this book. The castle was both pretty and creepy. Carson Drew brings another mystery to the table, which Nancy once again neatly ties up to her mystery. I also enjoyed the father-daughter moments because the two actually do some sleuthing together. The crooked lawyer character was actually rather fun, because most of the villains in the ND books are rather dumb!
Ned is not around in this one, though he is mentioned as being in South America. Like, really? Ned was a daredevil or something to go to South America in the 1970s? Bess and George are however available and the trio have a lot of fun exploring the Heath Castle and finding clues. They also get a kick out of helping the deserving poor, aka the Fenimores.
The dancer is finally united with her family and she uses her inheritance to help disabled children. All well and good, but I just found the woman rather stupid to disappear just because she had an accident. If I were Joan's mother, I wouldn't have her back after she disappeared on me!!! The absolute cheek of this woman to just disregard everyone's feelings and throw a pity party for YEARS!
Still, a decent read and there are a lot of fun moments!
I rather enjoyed this book. The castle was both pretty and creepy. Carson Drew brings another mystery to the table, which Nancy once again neatly ties up to her mystery. I also enjoyed the father-daughter moments because the two actually do some sleuthing together. The crooked lawyer character was actually rather fun, because most of the villains in the ND books are rather dumb!
Ned is not around in this one, though he is mentioned as being in South America. Like, really? Ned was a daredevil or something to go to South America in the 1970s? Bess and George are however available and the trio have a lot of fun exploring the Heath Castle and finding clues. They also get a kick out of helping the deserving poor, aka the Fenimores.
The dancer is finally united with her family and she uses her inheritance to help disabled children. All well and good, but I just found the woman rather stupid to disappear just because she had an accident. If I were Joan's mother, I wouldn't have her back after she disappeared on me!!! The absolute cheek of this woman to just disregard everyone's feelings and throw a pity party for YEARS!
Still, a decent read and there are a lot of fun moments!
April 19, 2024
Another all-star Nancy Drew mystery 🙏🏻 Lovable side characters (Salty!), lots of escaped-from-danger, and a truly heart warming ending.
The scene with George getting trapped without her clothes was so unexpected and hilarious for a Nancy Drew book 😂.
This story perfectly used the “many moving parts” that so often become a problem in these stories. All the parts were actually related by more than the thinnest thread of coincidence! 🫡
The scene with George getting trapped without her clothes was so unexpected and hilarious for a Nancy Drew book 😂.
This story perfectly used the “many moving parts” that so often become a problem in these stories. All the parts were actually related by more than the thinnest thread of coincidence! 🫡
January 19, 2023
Nancy Drew is an automatic 5 stars for the childhood nostalgia alone.
November 24, 2009
I remember reading this book when I was younger and really loving it. Don't get me wrong—it was cute and all—but not exactly something to write home about. Maybe it was The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion that I really loved? (I'll try that one for the next challenge, as my "cozy" mystery...) The ending was a bit... anticlimactic to me...
Anyway, this book was a Nancy Drew version of Cinderella. The kind where Cinderella is a dancer who has been missing for 10 years, and in which the "prince" (aka rich fiancé) died 5 years afterward, leaving his fortune to the missing woman, who must claim it within 5 additional years. And so time is running out and Nancy Drew must FIND the dancer, or the evil lawyer will get all the money (through mischievous ways)... and in which the solution to the mystery is all about shoe-size.
So it's sorta like.... depressing Cinderella. Except it was actually quite happy (and CHEEEEEEEESE-OLA) in the end, though the fiancé was still dead (this isn't Alias, after all)... Because the dancer's sister and niece were all reunited and yadda-yadda-yadda.
It was cute, but predictable... And clues come to Nancy a little too conveniently (and always have...), as though she were a HUGE clue-magnet, and clues can't help but to POP right out of the woodworks and jump on her... :)
Anyway, this book was a Nancy Drew version of Cinderella. The kind where Cinderella is a dancer who has been missing for 10 years, and in which the "prince" (aka rich fiancé) died 5 years afterward, leaving his fortune to the missing woman, who must claim it within 5 additional years. And so time is running out and Nancy Drew must FIND the dancer, or the evil lawyer will get all the money (through mischievous ways)... and in which the solution to the mystery is all about shoe-size.
So it's sorta like.... depressing Cinderella. Except it was actually quite happy (and CHEEEEEEEESE-OLA) in the end, though the fiancé was still dead (this isn't Alias, after all)... Because the dancer's sister and niece were all reunited and yadda-yadda-yadda.
