Nancy Drew Diaries, Not. 27 - Vans & Villains

The new year got started with a new book in the Nancy Drew Diaries series.  With volume 27, plus, the Christmas special some years back, the Nancy Drew series has surpassed the Hardy Boys Adventures series, which ended back in 2023 with its 25th book.  The fact that the name "Nancy Drew" has achieved a certain level of pop culture status (even people who have never read a Nancy Drew in their life seem to know it refers to a female detective whenever they hear the name used on a television show, in a movie, or in a book), and at this point, one has to wonder if that is the only thing keeping this series alive.  Despite the Hardy Boys having been published three years prior to Nancy Drew, their level of popularity has never really reached the same heights as Nancy Drew.  But that popularity is dwindling down.  The books have gone down to only one being published per year (which would be okay, if the page count were higher and the content stronger!), and the companion series for younger readers, the Nancy Drew Clue Books, seems to have ended in 2024 with the publication of its 19th title.  Perhaps Simon & Schuster is gearing up for some really big re-boots in 2027 (the Hardy Boys) and 2030 (Nancy Drew), which is why the various series have been allowed to end - one can only pray this is the case, since these series are both nearly 100 years old, and it would be a shame to see them both be laid to rest so close their centennial celebrations.  I suppose we can only wait and see...

 

Vans & Villains, while not an overly exciting "mystery" title, sadly falls back on the sabotage trope that has plagued this Diaries series, as well as its precursor, the Girl Detective series.  It feels like either the ghostwriters being selected to write the books, or perhaps the publisher itself, has little to no creativity left when it comes to creating plots for mystery stories.  No missing wills, no kidnapped heiresses, no stolen heirlooms, no haunted castles - literally, nothing other than just someone trying to sabotage a wedding, a play, or any other event you can come up with.  In this case, someone is sabotaging George Fayne's dream come true - to experience life on the road with #vanlife (as it is referred to over and over in the story)!  When she wins a contest that will allow her to take a social media travel influencer's van across the country for a week, she of course begs Nancy and Bess to go with her.  They reluctantly agree (since when has Nancy never really liked the outdoors?), and the adventure begins!  It should be a simple trip - follow the travelogue prepared for them by the van's owners (Matt and his wife, Sammy) and post photos and videos of their fun experiences along the way.  What could possibly go wrong?

 

Well, for starters, Nancy Drew is going on the trip, so you know there's going to be trouble.  She is a trouble-magnet like no one else (well, except perhaps Jessica Fletcher - you never want to be invited to on one of her parties!), and this time is no different.  Before they even finish their first day, the van has car issues, and it turns out the engine has a major oil leak.  Matt and Sammy are not pleased the girls are already delayed, but they find them a new campsite, since they won't be able to make it to their originally intended first stop.  Okay, does not seem too bad yet.  But that night, Nancy hears noises outside, and when she goes to investigate, she discovers two of their tires have been slashed!  Nancy is confident someone did this intentionally, but Bess and George convince her she probably just drove over some sharp rocks the night before when they pulled in.  So, there's another delay, which makes Matt and Sammy even more upset.  And, as if that were not enough, when they finally get on their way and stop to eat, Nancy catches someone who she believes was casing the van - she even finds the side door open and several coffee mugs shattered.  Once again, Bess and George come up with plausible explanations, but Nancy is no longer believing it.  Someone is following them, and she's determined to prove it.

 

And so the mystery goes, as every stop along the way produces one more problem after another.  Until, as the girls are nearing Las Vegas, they van is stolen in a small town that claims to never have any crime!  Matt and Sammy have reached their breaking point, and they threaten to sue the girls for the cost of the decked-out van if they do not find it.  George is heart-broken that her dream trip has been ruined; Bess is upset to the point where she is ready to go home; but Nancy is more determined than ever to prove someone has been intentionally stalking and sabotaging their trip.  She also believes it has to be an inside job, as George has told her that no one outside of Matt and Sammy and their assistant, Lilah, knew the itinerary for the trip, and no one could have possibly known of the change in campgrounds due to the various delays.  Yet, someone managed to find out, and Nancy is almost certain it is one of the esocial media followers who has been dogging them online since they started the journey - now all she has to do is find him, prove it, and get the van back before their deadline to have it to California!

 

While the sabotage trope is a tiresome repeat, I will say the whole #vanlife adventure trip was rather a unique twist on it.  Following Nancy, George, and Bess as they take a road trip "through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, on into Nevada, and then California" (p. 8) was actually kind of fun - particularly when the close quarters lead to some rather testy arguments (which would only be natural, even among the best of friends!).  It was also interesting to see that Bess is taking a university class on poetry, and for part of the trip, her focus is on finishing a paper that she has due on Wordsworth (p. 9).  It is not too often they talk about the girls being in school, and it's refreshing to have it mentioned she is taking university classes (as it means she is not a pre-teen or in her early teens, as the cover art always seems to infer).  We also get absolute confirmation that River Heights is in Illinois, because as the girls head out on their trip, and they cross over their first state line, George cries out, "Good-bye, Illinois" (p. 30).  e

 

Now, something I did find odd is a reference to Bess having tried out for the track team in high school (p. 40).  I realize that since the Girl Detective series, the characters of Bess and George have had some depth added to them - George has since become a tech guru, and Bess has become a mechanical genius.  But at no time has Bess ever shown any inclination to enjoy sports, let alone try out for a track team!  Makes me wonder whether the author was simply not familiar enough with the past history of the character, or if the ghostwriter simply wanted to put their own creative touch on Bess.  Either way, this aspect of the character simply did not click for me.  What did click, though, is later in the story when Nancy and George are trying to convince her to stay with them and not go home, and Nancy suggests that when they make it to California, "Maybe we'll run into Pedro Pascal" (p. 121).  It seems in this incarnation, Bess is really infatuated with the famous actor!  Now THAT seems more like the Bess I know and love!

 

There are a couple of elements to the story that I thought were unnecessary and certainly did not belong in a book aimed at 8 to 12 year olds.  I understand these are modern times, and kids are exposed to a lot more "adult" themes than children the same age 20 years ago or more; however, I still think books for this age group should maintain a certain level of innocence about them, and certain subject matter (such as extramarital affairs or other sexual references) has no business being placed into the story.  The references to the small toilet in the van, and how one goes about flushing it is one thing - that's something kids this age would probably laugh at and find a bit "icky," yet funny.  But references to mistresses and lovers is going too far in my book, and those scenes immediately took me out of the story and definitely left a distaste in the my mouth for a story I was otherwise trying to enjoy.  Children grow up faster than they should these days anyway, so why add to it in a children's mystery book?

 

Since we no longer get any references to the next mystery (no ad for it on the back of the paperback or on the inside back flap of the dust jacket for the hard cover), guess we are going to have to wait a number of months before we find out if a 28th book is going to be solicited and published.  We are only four years away from Nancy Drew's 100th birthday, so here's hoping Simon & Schuster can at least give us four more books so we can hit that centennial mark!

 

RATING:  7 fried laptops out of 10 for a somewhat decent story that could have offered up a much better mystery if it had involved a "ghost" or missing treasure or literally anything other than sabotage!