Nancy Drew Diaries #7 The Phantom of Nantucket

In Nancy Drew Diaries #7, The Phantom of Nantucket, Nancy, Bess, and George visit Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.  Their friend, Jenna, has an exhibit opening at the museum, but the exhibit is being sabotaged!  Nancy tries to find the saboteur.

This is another of the typical Simon and Schuster sabotage mysteries, of which most modern Nancy Drew mysteries seem to be.  This book reminds me of the Nancy Drew Digest book, The Secret Lost at Sea, which centered around a museum in Connecticut that was being sabotaged.

George is more excited about food than Bess.  I still don't get the George thing with food.  At least quantities are not mentioned, so I will assume that while George loves to eat that she doesn't eat incredibly large amounts like in the first books in this series.  At least I hope not.

Even though this is the typical sabotage mystery, I enjoyed it.  I guessed the culprit rather early in the story.  I have noticed a trend in the Nancy Drew Diaries books where the stories tend to take unexpected turns.  I knew exactly who the culprit was by keeping that in mind along with noting some obvious clues that were presented early in the text.

This is an enjoyable book.

The Three Investigators Crimebusters #6 Thriller Diller, #7 Reel Trouble, and #8 Shoot the Works

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #6, Thriller Diller, actor Diller Rourke disappears while filming his latest movie.  Pete decides to solve the case by himself, and when he fails, he finally tells Jupe and Bob about the actor's disappearance. 

I suppose that the book is interesting enough, but I don't care for it a great deal.  I find it odd that Pete wants to solve a case on his own to prove himself.  The series is trying to bring in some conflict that doesn't need to be there.  The Three Investigators have always been a team, and messing with that formula is just wrong.  It is annoying.

In the Three Investigators #7, Reel Trouble, the boys work on a case involving the piracy of compact discs.  Meanwhile, Bob is busy helping a new band, the Hula Whoops, make it big.

I had trouble getting into this book due to the subject.  I quickly associated this book with Nancy Drew Digest books that contain too many characters, in particular, The Riddle of the Ruby Gazelle, which had a band with members I couldn't keep straight.  In this book, I couldn't remember all of the members of the Hula Whoops, nor did I care. Significant text was devoted to the Hula Whoops and the soap opera-esque romance between two of the members.  It was so boring!

This book has too many villains.  I skimmed the last few chapters so that I could move on.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #8, Shoot the Works, the boys become interested in paintball.  While playing paintball, a brief conversation is overheard, and the boys draw the conclusion that a robbery is being planned.

This book has way too many characters that are introduced way too quickly.  I gave up trying to keep them straight and plowed through the book, little caring about all of these people I couldn't keep straight. 

The boys' suspects are people who take paintball very seriously, and how they feel about paintball seems to be the major reason they end up suspects.  Um, I have a newsflash.  People who are interested in a particular recreational activity do tend to take it seriously.  That does not necessarily make them criminals.

The books now contain too much boy stuff.  What was so great about the original Three Investigators series is that it was not loaded with overtly boyish activities and language.  This series has a completely different premise, and that is the problem.

On page 32, Jupe recites the names all the paintball players they met and gives the names of their teams, which, by the way, is not that relevant.  Pete protests, "Give me a break!  I can't remember all that!"  Exactly.  That's what is wrong with this entire book.

On page 80, Bob whips out his pocket photocopier so that he can make a copy of a map.  Oh, that splendid 1990s' technology!  This struck me funny.

The book was good once I got more than halfway through.  However, I don't consider the book to be overall good since I had so much trouble with the first half of the book.

Nancy Drew Game: Labyrinth of Lies

In the Nancy Drew game, Labyrinth of Lies, Nancy Drew has been asked to investigate the disappearance of artifacts from a museum in Greece.  One of the performers in a Greek drama that is being performed in an amphitheater nearby might be involved.

A free download to the strategy guide is included with purchases of the game from Her Interactive's website.  My strategy guide had a typo in it that caused one puzzle not to be solvable.  I have heard varied reports about whether all of the strategy guides were affected.  Some people have stated that their guides are fine.