It was cute, but predictable... And clues come to Nancy a little too conveniently (and always have...), as though she were a HUGE clue-magnet, and clues can't help but to POP right out of the woodworks and jump on her... :)
October 22, 2016
These may be the books that pull me out of my reading slump!
February 4, 2024
I’ve always heard that Nancy Drew was a role model for girls. Of course, this was at a time when girls were expected to do little more than look for a suitable husband. The initial series of books were published in the 1930s and 1940s, with extensive re-writes and editing being done on many of the books in the 1970s. It wasn’t until after the re-writes that things changed dramatically for women. I’m in in my 50s and when I was younger girls still didn’t play Little League. It’s important to think about that now, because there’s really some issues with the books from a female perspective.
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall starts off really good. On the first page, teenage amateur detective Nancy Drew meets a female police officer – you’ve come a long way baby! How about Nancy thinking about going to the police academy to become a police detective for real? Nah, never happen…
Anyway, the police officer, Lieutenant Masters, wants Nancy to help her find Juliana Johnson, the aunt of a little girl who’s been in trouble with the law, Joan Fenimore. Juliana has an inheritance coming, and Lt. Masters believes that with the money she will be able to make a better life for the little girl and her mother, Vera. We all know how well having money has worked for Paris Hilton.
Anyway, without a thought the Lt. reveals to Nancy in the first chapter the name of a juvenile offender and her mother.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall starts off really good. On the first page, teenage amateur detective Nancy Drew meets a female police officer – you’ve come a long way baby! How about Nancy thinking about going to the police academy to become a police detective for real? Nah, never happen…
Anyway, the police officer, Lieutenant Masters, wants Nancy to help her find Juliana Johnson, the aunt of a little girl who’s been in trouble with the law, Joan Fenimore. Juliana has an inheritance coming, and Lt. Masters believes that with the money she will be able to make a better life for the little girl and her mother, Vera. We all know how well having money has worked for Paris Hilton.
Anyway, without a thought the Lt. reveals to Nancy in the first chapter the name of a juvenile offender and her mother.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
February 10, 2017
In which Nancy and a ladycop form a relationship that will likely NEVER BE MENTIONED AGAIN.
So Nancy, gardener extraordinaire (see Larkspur Lane), has some gorgeous new rose bushes - which are fucking STOLEN because River Heights is a hotbed of crime. Seriously. Fucking rose bushes. She reports it to the police, and ladycop (Inspector Masters) says, "Oh yeah, I know who did this." She takes her to the house of the culprit: an elementary school aged moppet (Judy, I think) who is half an orphan (her dad died) and whose mom is an invalid. In other words, Judy hits like 3 spots on Nancy's mental Bingo card immediately. Judy was like "I stole the rose bushes 'cause we can't have pretty things!" and Nancy's like "No, it's okay, sadface," and the mom's like "if only my talented dancer sister were here, she's missing; she was gonna marry a rich man and he died but he left her his estate and if she doesn't claim it in three weeks it reverts back to the state!" Nancy of course is like "YES PLEASE."
Also, this clamdigger/seller named something normal but who has the nickname Mehearty (because he kept calling people "me hearties" and Nancy referred to him as "Mehearty-man" as a child) tells Nancy about Heath Castle (said rich guy's estate) and is kind of an idiot, but he has a good heart and he helps the girls out. And takes a punch for them. You're good people, Mehearty.
Nancy, Bess, and George take several trips out to Heath Castle, looking for any clues and the fortune that's apparently hidden there. During one, some guard dogs prevent Bess from coming in; once Nancy and George are in, George falls into a decorative fish pond and gets soaked. She takes off her clothes so Nancy can dry them, and hides in the boathouse in the meantime. Nancy lays out her clothes, including a fancy top (GEORGE WHY WOULD YOU WEAR A FANCY TOP DURING A TRIP TO AN OVERGROWN JUNGLE OF A HOUSE), so they can dry in the sun, and then immediately spots some stranger and follows him. Anyone knows what happens next:
-The neighbor boy who is such a bad influence on Judy comes by and fucking steals George's clothes because he's a pint-sized asshole who is also a dog abuser and he should be pimp slapped. That means George is left stranded in the boathouse 'cause she's indecent.
-Bess comes in because she's worried about her friends and ends up treed by the dogs.
-Nancy gets locked in a tower in Heath Castle. Someone inadvertently releases her so she escapes, but it's pretty tough for a while.
