Nancy Drew Diaries, No. 26 - Superstitions of "The Scottish Play"

The Nancy Drew Diaries continues with the 26th entry into the series, pushing it past the 25 books of the Hardy Boys Adventure series (which, sadly, has not seen a new book in two years, leading one to believe that Simon & Schuster has closed that series - whether there will be another reboot with the upcoming 100 year anniversary in 2027 remains to be seen...).  Since reducing the series to only one book per year, there was hope that perhaps we might see a bump up in the length and quality of the stories.  Yes, many of the plots of this Diaries series have been interesting, but with the super-large font and low page count, it has definitely not measured up to the original series.  Now we are getting books that are 190 pages in length or longer; yet, when the font size is considered, we are likely only getting 160 pages or so of actual story content.  This book weighs in at 197 pages, and with its story centered around the theater, I was truly hoping for a great mystery ...

Superstitions of "The Scottish Play" provides readers with some new insight into not only Ned Nickerson, but also Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin.  We discover in this mystery that Ned is wanting to spread his wings and try something new, so he auditions for a role in the University's upcoming production of Shakespeare's Macbeth.  At the same time, we find Bess Marvin stepping out of her comfort zone to try not only songwriting, but also singing as well!  All of which leaves Nancy pondering the question - is solving mysteries all she really wants to do for the rest of her life?  Should she not go out and try some other hobbies to expand her experiences in life?  Definitely a question the Nancy Drew of the 1900s would have never even considered; but we are living in the 2000s now, and as society changes, it is inevitable that our favorite teenage sleuth might start to evolve as well.

And speaking of "teenage sleuth" ... there are shades of fourth-wall breaking in this book, as several times Nancy makes mention of her status as a teen detective.  "...if you google 'teenage detective,' my name might come up" she muses on page 4.  Of course, in that same paragraph, she also mentions that "this girl in California named Veronica Mars" is also a teen detective, with whom she tried to get in touch!  I guess this places Veronica Mars and Nancy Drew in the same universe, according to this author anyway.  We also get references to Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep (p. 72), along with playwright Lynn Nottage, who slipped and said the name of "The Scottish Play" in the theater, and the next day her mother died (p. 60) - which is a true story.  This, of course, supports the superstition that one never, never, NEVER says the name of the actual play (Macbeth) in a theater, even moreso when you are doing a production of the play.  It is always referred to simply as "The Scottish Play."  Hence, the title to the book.

And this sets up the supposed mystery in this book, which, I must say, is very weak at best.  Ned, who does get a part in the play, slips up and says the word Macbeth during a rehearsal, which infuriates the overly dramatic director (who is quite the diva!) and nearly causes the show to be cancelled.  But the director will not get paid if he doesn't direct, so the show must go on.  But then a stage light falls from above (depicted somewhat on the cover to the book), giving everyone the idea that perhaps the play is now cursed.  Then the director himself falls through the trap door on the stage, which is not easily opened.  Then on the night of the play, all of the costumes are covered in mud.  The director is convinced the play is cursed, but Nancy knows otherwise.  Someone is trying to sabotage the play, but the question is who?  To be honest, there are no real clues in the story to point to any one suspect, and the ultimate revelation of the culprit comes a bit out of nowhere.  There is no way the reader would be able to figure out the identity of the saboteur just from reading the story, which is a bit disappointing.  I prefer when there are clues, no matter how subtle, that lead the reader, right along with Nancy, to solve the mystery.

Now, with regard to that new insight into Bess mentioned above.  Well, in this story, Bess suddenly has the inspiration to not only write songs, but sing them as well.  This leaves George and Nancy in a bit of a quandary, as Bess' voice is not exactly what one would call stellar.  But how can they tell her and burst her newfound dreams?  This subplot is a bit out there and really has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the story, other than to provide Bess with the reason to pester Nancy about finding a new hobby for herself.  She gives a shot at set decorating, which, of course, allows her to be close to Ned and also to be in the theater to solve the mystery when it arises.  Otherwise, the whole "songwriter/singer" part of the book feels more like filler than anything else.

As usual, we get very little characterization when it comes to the supporting cast (other than the director), and so it makes it all the more difficult to actually feel anything for any of the characters.  Sure, the author provides some surface information - Simon is British, Cassie is a hairdresser, Ricky has a boyfriend, Dale has been an actor before, etc. - but the author spends very little time on any of the characters, so the reader knows way too little about them to sift out any possible motives for the sabotage.  While the plot itself is a good one (having done theater for some years, I am familiar with how superstitious actors, directors, and crew can be!), it simply is not executed as well as it could have been.  Whether this is because of a word-count limitation by the publisher or lack of passion on the part of the author, I suppose we will never know.

I will say that the book ends on a note that could easily be seen as the conclusion to this series.  As the girls discuss their various hobbies, Nancy makes the remark, "It's good to stretch outside your usual things ... It may not be your life's work ... but you just might find something that makes you happy" (p. 197).  And in her closing diary notation (you know what I'm talking about - how each of these books opens and closes with a "diary" page), Nancy writes, "...I really did enjoy helping to design and build the sets of Ned's play.  But you know what? I loved solving the mystery more.  Maybe I will try to do some more drawing and sketching.  But I think I've already found my true calling..." (p. 198).  And since there is no ad for the next book, but instead, and ad for the previous book in the series (which, by the way, Nancy makes reference to a couple of times in the story), one could easily see this as the last of the Nancy Drew Diaries.  I suppose only time will tell...

7 footprints in the dust out of 10 for at least attempting to take the characters in some different directions and giving us a mystery in one of my favorite places - the theater!