The mistake has to do with a puzzle that involves names that have to be entered in Greek characters.   A name given in the guide as "ΓPHΓOP" should instead be "ΓPIΓOP."

I found most of the puzzles in this game to be to my particular liking, which enhanced my enjoyment of the game.  How much I like the puzzles varies from game to game, and I was pleased that the puzzles matched my abilities.

The game flows quite well from event to event, and I did not have much difficultly advancing in the game.  There is something about the ending of the game that is interesting and a little different from other games. 

This game is a solidly good game and falls into the upper one-third of Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games.

Three Investigators Crimebusters #3 Rough Stuff, #4 Funny Business, and #5 An Ear for Danger

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #3, Rough Stuff, the Three Investigators travel by plane with Mr. Andrews to a remote lake.  While in an unpopulated area, the plane crashes, stranding the travelers.  The situation worsens when Mr. Andrews disappears, and people begin shooting at the boys from inside the woods.

This is the kind of book I really like.  Since the boys are isolated from other people, Bob is not surrounded by his usual entourage of girls.  This story comes close to being similar to the original series.

This book is outstanding.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #4, Funny Business, the Three Investigators attend a comic book convention hoping to sell some valuable comics.  Many of the comics get stolen, and the boys begin an investigation.  Soon they learn that the thievery is but a small part of the crime.

On page 18, the Three Investigators discover that their old business cards are considered collectible by a comic book dealer.

On page 21 one person comments that people ruin collecting by selling comics for high prices.  I have heard this same statement from series book collectors about series book prices.

A few negative comments are made about comic book fans, for instance saying that they are fat.  Perhaps lots of comic book fans are fat, but lots of people in the general population are fat these days.  Statements are also made about collectors being weird and crazy.  On page 42, Jupiter adds, "And I don't think it helps that what they collect is something as childish as comic books."  I know enough about comic books to be aware that many have subject content that is far from childish.

I enjoyed this book.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #5, An Ear for Danger, Jupiter wins a free trip to a ranch in Mexico.  The contest was suspicious, and Jupiter suspects that more is at play.  Bob and Pete travel with Jupiter to Mexico, where they learn that someone is after a hidden treasure.

Jupe has yet another new diet.  I think he needs Hector Sebastian's cook, Don.  If Jupe had to deal with Don's cooking, he wouldn't have any trouble losing weight.  Speaking of Don and Hector Sebastian, Jupiter calls Sebastian on page 39.  

Just like in Rough Stuff, the boys are in an environment that does not include Bob's endless parade of girls and the other stupidity brought forth in this series.  With those qualities absent, the book is much more enjoyable than the others.

This book is outstanding.

Observations about the Valerie Drew Stories

It took me reading at least a dozen Valerie Drew stories before I fully understood the premise and was able to appreciate them completely.  Now that I've read quite a few Valerie Drew stories, I can make some observations.  Valerie is extremely well known, and people often recognize her on sight.  Flash is also well known.

Valerie's mysteries often start by someone coming to Valerie to request her services.  Other times, Valerie stumbles upon the mystery.  Valerie only helps girls or young women.  She does help men, but only if the man has a sister, daughter, or granddaughter who is the main person who gets Valerie's attention.

While that is a bit sexist, the stories were written for Schoolgirls' Weekly.  Of course the magazine kept the stories centered around girls.

I consider the 1930s to be the golden age of series books.  I dearly love the plot elements of books that were published in those years.  These stories have all of those plot elements, including hidden passages, haunted places, strange noises, and odd footprints.

I especially like books where the events are a bit far-fetched, because I find them entertaining.  These stories have that, too.  Here are some examples.

In a 1934 story, a house has a Dictaphone.  Flash's paw goes down on the pedal accidentally, starting it up.  An important conversion is recorded, providing Valerie with evidence.  I find it hard to believe that an average house in 1934 would have a Dictaphone, allowing for voice recording.

I checked on what a Dictaphone might have cost.  I did not find a 1934 price, but I did see where one cost $190 in 1924.  Running $190 through an inflation calculator gave me $2,560.  I'm off by ten years and don't know the price for 1934, but I feel confident that a Dictaphone is not an item many homes would have owned in 1934.  Also, the people Valerie helps are almost always poor.  No Dictaphone for them!

In a 1936 story, a telephone is present inside a tent in a camp in the middle of the country.  Say what?  It was explained that the telephone was installed because the camp was permanent for the summer.  It sounded like the camp was a least a few miles from the nearest town, so we are expected to believe that telephone poles were erected up to the campsite so that a phone could be placed inside a tent.  I find this hard to believe.  And remember, we are talking about 1936.

In a 1937 story, a television set is rigged with a film projector inside.  When the television is turned on, the film projector plays a film of an event, then automatically rewinds, playing it again.  It stretches believability to say that the villains would be able to rig a film projector inside a television in 1937 and then get it to behave like a modern device set on repeat.  Hmm...

We also have the usual array of stunning disguises where men masquerade perfectly as women and where young people pass themselves off as elderly people.  Valerie manages to pull off a few amazing disguises which always work flawlessly, including the following case in which she disguises herself as an Indian.

Last, Valerie's dog, Flash, is unbelievably smart.  In fact, he is easily smarter than Judy Bolton's cat, Blackberry, and is the most capable animal I have ever seen outside of a cartoon.  Flash can think and reason out what to do in various situations!  He is a perfect partner for Valerie, even better than a human!

When I read my first Valerie Drew story, I was taken aback by Flash.  He thinks in words, and at first, I thought he could speak, which would be silly.  Fortunately, the words are just his thoughts, and while Valerie knows he is smart, she doesn't know exactly how smart.  At the same time, the stories make reference to Flash's "doggy brain," indicating that he doesn't fully understand everything Valerie tells him. 

I find these stories to be really fun.

Nancy Drew's Alter Ego, Valerie Drew

A few months ago, I wrote about the Valerie Drew short stories that were published in Schoolgirls' Weekly in the United Kingdom from 1934 through 1939.  Over 200 stories were published.  The old magazines probably survived in very low quantities and are now in rough shape with rusted staples, soiling, and foxing.  Even worse, I must import them from the United Kingdom, which raises my cost substantially.  I now have at least one-third of the stories and have been gradually reading them.  Even though I have spent quite a bit on the issues, it's worth it to acquire long-forgotten stories that most people have never seen.

These stories fascinate me.  Valerie Drew is Nancy Drew's British counterpart.  The creator of Valerie Drew quite obviously based her on Nancy Drew.  What is most remarkable is that a number of the Valerie Drew titles are eerily similar to Nancy Drew or other Grosset and Dunlap series titles that were published after the Valerie Drew stories were published.  It's almost like someone at Grosset and Dunlap saw the Valerie Drew stories.  I have no evidence upon which to back up that statement, and I have to believe that the similarities were bizarre coincidences and nothing more.

Here are some of the coincidences from the stories I have read so far.

"The Girl in the Red Scarf" was published on July 7, 1934.  The first Kay Tracey book by Frances K. Judd was published on August 24, 1934. That story was titled The Secret of the Red Scarf.  The Valerie Drew story features a girl named Frances.  While I haven't read the Kay Tracey book in a very long time, I seem to recall a girl having an outfit like Kay's.  In this Valerie Drew story, a girl is made up to look like Frances as part of a deception.  The publication dates of the story and the book were too close for this to be more than coincidence, but it is very strange.  "The Girl in the Red Scarf" is a very good story with a unique and very creative solution to the mystery.

"The Whispering Cavalier" was published on June 9, 1934.  A painting of a female cavalier whispers a warning.  This reminds me a little bit of the Nancy Drew book, The Whispering Statue.

"Hide and Seek in the Circus" was published on March 26, 1938.  In this story, a girl who works as a trapeze artist owns an ivory statuette.  She is the daughter of the man who runs the circus.  During this story, Valerie helps with the equestrian act so that she can live with the circus and not be suspected of being a detective.  This story reminds me of parts of two Nancy Drew books, The Mystery of the Ivory Charm and The Ringmaster's Secret.  One Nancy Drew book came before this story while the other came after.  This story is not at all the same as either Nancy Drew book, but the similarities are still interesting.

"The Girl Water-Walker" was published on June 13, 1936.  When I saw this title, I immediately thought of the Nancy Drew book, The Secret of Mirror Bay.  I knew that a girl would somehow walk on water in this story.  How interesting!  The story is not even slightly like Mirror Bay, and the method used by the girl is completely different from the method used in Mirror Bay.  Still, I love the title of this story.

 "The Threat of the Tolling Bell" was published on July 7, 1936.  In this story, the occupants of a castle are terrified when the bell in one wing of the castle tolls each night.  A legend states that the tolling bell brings tragedy to whomever lives in the castle.

Several times during the story, the phrase "the mystery of the tolling bell" is used.  In 1946, the Nancy Drew book, The Mystery of the Tolling Bell was published.  This Valerie Drew story uses the precise title of a future Nancy Drew book.

Also of interest, this story takes place by a cliff and on the ocean, and The Mystery of the Tolling Bell has a similar setting.

"The Threat of the Tolling Bell" is a very good story.

It's like Valerie Drew was one of Nancy Drew's relatives.  The entire time that Nancy Drew was solving mysteries in River Heights in the 1930s, her counterpart, Valerie Drew, was solving mysteries of her own in Great Britain.  And we had no idea.

The Three Investigators Crimebusters #1 Hot Wheels and #2 Murder to Go

I originally had no intention of reading the Three Investigators Crimebusters series, since many people say that the books are awful and that the premise was changed too much.  Partway through reading the Three Investigators series, I decided to try reading some of the English translations of the German Three Investigators series, Die Drei ???.  Once I learned that the Crimebusters series is part of the German chronology, I realized that I needed to read them before reading the German books.  I rapidly built a complete set.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #1, Hot Wheels, Jupe's cousin Ty Cassey shows up unexpectedly at the junkyard in a flashy Mercedes.  Ty promised to deliver the car for someone and is shocked when two police detectives arrive at the junkyard, accusing him of stealing the car. 

In this new series, the Three Investigators are now 17 and are surrounded by cars and girls.  Jupiter is still smart, but he is constantly on a diet, which is usually a stupid one, and is extremely shy around girls.  Pete is still the athlete and has a girlfriend named Kelly.  Bob ditched his glasses for contacts, which somehow made him a super stud who is constantly surrounded by swooning girls.

This first book was written by William Arden, one of the writers for the original Three Investigators series.  You would think that having one of the old writers would have helped, but it didn't.  This serves as a good example of how what the publisher wants will guide how the author writes the book.

This book tries too hard to be trendy.  Headquarters is called "HQ," which I found excessively annoying.  The girls are annoying.  The endless parade of car names is annoying.  All of the names of the karate and judo moves are annoying.  I don't know what the words mean, and I don't know how to pronounce them.  In short, the book is annoying.

I don't mind that the boys' personalities have shifted somewhat.  The extreme change in Bob's personality was most jarring for me, and I struggled with it.  I don't think I would have minded so much if he weren't surrounded by girls all the time.  It was just so... annoying.

Aside from all that, I did overall enjoy the book.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #2, Murder to Go, Big Barney Coop owns a popular chain of chicken restaurants.  Barney's daughter was in a car accident, and the Three Investigators suspect foul play. 

On page 7, I decided that Jupiter's diet schtick was getting old really fast.

I noticed that headquarters is no longer called "HQ" like it was in the first book.  Thank goodness.

I don't have much to say about this book, except that I enjoyed it. 

The Nancy Drew Game Is Near Its Goal!

As I wrote a few days ago, Quincy MacShane has created a Nancy Drew game.  She has obtained the licensing rights and hopes to get the game funded through Kickstarter.

Nancy Drew Board Game on Kickstarter

She is now within $2,000 of the goal!  There are just five days left in the campaign.

Another article has been published about the game.

Kickstartable:  The Nancy Drew Board Game

A new funding level has been added, allowing a backer to get two games at $55.00.