Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #21 - The Secret in the Old Attic (Revised Text)

Now that our “Central Florida Sleuths” group has begun getting together again (having taken a break to protect ourselves from the pandemic that shall not be named!), it has been rather fun to re-read some of these Nancy Drew books.  Many of them I have not read since I first read them as a child (we will NOT talk about how many years ago that was), so it’s almost like reading them all for the first time.  If nothing else, I’m definitely reading them with a fresh perspective as an adult, rather than through the innocence of childhood.  Thus, some elements that may seem a bit far-fetched or outright crazy and unbelievable now were likely exciting and fun to read as a child.  That being said, our November get-together centered on the 21^st book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, The Secret in the Old Attic.

Now, right off the bat, how can you not enjoy a book where one of the characters is named “Bushy Trott.”  Just say the name out loud, and you can’t help but giggle.  And, as with pretty much any Nancy Drew book, with a name like that, you just know he’s up to no good.  Of course, he doesn’t actually come into the story until later, and he actually has nothing to do with the main mystery that Nancy sets out to solve.  No, the mystery that Nancy actually stumbles upon involves one of her father’s clients who needs help finding some music that his son allegedly wrote before he died.  The aging man is in need of money to help support his young granddaughter, and he is confident that his son’s music will supply the much needed funds. Nancy agrees to help (of course!), and soon she, Bess, and George are searching the man’s once-grand estate to find the missing music.  Along the way, Carson asks for Nancy’s help with another client who believes that his secret formula for creating silk cloth was stolen and is now being used by his competitors! Nancy happens to be a former classmate with the alleged copycat’s daughter, so she finagles her way into the factory, where she comes face-to-face with Bushy Trott!  As usual, the two mysteries ultimately intertwine, and Nancy faces some daunting challenges – such as being trapped in the factory, getting locked in the attic with a black widow spider, and facing off against a skeleton in a wardrobe!

The version I read is the revised, but apparently there are few differences between the original text and the revised text.  It seems the revised text drops the romantic entanglement between Nancy, Ned Nickerson, and Diane Dight (who has set her eyes on winning Ned’s heart in the original text).  The original text was written by Mildred Wirt, based on an outline by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (the daughter of Nancy Drew’s creator).  That text was later revised by Priscilla Baker-Carr, who shortened the book by five chapters, bringing it down from 25 to 20 chapters, tightening the story and giving more focus to the action and the mystery than to the romantic antics of Diane Dight.  This book does give a good example of how the Nancy Drew series manages to integrate a lot of Gothic elements into the story to keep readers on the edge of their seats.  The dark attic, with Nancy exploring by candlelight; the skeleton they find hanging in the wardrobe that seems to reach out to them each time the door is opened; the old, once-stately mansion that is worn and filled with shadows; the secret entrance into the attic; the sad story of relatives who have died, leaving behind a hidden legacy to be uncovered; the young woman (or in this instance, girl, since she is only 6 years old) who lives within the mansion and is in need of “saving.”  Despite the faster pacing of the revised text, the story retains those spooky elements that make it good reading, particularly on a dark and stormy night!

One surprise I did find in reading the story was the mention of the antique dealer, Mr. Faber.  Other than in the first few books, it is rare for a Nancy Drew book (particularly in the first 56 books) to have any supporting character reappear in another book.  Other than her standard supporting case of Carson, Hannah, Bess, George, Ned, Burt, Dave, and Chief McGinnis, readers almost never see any other character appear more than once (with the exception of Helen Corning Archer, who was Nancy’s friend in the first four books, and who made appearances off and on through the remaining books in the series).  However, in this book, Nancy takes some antiques she finds in Mr. March’s house to the dealer, Mr. Faber, to buy.  For those familiar with the Nancy Drew series, you might recall that Mr. Faber was also in the preceding book, The Clue in the Jewel Box, and it is speculated that his name “Faber” is perhaps taken from Faberge, who created the jeweled eggs that bear the same name.  So, his name is easily recognizable and stood out when he appeared in this book.  And, if one returning character wasn’t enough, another one surprises readers with an appearance as well – Effie Schneider!  Yes, that skittish, goof-ball of a maid is asked to help out at the March mansion, and needless to say, she stays scared most of the time (although you have to give her credit – she gets bitten by a black widow spider, but she still has the fortitude to return to the mansion and help take care of Mr. March and Susan until Nancy solves the mystery!). She is definitely the comic relief of the story and resembles very much the Effie from the 1930s’ films with Bonita Granville.

One last thing to mention is the fact that none of Nancy’s prior mysteries are mentioned at the beginning of the book.  Usually, in the first or second chapter of each book, there are references made to the fact that Nancy is an amateur sleuth who has solved many mysteries, and in the Grosset & Dunlap books, there always seems to be a reference to her first mystery (Old Clock) as well as the most recent one that she solved (which, in this case, would have been Jewel Box).  However, for some inexplicable reason, the revised text makes no reference to any prior mysteries whatsoever.  Readers are treated to the standard teaser for the next mystery, The Clue in the Crumbling Wall, at the end, so there is that!

While some of the books do not necessarily hold up as well when read from an adult perspective (Crooked Banister and Thirteenth Pearl come to mind), this one definitely holds up and is one I would recommend to readers of any age.

RATING:  8 yellow silk dresses out of 10 for proving, once again, that Nancy Drew is definitely worthy of her pop cultural icon status!