Nancy Drew Girl Detective #27 Intruder, #28 Mardi Gras Masquerade, and #29 Stolen Bones

In Nancy Drew Girl Detective #27, Intruder, George's mom is to cater a tea party benefit for the library.  The tea party will take place at Cardinal Corners, a new bed-and-breakfast.  The sponsors are worried that the tea party may have to be canceled, because strange noises have been heard at night in Cardinal Corners, and the owners are certain that someone has been entering the old mansion.  Some people fear that the mansion is haunted.

This book is very much like the older Nancy Drew books with Nancy investigating what could be a haunted house.  On page 38, she receives a warning phone call, just like in the old stories.  The girls explore a secret passage.

This is a very good book in the spirit of the older Nancy Drew books.  I just wish that the book had a better title.  I found better titles within the passages of the book.  From page 27, I found "The Ghost of Cardinal Corners."  From page 140, I found "The Riddle of the Broken Teapots."  Aside from the title, this book is great.

In Nancy Drew Girl Detective #28, Mardi Gras Masquerade, a masquerade party is to be held at Jackson Ayers' old mansion.  The purpose of the party is to raise funds for repairs to his home so that it can be listed in the Antique Homes Registry.

Soon after the party begins, mysterious events occur.  George is thrilled, because she brought her camera and hopes to get a picture of a ghost.  Deirdre Shannon is obnoxious as ever, and shortly into the party, a borrowed tiara is stolen from Deirdre.  Nancy races to find the culprit before the party guests leave.

Most of this book takes place in one evening at a party in an old mansion.  I really like the setup.  It felt kind of like I was in a Nancy Drew game, exploring an old mansion.  The mansion even has a solarium!

This book is outstanding.

In Nancy Drew Girl Detective #29, Nancy, Bess, and George assist at a paleontology dig in New Mexico.  Dinosaur bones can be worth millions of dollars, and soon, valuable bones are stolen from the dig.  Is the culprit one of the volunteers or someone else?  Nancy investigates.

I wondered about the dig's water source partway through the story.  The volunteers go to their vehicles to get water from jugs.  They use that water to drink and to bathe.  Did they really bring enough to last for days?  I suppose they must have, but I'm a bit skeptical.

This book is also outstanding.

I find it interesting how wonderful these three books are, because they are the last three books before a permanent format change to the series.  From #30 on, the series is set up in a series of trilogies.  The cover art also changes, and not necessarily for the better.