There's a LOT of sneaking onto the property to try to find clues, and the police-lady being super conveniently "just driving by" and helpful. I have a theory that she's kind of taken the Ned role in this.
Speaking of Ned, HE'S IN SOUTH AMERICA (FIGHTING NAZIS). This book came out in 1945. Ned writes to Nancy and says he's not having fun, and then says he's sure she's working on a mystery and he fondly remembers helping her while she did like all the work on solving mysteries, and Nancy's like "I LOVE YOU HONEY" except without saying it. She is super excited to hear from him.
Nancy and her dad track down the missing sister, but said sister is kidnapped before they can get in touch with her. And, in what is likely the most realistic thing to happen in this series EVER, the cops try to arrest her because she was fucking trespassing! And she was! So that wasn't really out of line. But the bad guy is the one who reported her, and he said that she was vandalizing and something-ing, and Nancy's like "okay I'll cop to the trespassing charge but fuck the rest of that noise, and also I was working on a case" and the cops are like "well, I mean... okay then" so they fucking LET HER GO (with ladycop, but whatev). Definition of white Drew privilege much? I mean, it's fine 'cause I love y'all but damn.
Nancy and ladycop find the missing sister in the castle dungeon (OF FUCKING COURSE) and then the villain locks them in and Nancy's like "hey ladycop don't you have a police whistle you can blow to get the attention of the other cops we brought with us?" So they're rescued and all the bad guys are caught and yay!
Bad news: the bad guys stole like EVERYTHING. Other than the fucking house (and they tried that too because the lawyer had an imposter claim to be the missing sister). The lawyer looted the estate and didn't keep any of the money. His henchmen found bottles of expensive dye and sold them, and the jewelry in the house, and like everything they could find. And they're all under arrest, but they ain't got shit now.
Good news: the missing sister is found! And sadly she was crippled in an accident, but she's a great gardener. So Nancy finds the dye formulas and the whelks used and sells that for the sister, and a spring on the property has "restorative properties," so she sells that too. The sister turns Heath Castle into a home for crippled children and cleans up the place and brings Joan and her mom to live there and yay! Everyone's happy. And Nancy's already on her next case.
So, good times.
So Nancy, gardener extraordinaire (see Larkspur Lane), has some gorgeous new rose bushes - which are fucking STOLEN because River Heights is a hotbed of crime. Seriously. Fucking rose bushes. She reports it to the police, and ladycop (Inspector Masters) says, "Oh yeah, I know who did this." She takes her to the house of the culprit: an elementary school aged moppet (Judy, I think) who is half an orphan (her dad died) and whose mom is an invalid. In other words, Judy hits like 3 spots on Nancy's mental Bingo card immediately. Judy was like "I stole the rose bushes 'cause we can't have pretty things!" and Nancy's like "No, it's okay, sadface," and the mom's like "if only my talented dancer sister were here, she's missing; she was gonna marry a rich man and he died but he left her his estate and if she doesn't claim it in three weeks it reverts back to the state!" Nancy of course is like "YES PLEASE."
Also, this clamdigger/seller named something normal but who has the nickname Mehearty (because he kept calling people "me hearties" and Nancy referred to him as "Mehearty-man" as a child) tells Nancy about Heath Castle (said rich guy's estate) and is kind of an idiot, but he has a good heart and he helps the girls out. And takes a punch for them. You're good people, Mehearty.
Nancy, Bess, and George take several trips out to Heath Castle, looking for any clues and the fortune that's apparently hidden there. During one, some guard dogs prevent Bess from coming in; once Nancy and George are in, George falls into a decorative fish pond and gets soaked. She takes off her clothes so Nancy can dry them, and hides in the boathouse in the meantime. Nancy lays out her clothes, including a fancy top (GEORGE WHY WOULD YOU WEAR A FANCY TOP DURING A TRIP TO AN OVERGROWN JUNGLE OF A HOUSE), so they can dry in the sun, and then immediately spots some stranger and follows him. Anyone knows what happens next:
-The neighbor boy who is such a bad influence on Judy comes by and fucking steals George's clothes because he's a pint-sized asshole who is also a dog abuser and he should be pimp slapped. That means George is left stranded in the boathouse 'cause she's indecent.
-Bess comes in because she's worried about her friends and ends up treed by the dogs.
-Nancy gets locked in a tower in Heath Castle. Someone inadvertently releases her so she escapes, but it's pretty tough for a while.
