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The Mystery Of The Ivory Charm

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  This is another story penned by Mildred Wirt Benson in 1936 and is the 13th caper for Nancy and her friends.  Again, keep in mind that views on different cultures---especially in the thirties---are extremely outdated and don't jive with attitudes today.    Characters : Nancy Drew, George Fayne, and Bess Marvin (with guest appearances by Hanah Gruen, Carson Drew and Ned Nickerson) Premise : Nancy helps a young boy---Coya----get away from his abusive father even as she investigates property being sold. Nancy, Bess, and George visit a traveling circus where Nancy gets involved with things when she notices the elephant trainer Rai whipping his son Coya (what a name, right?), and goes to help Coya, (which, hopefully, I would too, but I don't know because I've never been put in that situation), and she vows to get the boy away from his father, and Coya runs away to the Drew home where gives Nancy an ivory elephant charm he stole from Rai and he vows to earn his keep by k...
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The Mystery At The Moss-Covered Mansion

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Hey all, I'm back with another Nancy Drew story that was penned By Mildred Wirt Benson in 1941, this being The Moss-Covered Mansion---Nancy's 18th adventure---and like The Clue In The Old Album, contains ideas about the Romany culture (which again, is referred to as "Gypsy" in this volume) that are very much outdated.  And I feel like there's not much more I can say about this author, so why don't we dive right into the story?  Characters : Nancy and Carson Drew, Bess Marvin, George Fayne (with a cameo appearance by Hannah Gruen) Premise : Nancy, Bess, and George investigate strange noises coming from an old mansion which is reputed to be cursed while also trying to prove the identity of a long-lost heiress. As beginnings go, this one was pretty exciting. Nancy and George are stranded on the side of the road---they were on the way to the house of a woman named Mrs. Labelle to meet Carson for his birthday---waiting for Bess who has gone to look for help, and s...
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The Clue In The Old Album

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  Hi, ya'll!   Waves at readers  As I'm sure you recall, in my welcome post, I mentioned that these stories had extremely outdated views on minorities and other cultures.  The Clue In The Old Album, being the 24th volume, is one such story, being penned by Mildred Wirt Benson in 1947 and as such, has views on a different culture that are very much not in-line with today's views, but I hope that you enjoy the submission regardless. Characters : Nancy and Carson Drew, Bess Marvin, George Fayne (with guest appearances by Ned Nickerson and Hannah Gruen) Premise : Nancy attempts to help a man get away from a conman. Okay, so, Nancy and her father are enjoying a concert when she notices someone taking a patron's purse and gives chase, though she's unable to get the contents back, she retrieves the purse, which is how she meets Mrs. Struthers and her high-strung granddaughter, Rose, who seriously needed a spanking if you ask me, but I'm just the reader.  Mrs. Stru...
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The Message In The Hollow Oak

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Hey all, welcome back to Do the Drew.  For those of you who don't remember what this blog is about---and let's be honest, it's been a while, so it would make sense if some folks did forget---is my blog that's dedicated to the original Nancy Drew series from the thirties and discusses the differences---if any---between the revisions of their later editions.  Message In The Hollow Oak---the 12th volume---is one of many volumes that was penned by Mildred Wirt Benson. Characters : Nancy and Carson Drew, Bess Marvin, George Fayne Premise : Nancy finds herself in over her head when she tries to find a message in an old tree. Nancy's surprised when her submission to a radio contest----coming up with a title for a mystery story---wins and she's deeded some land in Canada. Which, I mean, since when did radio contests include real estate?  If I had known that , I may have tried to enter some contests as a kid. Sorry digressing.  Anyways, this is obviously a big deal and ...
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The Sign Of The Twisted Candles

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With this, we reach the end of the books ghostwritten by Walter Karig (for those of you who don't remember this ghostwriter, along with The Sign Of The Twisted Candles first written in 1933 and Nancy's 9th mystery, he penned Nancy's Mysterious Letter and The Password To Larkspur Lane.  As stated in the review for those books, I'm not sure why he didn't like Nancy's team ups with Bess and George, so confusion for everyone! Characters : Nancy and Carson Drew, attorney Raymond Hill. Guest spots by Bess Marvin and George Fayne with a cameo by Ned Nickerson. Premise : Nancy investigates an old family feud when a new acquaintance is gifted an inheritance. Due Nancy's car stalling during a storm, Nancy, Bess, and George are forced to stop at a tearoom known as The Sign Of The Twisted Candles, where they learn the owner---Asa Sidney----is celebrating his hundredth birthday and it turns that he is George and Bess' great uncle (this is the book where it's reve...
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Nancy's Mysterious Letter

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Hi everyone!  First, I apologize for being away so long.  Life kind of....got away from me. But now I'm back and ready to dive back into the world of Nancy Drew. Originally written in 1932, the 8th offering of Nancy's tales is the second of my offerings that is ghostwritten by Walter Karig, who as you recall from my review of The Password To Larkspur Lane didn't really like pairing up Nancy with Bess and George as he apparently wasn't a fan of the formula, though why this is, I still can't tell you.  Characters : Nancy and Carson Drew, and Ned Nickerson, with guest appearances by Hannah Gruen, Bess Marvin, George Fayne, and Ned's parents, James and Edith. Premise : Nancy tries to figure out who stole the mailman's pouch and attempts to find a similarly named heiress. During the Thanksgiving holiday---which Bess and George make mention of and honestly explains why they're not in the bulk of the story----while visiting with Nancy, the mailman, Ira Dixon--...
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The Quest Of The Missing Map

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  Hey guys, you know what time it is.  We're jumping right into this one and with family history, long-lost relatives, and buried treasure.  It seems like a Hardy Boys or a pirate story, but nope, it's Nancy Drew's The Quest Of The Missing Map, number 19 in the franchise. Characters : Nancy Drew, Bess Marvin, George Fayne (with guest appearances by Ned Nickerson and Hannah Gruen) Premise : Nancy searches for the missing half of a treasure map in order to help some new acquaintances.  So, this is one of the many books penned by Mildred Wirt Benson----I know, it seems like she penned all of them----in 1942, and surprisingly, it's Hannah Gruen of all people who initiates Nancy into the mystery by introducing her to Ellen Smith who explain that her family is looking for the second half of a map left by her grandfather, Tomlin Smith, that was split between her father and his brother which would lead to buried treasure which would be their inheritance to be shared jointly...
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