Nancy Drew Mystery Stories # 145 - The Missing Horse Mystery

"Danger's riding high ... and Nancy's in its path!" (cover blurb)

 

"A search for a missing horse leads Nancy to a dark discovery!" (back cover blurb)

 

I've noticed a trend in recent digests that I have read that seems to lean toward more mature mysteries, often using deadly weapons and individuals within the stories becoming gravely injured.  Two of the last three books that I've read involved serious attempts on Nancy's life, well beyond the normal foibles of getting knocked unconscious or run off the road - and this book is no exception.  I've often heard people say that once the Nancy Drew Files ended in 1997, some unused manuscripts and plots were integrated into the digests; and, after reading these recent bout of Nancy Drew Mystery Stories (142, 143, and now 145), I would have to agree.  These plots definitely seem more fitting for the older audience at which the Files were aimed.

 

The Missing Horse Mystery takes Nancy, Bess, and Ned to the Illinois Horse Park for the Midwest Grand Prix Dressage Championship. Surprisingly, there appears to be an actual Illinois Horse Park located in Triumph, Illinois, made up of approximately 80 acres of historic farmland about an hour away from Chicago.  Not too often does the Nancy Drew series use actual locations such as this (excepting the use of real cities).  Whether the author intended this to be the same "Illinois Horse Park" or not is unknown.  However, the fact it is specifically set in Illinois once again gives rise to the ongoing consensus that River Heights is located somewhere near Chicago (and since The Case of the Capital Intrigue specifically indicated Chicago is the nearest big city to River Heights, this book simply reiterates it).  George is off-screen in this book, said to be "having a great time teaching at a soccer clinic" (p. 2).  This is another aspect I have been noticing about the series as it progresses:  the ghostwriters appear to prefer using either Bess or George in the stories, not as often using both of Nancy's best friends.  Perhaps the authors simply don't know how to utilize both characters alongside Nancy with these shorter mysteries (this book clocks in at only 147 pages), and so it is easier to use one cohort rather than two.  Even at that, Ned is actually more involved in this mystery than Bess - she meets a foreign competitor named Gunter and spends most of the book going out with him instead of helping Nancy!

 

As with most of these "vacation mysteries," Nancy has come to Illinois Horse Park to enjoy a weekend getaway, not to be involved in a mystery.  Even when she catches wind of a fire in the stables by the end of the first chapter, she resolves not to look for a mystery where there may not be one.  But, of course, as always, there is a mystery, and soon enough, Nancy is in the middle of it.  A valuable horse vanishes, and the groomer is seriously injured and taken to the hospital, where she lies in a coma.  The night before, however, the groomer had given Nancy a small bit of information that plays a very large part in this mystery - in fact, for me, it basically gave away the entire plot and the culprit.  But, I am not the intended age group for reading this kind of mystery, so perhaps the intended readers might not find the clue quite so revealing.

 

The author does throw in a number of possible suspects.  From one of the competitors who has made it clear that he will do anything to win the competition to one or more of the security guards who are not necessarily all they appear to be to rival horse owners who want to win the big prize.  It seems there is quite a lot of money on the line, and the question Nancy must figure out is who benefits the most from the prize horse's disappearance?  Nancy and Ned must face off against some violent rottweilers, and they find themselves at gunpoint, their deaths certain as the real villain lets them know in no uncertain terms that they will not foil his plans.  The grievous blow to the groom's head, the rottweiler attack, the beating of an accomplice, and the threat of gun violence definitely set a much darker tone for this mystery.  The stakes are higher than Nancy Drew's normal cases, and Nancy and Ned take some dangerous chances by sneaking into the security guard's offices, as well as the private offices of another suspect,  However, despite all that danger, Nancy reveals the true criminal by the end of the story (although, surprisingly, she actually believes the crook's excuses several times before realizing what he was truly up to, which is something the Nancy Drew everyone knows and loves is not prone to do!).

 

Interestingly, when talking with their friend, Lee Anne Suna, who invited the girls to come watch the show, Bess makes the comment, "Nan and I have been riding since we were about eight" (p. 9).  I automatically assumed this was a references to the Nancy Drew Notebooks series for young readers, which began about four years prior to the publication of this book in 1998.  In that series, Nancy and her friends are eight years old, and at least two books in that series deal with horses (books 26 and 37).  And, since this book has advertisements in the back for the Nancy Drew Notebooks series, it is an easy assumption that the author, and potentially the publisher as well, wanted to promote that series. 

 

Another somewhat factual point raised within the story is the distance from the Illinois Horse Farm to the Iowa state line, which Nancy and Ned must cross over in order to follow-up on a clue.  Nancy casually mentions to Bess that "Ned and I are going to tour a farm in Iowa," (p. 103), leading one to believe it could not be far, if they planned to simply "visit" the farm and be back the same day.  When the two actually head out, it is stated the farm was only about "a half hour's drive" (p. 110).  In reality, Triumph, Illinois (the home of the Illinois Horse Farm) is approximately 83 miles from the closest point of the Iowa state line - so, for Nancy and Ned to make it to that point in a half hour would have to mean they were driving nearly 160 miles per hour!  (Of course, they are not in the real world, so in the book, the Illinois Horse Farm must have been located considerably closer to the state line...)

 

The ghostwriter for this particular mystery is Alison Hart.  If this is the same Alison Hart who has written a number of horse-related novels, including books in the Horse Diaries series, then it would not be surprising, considering the subject matter of this book.  This is actually the fifth of six books that Ms. Hart has written for the series (the other being Magnolia Mansion, Stranger in the Shadows, Masked Rider, Twin Teddy Bears, and Gold Doubloons).  The cover art is again provided by Ernie Norcia, depicting a scene early on, when Nancy smells smoke and releases a horse from its stall where the first has been set (p. 11).

 

Not a bad read, but as indicated above, the solution was given away too early.  Better than a number of the digests, but not within my top ten.

 

RATING:  7 long metal rasps with blood on it out of 10 for trying to mislead readers with several very unlikable characters who you would almost want to be the villain of the story! 

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!