Nancy Drew Diaries, No. 25 - What Disappears in Vegas ...

The Nancy Drew Diaries series reaches its 25th mystery with the publication of What Disappears in Vegas ... It's been a year since book 24 was released, and with this book, we see not only a longer story (more than 250 pages, if you can believe that!), but it also sees some major shifts in tone for the story.  Now, for a character that has been around for nearly 95 years, with literally hundreds upon hundreds of stories written, one should not be surprised that authors want to take the character in new directions and try some different things.  It's a way to keep the characters fresh and the readers coming back for more.  However, not really sure if the "changes" in this story are necessarily the right ones.

What Disappears in Vegas ... takes Nancy, Bess, and George to Las Vegas to attend the wedding of Bess and George's cousin, Veronica.  Now, it's always nice to see more relatives of Bess and George (remember the extended family from The Sign of the Twisted Candles?); however, it would have been nice to figure out just how Veronica connected with the cousins.  Thinking logically, since Bess and George have different last names, it goes without saying that they are connected by their mothers (whose names would have changed when they married Mr. Marvin and Mr. Fayne).  Veronica's last name is Vasquez, whose last name would have come from her father.  It's doubtful either Bess's mom or George's mom was a "Vasquez," and so, it must be assumed that it is Veronica's mother who is related to the family.  And if she were related to Bess's dad or George's dad, then she would have technically been cousin to only Bess or George and not both.  Therefore, it can be reasoned that Veronica's mother is connected with Bess's and George's mothers.  In order to be a strict cousin, she would have to be their mothers' sister; however, she could be related more distantly, and the girls still refer to Veronica as "cuz," since second and third cousins, even twice removed, would still be generally referred to as a cousin.  SO - if that hasn't totally confused you (because I'll admit, even I had a difficult time weaving my way through all of that familial relations), let's take a look at the story.

The mystery, such as it is, involves the disappearance of Veronica quite literally just as she is about to walk down the aisle.  She heads to the elevator, going back to her room to pin in her veil before actually walking the aisle - the only problem is, she never comes back.  The debate rages - did she leave of her own accord, deciding not to marry her fiance, Xavier, an extreme sports fanatic?  Or did something more nefarious happen to her?  Was she kidnapped?  Or worse?  While relatives and family friends debate the issue, Nancy goes into sleuth mode.  With the help of Bess and George, they manage to connive their way into the hotel's security room, where they discover Veronica did disguise herself before leaving the hotel. But the question remains - did she leave on her own, or was she taken?  The clues eventually lead to the revelation that not only was she taken, but it's quite possible her fiance may be the one behind it all!   

 

A far cry from missing wills, sabotage, scheming real estate developers, and greedy heirs - this mystery involves not only a serious kidnapping, but a murder plot as well!  SPOILER ALERT - if you don't want to know some of the details, do not read any further. This mystery delves into the darker side of humanity, as it is revealed that an insurance policy was taken out on Veronica very recently - and when Nancy and the policy discover Xavier and Veronica were legally married weeks ago, it places a whole new light on the situation.  Would Xavier kill his own wife in order to get the insurance proceeds to get his business out of debt?  There are not really that many suspects in this story, so it is not too difficult to pick out the culprit - but it is rather shocking that a Nancy Drew mystery (not one of the Files, mind you) would deal with a plot to murder someone.  

Another aspect of this book that was rather surprising is the number of references to alcohol.  While Nancy, Bess, and George never pick up a drink or even intimate that they want one, there are numerous references to cocktail parties, bars, and drinks in general.  The girls are even forced to share an elevator ride with an inebriated wedding guest!  Looking back, I don't recall any of the Nancy Drew books (main series, not the Files, On Campus, or Super Mystery series) every presenting alcohol in such an upfront manner as this.  And while I do realize most weddings to have champagne or other alcoholic drinks, it just seems out of place in a Nancy Drew mystery (and, quite frankly, the references have absolutely no bearing on the story itself - so why are they there?).  

On the other side of the coin, we do finally get a semi-sorta reference to Nancy's age in this book (the Diaries series has been notorious for keeping mum about Nancy's age).  When the girls' begin their investigation into the disappearance of Veronica, the first thing Nancy does is head into the casino.  Bess's first comment is, "Are we even allowed to be here? ... Aren't we underage?" (p. 110).  The legal age to gamble in Nevada is 21 years old, but those 18 and older are allowed to go through casinos, so long as they are walking through and not lingering.  Thus, the girls' plan to get into the security room by convincing the hotel security that they are "underage" could refer to the fact they are under 21 (and unable to gamble) or under 18 (and not allowed to linger on the casino floor).  Thus, while avoiding a reference to a specific age, we can at least rest assured that the girls are under 21, and quite possibly under 18.  

Now, the one thing that probably annoyed me most while reading this book was the use of the word "cuz."  I can't even begin to count how many times Bess and George referred to each other as "cuz," and they also referred to Veronica as "cuz."  I realize that is a slang term for cousin, and had it only been used once or twice, it would not have been so bad.  But it was repeatedly used over and over and over, to the point where it felt like the author was trying to beat the reader over the head with it.  There are numerous other ways to show the girls are current with the times other than emphasizing one slang term again and again.  

Overall, it was not a bad read, but this would have been better had Nancy and her friends been aged to 21 and this been presented as an adult Nancy Drew mystery.  

One final note - it is interesting that the "diary" entry at the end of the story ends with Nancy asking the question, "Who knows what's in store for Future Nancy Drew?"  The lack of advertisement for the next mystery (which usually appears on the back cover of the paperbacks in this series, or the back inside flap of the hard covers), and the lack of any solicit on Amazon or elsewhere for a book 26 brings into question the future of the Nancy Drew Diaries series - and this final question at the end only emphasizes that concern.  There has been considerable chatter online, both about this and the Hardy Boys series (since there is no solicit for a Hardy Boys Adventure book at all in 2024), and while it has been said S&S is still keeping these series going, I will be curious to see if it will a continuation of the Diaries and Adventures series, or if we will see another reboot now that both series have hit their 25th books.  I guess we will have to wait and see...

RATING:  7 flyboard rides over a tropical pool out of 10 for giving readers a longer story and breaking away from the "sabotage" trope to try something different.