Nancy Drew #51 Mystery of the Glowing Eye

In Nancy Drew #51, Mystery of the Glowing Eye, an unmanned helicopter lands on Nancy's front lawn.  Inside the helicopter is a note from Ned Nickerson:  Beware of Cyclops. This is how Nancy learns that Ned has disappeared without a trace.  Nancy surmises that the mysterious Cyclops is responsible for Ned's disappearance.

Meanwhile, Carson Drew has Nancy help him investigate a mystery involving a glowing eye that appears inside a museum.  The Drews suspect that Cyclops and the glowing eye are somehow connected.

Nancy is dismayed that Carson Drew's new assistant, Marty King, seems determined to solve the glowing eye mystery herself.  Not only is Nancy worried about Ned, she fears that Marty King plans to take her place!

This mystery is unusual in that Nancy's emotions take center stage.  She is heartsick over Ned and concerned that Marty will replace her.  Nancy is jealous! 

On page four, the helicopter "plummeted the last fifty feet.  It hit the grass with a thud and the door flew open."  Later, the helicopter is able to take off on its own, so the helicopter was not damaged by plummeting fifty feet.  Somehow I doubt the helicopter would just land with a thud.

On page 58, Nancy is standing right in front of a file cabinet when it explodes.  The explosion "tore the file cabinet apart" and "knocked Nancy against the opposite wall."  That was some blast!  As usual, Nancy is not even slightly hurt.

On page 76, Nancy draws the eye from Ned's notes on a chalkboard and writes the numbers from his notes around the eye.  She then works on memorizing the numbers.  Conveniently, the chalkboard faces the open window, and Nancy's back is to the window.   Of course, a man shows up and writes down the numbers.

On page 106, Nancy and her friends are returning to investigate an old farmhouse. A barricade consisting of rocks, a warning sign, and a lantern has been placed across the road. The book states, "There was no way to get around the wall at this point because trees grew rather solidly along the road."

Not only that, but the illustration shows that the trees have also grown across the road since the last time Nancy and her friends drove down it.  Amazing!

The idea of a light that paralyzes people for a short time seems a bit far-fetched.  Reading this story as an adult, I have trouble accepting that part of the story.

I remember really enjoying this book as a child.  I was worried about Ned and quite excited when Nancy and Ned were reunited near the end of the story.  The story did not have the same effect on me this time, but I already knew the outcome and am no longer a child.  I enjoyed the book this time, just not as much as when I was young.