Murder on Ice by Carolyn Keene

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Murder On Ice by Carolyn Keene

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description: A weekend on the slopes is just what Nancy and Ned need to rekindle their romance. Joined by Bess and George, they head for the mountains—and run straight into deadly peril. Among the suspects is a good-looking ski instructor who’s already got George falling for him. So Nancy’s got to move fast!

My thoughts: More quick and easy entertainment for me as I’m revisiting The Nancy Drew Files series. Appropriately, this third ’80s YA mystery in the series has some heaps of harrowing danger that could only take place on a mountain.

There’s also a case of insta-love that leads to an insta-grudge identical to a love/grudge situation in the previous book: One of Nancy’s best friends turns her back on Nancy over a guy. Only this time it’s the other of Nancy’s two besties.

Hey. Maybe the lasting friendship-and-mysteries thing the trio has wouldn’t work for them without one or another of them rushing straight to emotional extremes sometimes. Heh heh. It’s more interesting to see Nancy’s boyfriend Ned’s hint of disappointment at yet another mystery popping up and taking her attention, since he’d prefer to have a normal vacation with his girlfriend. Although he wraps his disappointment in humor this time and helps her out as always, I don’t doubt this kind of thing will eventually put a strain on their relationship.

As for the mystery, again, it’s also interesting but with a couple of glaringly contrived traps. Just about anyone with a teaspoon of common sense would know not to walk right into some of the deadly trouble Nancy ends up in, here. Her clear lack of judgment in those moments is unbelievable for an experienced detective of reported international fame.

But then, it isn’t like I expect all the believability in the world from these mysteries. And at least Nancy realizes her, well…stupidity after the second of the traps, literally telling herself, “I’ve been so stupid.” She then launches into hardcore (but not cruel) action to defend herself when she must.

On that score: Go, Nance!

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Here’s my review of the first book in the series, Secrets Can Kill.

Deadly Intent by Carolyn Keene

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Deadly Intent by Carolyn Keene

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description: As Nancy Drew looks for a kidnapped rock star, her list of suspects reads like the Who’s Who of the New York rock scene. Then Nancy’s boyfriend Ned shows up, eager for romance. Nancy feels she can’t spend the time—until, through Ned, she uncovers a conspiracy that could blow the lid off the music industry.

My thoughts: I don’t remember whether or not I read this second book in The Nancy Drew Files back in the day. Either way, the cover still drew me as it would have back then, with its red violet tones, the cityscape in the background, and Nancy in the foreground in trendy ’80s fashion, appearing as if she’s either going to burst into suspenseful action or bust a dance move.

A dance move wouldn’t be unfitting, given this vintage YA novel’s rock music theme.

No explosions or thrilling car chases in this particular mystery. But there is a little hand-to-hand combat…some of it from music industry characters who seem to have a degree of luck on their side as they physically go up against criminal thugs. Plus, the use of the common “tie up the victims you plan to kill in a few minutes instead of just killing them right now” plot device helps things out.

As for Nancy, I wouldn’t say she makes her best showing in this mystery. She seems fairly excitable and easy to frustrate/confound as she tries to make headway here.

Nevertheless, my nostalgic self still got a kick out of this quick and easy entertainment. I plan to snack on more of this incredibly long series soon.

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Here’s my review of the next book in the series, Murder on Ice.

Secrets Can Kill by Carolyn Keene

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Secrets Can Kill by Carolyn Keene

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description: Nancy poses as a student and goes undercover to investigate a series of thefts at Bedford High—which leads to greater danger.

Opening my thoughts with a book quote: “I don’t want to fight with you, Carla, but since you asked, yes, I can fight my own battles—and I usually win.”

So declares the teen detective in this first book in The Nancy Drew Files, a spin-off from the original Nancy Drew mystery series. I remember getting a kick out of several of these ’80s and ’90s YA novels when I read them back in my adolescence, and I still liked this first book this time around, my liking now seasoned with a dash of nostalgia.

Sure, Nancy makes a few mistakes and misjudgments along the way, and it makes little sense that she uses her real name for an undercover job. But her grit comes through in this adventurous mystery, with its mix of predictable elements and satisfying intrigue. It’s a quick read complete with high-speed car chases and deadly explosions (the plurality of these events added by me), and yeah, there’s an “exciting” little romance of the rushed and shallow variety. ‘Cause, hey, what kind of opener to a thrilling YA spin-off would it have been without hot characters and some sudden kissing? Heh heh heh…

And I do believe this series served as my introduction to cliffhanger chapter endings, back in the day. Cliffhangers with exclamation points!

The series has got 123 more books in it, so I plan to revisit more of them and try some others for the first time. Let’s see (or rediscover) what more of the writers under the collective pseudonym “Carolyn Keene” have got—exclamation point!

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Here’s my review of the next book in the series, Deadly Intent.

Web of Deception by Jane Peart

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

For December, I’m posting a variety of books that have given me a nostalgic feel…

Web of Deception by Jane Peart

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description: When Rachel Penniston takes a post as governess in an isolated mansion on the Cornish coast, she is swept up in the intrigue of her surroundings and in her unexpected attraction to a handsome stranger. The atmosphere abruptly changes, however, when the arrival of Verdonia Templeton begins a series of disturbing events that threaten to disrupt the once peaceful household.

My thoughts: As my taste for historical mysteries has grown over the past few years, I decided to give this author a go for the first time, reaching for this novel published in the 1990s.

Now, this tale set in Victorian England isn’t deep or action-packed, it has repetitive patterns, and the mystery doesn’t really kick in until more than halfway through the book. It’s the pretty predictable kind where the guilty parties eventually tell on themselves through their thoughts and dialogue, rather than a detective or sleuth figuring out what happened. There’s a light romance threaded in too, which was neither here nor there for me.

Nevertheless, as a quick, easy, old-fashioned, and moderately mysterious read, it kept me entertained for a spell, which is all I really wanted out of it. I plan to continue on to the next Edgecliffe Manor Mystery when I’m in a similar mood.

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Edgecliffe Manor Mysteries