Best of Enemies

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys: Super Mystery #9

by Carolyn Keene, Franklin W. Dixon

The Berlin Wall has come tumbling down, and a major American agent -- code-named the Swallow -- wants to come home. On a top-secret mission for the Network, THE HARDY BOYS head to Memphis, where a mystery man named Pritchiff has promised to turn the agent over for a price. But a ruthless German spymaster, known only as Klaus, has vowed to beat Frank and Joe to the punch -- and shoot the Swallow out of the sky.

Meanwhile . . .

NANCY DREW comes to the aid of Beau Davis, a guy with a bad case of the Memphis blues. Accused of stealing a guitar once belonging to Elvis, he is now a prime suspect in a more ominous matter -- the murder of Pritchitt! In a case as twisty and treacherous as a Mississippi River current, Frank and Joe and Nancy are headed for a stunning rendezvous and revelation . . in "Best Of Enemies."

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

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a good Frank/Nancy book and it's a Network heavy book, and I have a harder time suspending my disbelief about teenage detectives when international spy organizations are involved.

Next!

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun one! A lot of action and mystery.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pretty much generally enjoy the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys crossovers. This time it was Nancy, Bess, Frank, and Joe in Tennessee, meeting with a mysterious spy and solving a murder. It kind of strains believability that Frank and Joe are spies for a super-secret organization at 19 but you kind of just have to roll with it. I think overall the novel was entertaining even though the mystery wasn't difficult to solve.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I read all the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Books in the 60's. Found this copyright 1991 in a pile of used books. Reading in 2021. Well still an excellent middle school read, lots of interesting places to go in Memphis some still there. (The Memphis Bell is now in Dayton Ohio) My only Problem is this book is too white. Yes times have changed since growing up.

[Ann Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic middle school read.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys throughout my school and college days.

Nancy Drew is an amateur detective who solves crimes with occasional help from her best friends, Bess and George and, her boyfriend Ned. She also has occasional help from her father Carson Drew who runs a private law practice. From finding stolen goods to missing persons and solving mysterious happenings, Nancy is a force of nature.

Until I discovered that Carolyn Keene is a pen name for a whole bunch of ghostwriters, I used to feel confused about the slight differences in each character from books to book over the many series of Nancy Drew mysteries. I like the character of Nancy best in the original books written by Mildred Wirt Benson where Nancy is truly a character to root for – an independent and street smart girl with a penchant for trouble.

[Jenn Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy combinations, but as a big fan of Elvis Presley and Memphis this book was especially fun to read! The three of them make a great team.

[Fallon Ann Cribbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is so friggin stupid but read it because Francy. Do your time.