There's a LOT of sneaking onto the property to try to find clues, and the police-lady being super conveniently "just driving by" and helpful. I have a theory that she's kind of taken the Ned role in this.
Speaking of Ned, HE'S IN SOUTH AMERICA (FIGHTING NAZIS). This book came out in 1945. Ned writes to Nancy and says he's not having fun, and then says he's sure she's working on a mystery and he fondly remembers helping her while she did like all the work on solving mysteries, and Nancy's like "I LOVE YOU HONEY" except without saying it. She is super excited to hear from him.
Nancy and her dad track down the missing sister, but said sister is kidnapped before they can get in touch with her. And, in what is likely the most realistic thing to happen in this series EVER, the cops try to arrest her because she was fucking trespassing! And she was! So that wasn't really out of line. But the bad guy is the one who reported her, and he said that she was vandalizing and something-ing, and Nancy's like "okay I'll cop to the trespassing charge but fuck the rest of that noise, and also I was working on a case" and the cops are like "well, I mean... okay then" so they fucking LET HER GO (with ladycop, but whatev). Definition of white Drew privilege much? I mean, it's fine 'cause I love y'all but damn.
Nancy and ladycop find the missing sister in the castle dungeon (OF FUCKING COURSE) and then the villain locks them in and Nancy's like "hey ladycop don't you have a police whistle you can blow to get the attention of the other cops we brought with us?" So they're rescued and all the bad guys are caught and yay!
Bad news: the bad guys stole like EVERYTHING. Other than the fucking house (and they tried that too because the lawyer had an imposter claim to be the missing sister). The lawyer looted the estate and didn't keep any of the money. His henchmen found bottles of expensive dye and sold them, and the jewelry in the house, and like everything they could find. And they're all under arrest, but they ain't got shit now.
Good news: the missing sister is found! And sadly she was crippled in an accident, but she's a great gardener. So Nancy finds the dye formulas and the whelks used and sells that for the sister, and a spring on the property has "restorative properties," so she sells that too. The sister turns Heath Castle into a home for crippled children and cleans up the place and brings Joan and her mom to live there and yay! Everyone's happy. And Nancy's already on her next case.
So, good times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2025
2.5 cute nostalgia
December 27, 2019
"When Nancy is asked to find a professional dancer who disappeared several years before, the young detective becomes involved in a mystery reaching far beyond a missing-person's case. During Nancy's investigation at Heath Castle, she and her friends Bess and George realize that its crumbling walls contain a secret, but what is it? And who are their enemies that try to foil their every attempt to unravel the intricate puzzle? Danger lurks in a castle tower and throughout the vine-tangled grounds of the estate. The girls' gripping adventures culminate in a dramatic climax when Nancy exposes a sinister plot to defraud the dancer of her inheritance." [x]
I've read this book either once or twice and did not enjoy it. I actually confused it with Moonstone Castle and when I re-read that a few months ago I kept think "where are all the parts I hate like George getting her clothes stolen?" then I realized I was thinking of the wrong book and its actually Clue in the Crumbling Wall I can't stand (Moonstone Castle is an excellent book btw).
I don't remember much about this book except for George getting her clothes stolen while they're drying and the girls looking through a box they find in the crumbling wall. As for what's in the box I don't recall at all.
Gosh, I am not looking forward to reading this but lets get it over with.
- Nancy has 3 weeks to find Juliana Johnson so she can claim her inheritance. Why would anyone wait until there's only 3 weeks to hire someone to track her down? Someone should have been on that a year ago. I know the lawyer is crooked and not really trying but Juliana's sister should have tried.
- I find Salty a little disturbing. This man just walks down the street with a wagon full of Oysters for sale. Its kind of strange and seems unsanitary. And of course Nancy just happens to get an oyster with a pearl.
- Nancy's purse gets stolen. It contains her drivers license, car registration, credit cards, money, the pearl from the oyster, and some cosmetics. She says she's just thankful she didn't lose more but like...what else could she have lost. Its not like she's going to keep her real valuables in her purse. Instead of being thankful she should be concerned about those credit cards.
- Bess stuck in a tree with vicious dogs surrounding her, George stuck clothe-less in a tool shed, and Nancy locked in the tower of an abandoned castle may be the most hopeless situation the girls have been in.
- Heath castle just happens to be based off an English castle and Nancy just happens to have a book featuring that castle and the book just happens to mention the secret hiding place in the wall. Talk about luck!
