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Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys: Super Mystery #36
Process of Elimination
Nancy Drew has come to Los Angeles with her friend Bess to attend an international conference of environmentalists. But Nancy soon finds that there are even more urgent issues to address, such as the apparent murder of one of the conference coordinators, Carl Dubchek. And when Nancy starts asking questions, she ends up putting both herself and Bess in the line of fire! Meanwhile...
One hundred miles to the south, Frank and Joe Hardy experience a bizarre encounter of their own. Visiting the San Diego Zoo, they witness a commando-like operation-- to steal a truckload of bamboo. Even stranger, a quick investigation on the Internet reveals a connection between the bamboo heist and an ex-CIA agent-- Carl Dubchek! The Hardys hook up with Nancy in L.A., where they unravel a web of greed, deception, and international intrigue in... "Process of Elimination".
One hundred miles to the south, Frank and Joe Hardy experience a bizarre encounter of their own. Visiting the San Diego Zoo, they witness a commando-like operation-- to steal a truckload of bamboo. Even stranger, a quick investigation on the Internet reveals a connection between the bamboo heist and an ex-CIA agent-- Carl Dubchek! The Hardys hook up with Nancy in L.A., where they unravel a web of greed, deception, and international intrigue in... "Process of Elimination".
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1998
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353 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,004 books3,869 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 2, 2022
I DID IT!!!!
This isn't the note that I would have preferred to have ended on, but the last eleven books post-Secrets of the Nile were really a slog and I don't think it's entirely because I had no nostalgia for them because I liked some of the earlier ones that I hadn't read! I wonder how much of it might be technology--by the end they're talking emails and shit and these books work less well the more the real world interacts with them.
Anyway, very glad to have gone on this adventure, but am equally glad to be done.
Top 5, in no particular order: Secrets of the Nile (this one is unambiguously #1, though,) The Last Resort, A Crime for Christmas, Danger Down Under, High Survival
This isn't the note that I would have preferred to have ended on, but the last eleven books post-Secrets of the Nile were really a slog and I don't think it's entirely because I had no nostalgia for them because I liked some of the earlier ones that I hadn't read! I wonder how much of it might be technology--by the end they're talking emails and shit and these books work less well the more the real world interacts with them.
Anyway, very glad to have gone on this adventure, but am equally glad to be done.
Top 5, in no particular order: Secrets of the Nile (this one is unambiguously #1, though,) The Last Resort, A Crime for Christmas, Danger Down Under, High Survival
July 14, 2012
Ten years later I'm still quite passionate about the fact that Frank and Nancy need to be together.
October 19, 2025
I think late 80s up the the 90s is probably the best period for Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. The mysteries are closer to being actual mysteries. At least some effort is made to make the characters more than what the story needs them to be. Not only that they aren't just mundane robberies or Scooby-Doo style real estate scams. There is gun play, espionage and murder. They sorta of backed away from the 'any adult who isn't part of the family is evil' trope.
And this book is all totally that. The only trope, which is almost a necessity for the crossover books, is Nancy and the Hardys working two separate cases that converged. But this it actually works and seems organic.
But my favorite part was something that had been missing in Nancy Drew since almost the 1950s revisions. When Joe Hardy and their cop friend T-Bone have a little exchange. Joe says T-Bone throws like a girl. T-Bone says Joe catches like a girl. And Nancy says to Joe 'How would you like to get punched by a girl?'
Yes, that turns out to be part of Nancy and Joe's ruse to catch the bad guy but still... it's nice to see a return of the strong, badass Nancy Drew rather than the watered down one of 60s, 70s and most of the 80s.
Really, the only problem is that the Super Mystery books used to be double sized compared to the regular Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. As sales dropped and costs went up, the cut back to regular size. So these later crossovers usually had to find some excuse to drop whatever sidekick Nancy brought with her-- usually Bess- out of the story halfway through. Which is shame because even when I was reading some of these as kid, Bess and Joe struck me as just fun together.
And this book is all totally that. The only trope, which is almost a necessity for the crossover books, is Nancy and the Hardys working two separate cases that converged. But this it actually works and seems organic.
But my favorite part was something that had been missing in Nancy Drew since almost the 1950s revisions. When Joe Hardy and their cop friend T-Bone have a little exchange. Joe says T-Bone throws like a girl. T-Bone says Joe catches like a girl. And Nancy says to Joe 'How would you like to get punched by a girl?'
Yes, that turns out to be part of Nancy and Joe's ruse to catch the bad guy but still... it's nice to see a return of the strong, badass Nancy Drew rather than the watered down one of 60s, 70s and most of the 80s.
Really, the only problem is that the Super Mystery books used to be double sized compared to the regular Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. As sales dropped and costs went up, the cut back to regular size. So these later crossovers usually had to find some excuse to drop whatever sidekick Nancy brought with her-- usually Bess- out of the story halfway through. Which is shame because even when I was reading some of these as kid, Bess and Joe struck me as just fun together.
November 21, 2015
As usual, I don't really read these books because they're fine works of literature, but because I love Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (it makes me forgiving). But this was actually a pretty good story, lots of elements I liked. Good end of the series
March 31, 2024
Waiting for a fourth person to join Nancy and friends for lunch they hear he has been murdered. While visiting a zoo the Hardy boys try to stop a truck being stolen. Searching for clues Nancy and the Hardy boys find their on the same case and it involves the .CIA
September 30, 2024
goated book that i got for 10 rs
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews