Neha's Notebook

The Whispering Statue by Carolyn Keene An elderly lady, Mrs. Merriam visits Nancy’s father to unearth the secret of her antique book collection, that she regularly sells to an antique librarian named Mr. Basswood. Apparently, Mr. Basswood seems to be flummoxing Mrs. Merriam by offering her lesser charges for the books she sold, than the charges he auctioned to his customers. The lady smells something fishy going on in his library-bookshop, and wants the secret behind this matter be unveiled. Nancy, along with her friends Bess and George, boards the flight to Waterford, where she is going to have a stay in Mrs. Merriam’s watch club motel. Disguising herself as a girl named Debbie, Nancy starts working in Basswood’s antique library as his assistant saleswoman. Guided by her instincts, she is led into a dusty chamber located inside the bookshop, where she discovers a smorgasbord of statues and sculptures, most of these signed in the initials M De K. Even Nancy is beg...

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene Of all the mysteries that Nancy has come across, this one causes her to land into ‘Lilac Inn’, a remotely-situated colonial-style resort. Abundant greens and dense sprinkles of lilac trees paint the portrait of this inn’s generous property. The picturesque space is revealed to be dotted with a number of elegant cottage huts, one dining hall and also, a public restaurant. Some itsy-bitsy renovations are in process. The inn is owned by Nancy’s friend Emily, who has purchased it very recently, and also, who is going to host her wedding cermony in the inn before opening its cottages for the tourists. Nancy and their common friend Helen, are going to be Emily’s bridesmaids. And so, the two of them, Nancy and Helen, pack up their suitcases to have a wondersome stay in the beautiful inn; totally unaware of what awaits them there! To everyone’s utter bewilderment, the inn seems to be shadowed by some bizarre occurrences. Also livi...

The Mystery of the 99 Steps by Carolyn Keene 9 x1 = 9 9x2 = 18 = 9= 1+8 9x3 = 27 = 9 = 2+7 9x4 = 36 = 9 = 3+6 9x5 = 45 = 9 = 4+5 9x6 = 54 = 9 = 5+4 9x………………………… Oops! My apologies for missing the introduction. I found myself involved in some serious calculations, actually. By the way, do you recall, from your school days, this amazing pattern appearing in the mathematical table of 9? Or, did you know that the number 9 was considered to be a magical number by many great & skilled alchemists of ancient times? Well, even if you don’t, then this book will reveal to you some of these fascinating facts. And perhaps even more, as you progress in reading the chapters of this mystery. This particular mystery offered to the blue-eyed detective, Nancy Drew, teems with all things chemistry, alchemy and oh yes, France! Nancy’s lawyer father, Carson Drew is in France to work on a case concerning a top business tycoon named Monseiur LeBlanc. This businessman is appearing to display some strang...

The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars One part historical romance blended with equal part adventure, this mystery is not only interesting to read, but also very immersive with respect to its plot’s imagery detailing. Driven by one of her client’s pleas, Nancy puts her foot into an old estate known by the name of Heath Castle. Though utterly magnificient, this English-style castle appears to her to be in a terrible condition; a consequence of caretaker’s carelessness, abandonment and neglect. Everywhere she steps, she discovers nothing but cracked plasters, crumbling towers, tangled webs of vines and overgrown weeds. But apparently, the greatest clues to the mystery too are concealed inside these mud-soaked moss-dipped fragmenting old castle’s walls. Nancy must find these clues as quick as possible because otherwise, this castle, as well as the entire inheritance connected to it, will go to false charity – in the hand...

The Secret of Mirror Bay by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars Nancy’s aunt invites her and her friends on a vacation trip at a bayside cabin owned by her. The cabin is located across a bay in a small New York based town called Cooperstown. Apparently, this trip is not only limited to vacation fun, rather, it is also an invite to solve the mystery of a woman who is reported to be seen walking atop the bay’s waters during early misty mornings. This bay, named Bide-a-Wee, is known to possess utter beauty in the form of its mirror-like waters, further surrounded by fine woody mountains and jungly green rainforests. So, along with her aunt and with two of her best friends – Bess and George, Nancy sets out on this adventurous exploration. And guess, what happens as they step into the town? Nancy is mistaken to be a criminal by town’s people and authorities! Apparently, a girl whose face resembles Nancy, causes the people in town to mistake her identity...

Nancy Drew 25: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars The Ghost of the Blackwood Hall is a thrilling story, featuring one of the creepiest plots among all titles of the Nancy Drew-Carolyn Keene 64-title series. As an elderly woman Mrs. Putney, reaches out to Nancy through a friend of her father; she seems somewhat anxious and perplexed. Guided by some superstitious trance that her late husband’s spirit is communicating messages to her, Mrs. Putney seems to be experiencing mysterious occurrences including the theft of her priced jewels & failing to remember the details of certain recent events. Engulfed in the spell of her superstitions, she almost fires Nancy as her detective; not just once but multiple times. On the other side, Nancy, along with her friends, discovers that not just Mrs. Putney, but several other young girls like Lola & Nellie are involved in this dangerous & cultish trap. These girls appear ...

The Thirteenth Pearl by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars This is the story about the theft of an unusual pearl necklace featuring a set of thirteen pearls, with the thirteenth and the center-most pearl bearing a special significance. All the clues to the mystery lead Nancy to Japan, where she accompanies her father. During their stay in Japan, they are attacked with ghastly clues and threats, which warn them to take off the mystery. By the ending of the mystery, the clues lead Nancy inside a terrible pearl worshipping cult, where she find herself and her friend almost trapped inside an isolated house. The creepily insane ceremonies being carried out in the cult are described very well, including the woman in the white dress muttering some unusual words to herself. I loved the beautiful detailing the book mentions about the breeding of pearls, the pearl culture and how the descriptions of oysters are elaborated with much of a human-like emotion. ...

The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars A lightweight plot rooted in a generation conflict pertaining to family property between the two families Faynes and Marvins. The mystery is plotted in an old-world mansion, in the tower room of which, lives a hundred-year old man named Asa Sidney. He is almost a captive of a couple called collectively as the Jemitts. The Jemitts are the caretakers of the mansion, which nowadays, is being partially used as a restaurant. The property conflict further exponentiates after the sudden death of Mr. Sidney. As Nancy encounters the culprits, she is faced with kidnapping, drugging, foul play and what not. Despite of which, she manages to discover some valuable treasures including a special kind of music box, some ancient swords, and above all, some secret letters written by Mr. Sidney, and hidden in a place no one could decipher. The mystery is solved with not just the cooling of family ...

The Spider Sapphire Mystery by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars This is a story about an ancient sapphire gem belonging to a renowned Indian Shastri Tagore. This is a special kind of sapphire with a spider naturally embedded inside it. The gem is reported to be stolen and the blame of the theft is put on Dr. Ramsey who has produced an exactly similar gem but rather synthetically. Dr. Ramsey is also a dear friend of Nancy’s father, who is sure that his friend is totally honest in this regard. So, Nancy decides to unfold the mystery behind all of this. As a coincidence, the mystery appears to be connected to her venture safari trip to Africa with her friends and a group of Emerson college students are going to take. The mystery begins with the kidnapping of Nancy’s boyfriend Ned. Yet, the clueIn the end, a predictable yet highly dramatic scheme is unfolded behind the theft, which, the reader discovers in the ending chapters. Apart from finding the...

The Secret of the Forgotten City by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars This is a novel about Nancy Drew’s adventures about re-discovering and locating a lost Indian city, as well as the gold treasure hidden therein. The treasure hunt is joined by her two best friends Bess and George, their respective boyfriends and some students from the University of Nevada. The gold digging is carried out with the help of clues and symbols depicted on seven petroglyphs, each featuring a moon phase symbol, and a shiny golden chuckwalla symbol. While the thief named Fleetfoot Joe tries to stop then, to warn them and to create obstacles repeatedly in their way, he is in the end caught and arrested by the police. In the end, Nancy almost loses her life to the waters of underground river, but comes out saving her life, as well as discovering the package with the ancient gold plates. This is one of my favourite novels from the entire Nancy Drew-Carolyn Keene series. P...

The Clue in the Jewel Box by Carolyn Keene My rating: 0 of 5 stars This is a chapter-novel magnifying the mystery of a woman named Madame Alexandra, who was a former queen; pertaining to her lost grandson - the prince as well as the number of clues cleverly hidden inside her recovered treasures, among which were a prettily-tiered porcelain jewel box and a gold-trimmed Easter Egg featuring a singing nightingale. In addition to all the items of her treasure, these two items particularly, paves way for Nancy to move forward with several encrypted clues as the mystery unfolds before her. As both a writer and a reader, I found the treasure item descriptions to be intriguing. I also liked the character of the fake prince represented by Michael, especially the quality of stubbornness that his features and mannerisms depicted in the novel. Other characters that stayed with me after the completion of the novel were Mr. Faber - the antique jewel dealer, Anna –...