You can read the rest of this review at VintageGirlsBooks.blogspot.com
You can see all the illustrations from this book at www.pinterest.com/Nancydrewart
March 16, 2018
Thank the crumbling walls. They contained the clues that brought you here. To me Heath Castle will always remain a symbol of mystery and romance.”
Indeed the story of Heath Castle not only had mystery in itself but also a lot of romance ,a broken heart and two separated love-birds. The Mystery of Crumbling wall is 22nd edition in Nancy Drew mystery Series. This book had been authored by Mildred Benson and its a fine example of her adroit story-telling. One of the most beautiful stories from the series. This story is unique in itself because of the romantic factor added to it.The english Castle ,A lost treasure and A stolen pearl ring all added to the charm of the mystery . This mystery was less action-filled and adventurous but still intriguing and captivating.
The story starts with a missing dancer and also a potential hieress to a big fortune. The dancer must be located in time so as to prove her rightful inheritence.
Nancy begins her quest to locate the dancer in order to help her impoverished sister and her little daughter Joan. But a lot of hurdles and sinister plotting lies between Nancy and her goal.
Will she be able to achieve it before the time runs down?
Overall a very nice and enjoyable read.
Indeed the story of Heath Castle not only had mystery in itself but also a lot of romance ,a broken heart and two separated love-birds. The Mystery of Crumbling wall is 22nd edition in Nancy Drew mystery Series. This book had been authored by Mildred Benson and its a fine example of her adroit story-telling. One of the most beautiful stories from the series. This story is unique in itself because of the romantic factor added to it.The english Castle ,A lost treasure and A stolen pearl ring all added to the charm of the mystery . This mystery was less action-filled and adventurous but still intriguing and captivating.
The story starts with a missing dancer and also a potential hieress to a big fortune. The dancer must be located in time so as to prove her rightful inheritence.
Nancy begins her quest to locate the dancer in order to help her impoverished sister and her little daughter Joan. But a lot of hurdles and sinister plotting lies between Nancy and her goal.
Will she be able to achieve it before the time runs down?
Overall a very nice and enjoyable read.
November 27, 2007
Well, I met a woman who collects Nancy Drew books. I haven't read any in a long time. We exchanged favorite titles so I went to the library and got out my 2 favorites and hers. I read all three and they were better than I remembered. This was my absolute favorite from adolescent days. The descriptions of the estate was just as wonderful as I remembered. I was impressed that Nancy was an interesting young woman - not the pablum I kind of remembered. But I did notice the edits. She now drives a sports car (still a convertible), not the "roadster" of the books I read oh so long ago. And is George the first model of gayness for young women?
May 19, 2020
Nancy and her buddies, George and Bess have adventures in the overgrown Heath Castle, as they try and find multiple treasures left by the former owner. Stakes are raised as the estate deadline draws near and the girls and Mr. Drew are looking for the missing heiress.
This might be a top ND mystery for me as it was a tad more complex, and the writing was clearly updated to an era that takes into account my sensibilities. More palatable.
3.5 stars rounded up. Off to #23!
This might be a top ND mystery for me as it was a tad more complex, and the writing was clearly updated to an era that takes into account my sensibilities. More palatable.
3.5 stars rounded up. Off to #23!
November 20, 2015
When I want to escape for a few hours there is no where better to lose yourself than a Nancy Drew book.Easy to read,usually plenty of dangerous situations that you know Nancy will get out of some how.Yeah in the earlier mysteries you know who the bad guys are but who cares,you still can't beat a good Nancy Drew book and this mystery is one of my favourites.
March 19, 2019
I was actually really surprised with this Nancy Drew. It’s such a heartwarming story of suspense. Nancy is helping a lady and her daughter who’s sister disappeared. The sister was a dancer, and was going to inherit a large mansion and large sum of money. Nancy looks for the missing dancer. The end is so heartwarming, this book is hard to put down!
May 4, 2015
Probably the most romantic Nancy Drew ever. Not so campy as some, but high marks for atmosphere, romance, and imagery. Solid mystery and love combination made this a very piognant Nancy Drew.
April 30, 2012
Once again enjoyed this one ... especially the Cinderella references, as I am a big Cinderella buff. Delightful, easy afternoon read.
September 23, 2011
Yet another excellent addition to the Nancy Drew mystery book series.
September 26, 2012
I remember doing a book review on this Nancy Drew Mystery when I was 12 years old!
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