Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Page turning mystery…
Cons: …That is a little overly convoluted
The Bottom Line:
Nancy helps a friend
Overly convoluted
Kids will still enjoy
Helping a Friend in Need
While I read many Nancy Drew books when I was a kid (and
before I discovered Trixie Belden), I’m confident I never read The Mystery at Lilac Inn. How do I know this? I just read it and none of it seemed at all
familiar. As a result, I don’t have
nostalgia to draw from when looking at it.
This book finds Nancy and her friend Helen (in Helen’s last
appearance in the series), traveling up river just a bit to visit their friend Emily. They are both going to be bridesmaids in Emily’s
wedding, and this trip will give them a chance to plan the wedding as well as
see the inn that Emily and her fiancé have just purchased.
Even before they arrive, strange things start to
happen. Their canoe is capsized mid
river, but they have no idea why. When
they arrive at the inn, they learn that some strange things have been happening
there. Oh, and someone is impersonating
Nancy Drew back in River Heights. Can
Nancy figure out what is going on?
Since I had never read this book before, I got caught up in
the mystery. There is a lot happening
here. In fact, there is almost too much
happening. Even when I give the series
latitude for coincidence, I still find this one a little hard to swallow. And you know it’s bad when it takes the
villain monologuing at the end for the better part of a chapter to explain
everything. Still, things do come to a
satisfactory conclusion; this is a Nancy Drew book after all. And I found myself turning pages as quickly
as I could to figure out just what the heck was going on.
We still haven’t met Nancy’s usual friends Bess and
George. As a result, Nancy seems to
spend a great deal of the book sleuthing on her own. Or maybe Bess and George aren’t as involved
as I remember them being either. Either
way, Nancy is pretty much the star here.
The characters, even Nancy, are on the shallow side, but we still care
enough to become invested in the story.
One thing I roll my eyes at in this series (and the Hardy
Boys) is when the characters have a new skill they need for this book. In this case, Nancy has just aced a skin
diving class, and it turns out to be a very good thing.
Like the others, there are elements in the story that are
dated. The only one that mightreally trip up today’s kids is Nancy’s missing charge
plate. That one even threw me.
While The Mystery at Lilac Inn has a few problems, it is still a fun read that will keep sleuths
of all ages engrossed in the story.
This was one of my favorites though I do agree about the overly convoluted part. Turner Classic Movies just played a bunch of the Nancy Drew movies from the 1930s and Nancy Drew, Detective is based on this story which made me very happy!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen any of the movies from the 1930's, but I've always been curious to. Interesting that they used this book as a basis for one of the films.
DeleteI can't remember the story but do remember this was one I owned and enjoyed (over and over, as I did all the ND stories.) I haven't read any since my childhood; I ought to see if I still enjoy them. Maybe after I (re)read the Judy Bolton series...
ReplyDeleteI bought several of the Judy Bolton books years ago, but I never got around to reading them. Way too many books so little time, right?
DeleteWhat I really liked about the Judy Bolton books was that the characters aged normally, instead of staying perpetually the same age as in many of the other MG/YA mystery series of the period. Judy graduates from high school, Peter becomes a lawyer and then an FBI agent (or possibly the other way 'round; I don't remember for sure); various characters get married as the series progresses, including Judy and Peter, eventually. It made the characters more believable and realistic, even when the mysteries were a little far-fetched.
DeleteAlways learned something new when I read one of these books. In this case, I found out lilacs are also called blue bells.
ReplyDeleteHelen and her husband show up much later in the series. I believe the book was The Invisible Intruder when the whole gang solves several mysteries.
Really? I have never read Invisible Intruder, but now I really want to to see Helen again and meet her husband. We have yet to do so. She's not Bess and George, but I really did like her.
Deletewhere to buy the spanish argentina 1965 version?
ReplyDelete