Books in series
#1
Curse of the Arctic Star
2013
Nancy and her friends must navigate a cruise ship crisis in the first book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
Nancy, Bess, and George are cruising dangerous waters on a tour of Alaska. Becca Wright, an old friend of Nancy’s, is the Assistant Cruise Director of the Arctic Star, a posh new ship. But Becca needs Nancy’s help when strange things keep happening aboard the opulent ocean The swimming pool becomes a floating grave; a famous passenger is threatened; and even the seemingly innocent mini-golf course becomes a perilous playground. With the majestic and mysterious Alaskan scenery as a backdrop, Nancy and company have to find out who’s trying to sabotage the maiden voyage and why.
#2
Strangers on a Train
2013
Nancy and her friends take their detective skills on an Alaskan adventure in this second book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.Nancy’s Alaskan adventure continues as she, Bess, and George disembark the mystery-plagued Arctic Star cruise ship and explore the grand sites of the forty-ninth state: Skagway; the Yukon territory, and Denali National Park. It’s spectacular scenery, but things start to go wrong almost immediately, leading Nancy to believe that whoever was behind the unsolved mayhem aboard the ship has followed them onto dry land. The girl detectives had better watch their steps—they’re on uncharted and unknown territory!
#3
Mystery of the Midnight Rider
2013
Some equestrians are up to more than horseplay in this third book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
At the prestigious—and competitive—River Heights Horse Show, the prizes, which range from money to possible placement on the Olympic Team, are so highly coveted that anyone from the riders to the owners will do anything to win…even drug the horses! Who’s up to no good? Nancy, Bess and George are on the case!
#4
Once Upon a Thriller
2013
Nancy and her friends need more than book smarts to get to the bottom of a literary mystery in this fourth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a new take on the classic series.A rash of crimes in a neighboring town—a blazing fire at a bookstore, a boat that sinks in the harbor, and a valuable dog’s dognapping—are eerily similar to the plots from famous mystery writer Lacey O’Brien’s popular books. So who’s behind the crimes? Could it be Lacey looking for publicity? One of Lacey’s superfans? Or maybe it’s Paige Samuels, owner of the bookstore that burned. Nancy, Bess, and George will have to read between the lines as they dig deep into a dangerous mystery.
#5
Sabotage at Willow Woods
2014
Nancy and her friends hit the campaign trail in search of a political trickster in this fifth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
Who knew a new sports field could cause so much drama? That’s what Nancy, Bess, and George are investigating. Ever since George’s cousin Carrie Kim announced her candidacy for city council, along with her platform of building a new football field and a state-of-the-art sports complex, someone has been trying to sabotage the campaign!
Nancy has to go undercover as a member of the Green Club when she suspects they may be behind all of the mischief. When Carrie starts getting threatening notes and even some more sinister warnings, Nancy knows she needs to crack the case before someone gets hurt!
#6
Secret at Mystic Lake
2014
A few nights in nature take a nasty turn for Nancy and her friends in this sixth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
To celebrate her birthday, George is taking Nancy and Bess on a three-day bike tour around the scenic Mystic Lake. They can’t wait to spend time exploring the gorgeous landscape by day and camping under the stars at night. What they didn’t count on was sabotage!
First someone steals food and supplies from their packs. Then tour guide Caitlin vanishes overnight, and the entire group finds their tires slashed to bits. Now Nancy is cycling for clues instead of soaking up the scenery. Can Nancy track down the culprit before she and her friends are lost in the woods forever?
#7
The Phantom of Nantucket
2014
A dream trip to Nantucket turns into a nightmare in this seventh book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
Nancy, Bess, and George can't wait to start their trip to Nantucket. The three girls are there to visit Bess’s family friend Jenna and go to the opening of an exhibit at the local whaling museum. Jenna’s been working on the exhibit for months, but when the girls get to the museum, a threatening banner has replaced the welcome sign.
Nancy’s got plenty of potential suspects, but she’s worried she won’t be able to solve the case in time to save the opening. And as the threats increase in severity, she becomes more concerned about Jenna’s safety than the ruined exhibit. Can Nancy find the culprit in time?
#8
The Magician's Secret
2015
A major magic trick leads to missing murder evidence in this eighth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
When she attends a performance by master illusionist Drake Lonestar, Nancy is skeptical. Lonestar is known for his razzle-dazzle wizardry, but can the magician really make the River Heights library disappear?
As it turns out, he can, but that's not the only thing that goes missing. Key evidence to an upcoming murder trial disappears in the midst of the trick. And one of the trial attorneys just happens to be Nancy's father, Carson Drew, assisted by her boyfriend, Ned Nickerson.
Nancy, Bess, and George are quick to jump on the case, but not quite quick enough: Lonestar has vanished, too, and not even his closest friends know his whereabouts.
Magic is its own kind of mystery, but is this one Nancy can handle?
#9
The Clue at Black Creek Farm
2015
Healthy eating becomes a hazard when a local farm is sabotaged in this ninth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries.
Nancy, Bess, and George are thinking about joining Black Creek Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Sam and Abby Heyworth run both Black Creek's organic farm and the CSA, a program where people pay to receive fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the growing season. Buyers get local produce at a reasonable price; the farmers get money to run their farm. Everybody wins!
But during a fundraising dinner showcasing the farm's produce, several people become seriously ill, and tests reveal that the fruits and vegetables are contaminated with deadly E. coli bacteria. Sam swears his produce is clean: E. coli doesn't magically appear in vegetables; it has to be transferred by animals or contaminated equipment. And after the Heyworth's greenhouse is trashed and their chickens are killed by an intruder, Nancy thinks all signs point to sabotage.
Nancy, Bess, and George are on the case. But who would try to ruin a farm? And why?
#10
A Script for Danger
2015
A film is being made in River Heights, and there's sabotage on the set in this tenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic mystery series.
Nancy's old friend and former paralegal to Carson Drew, Alex Burgess, is making a movie, and it's filming in River Heights! On the first day of shooting, Alex invites Nancy, Bess, and George on set for a behind-the-scenes peek at how a movie is made. George is excited for a closer look at the cameras and special effects, and Bess is mostly around to get a glimpse of the film's leading man: handsome actor Brian Newsome!
But right before the camera starts rolling there's an explosion in the catering area. Turns out someone put firecrackers in the coffeemaker. Not too long after that, Brian's costume is found streaked with blood. And threatening notes show up scrawled on the scripts: SHUT IT DOWN OR YOU'LL BE SORRY.
Can Nancy track down the set saboteur before the film's dangerous final scene? Or will the entire production go up in flames first?
#11
The Red Slippers
2015
Sabotage could result in a final curtain call for a ballerina’s career in this eleventh book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic mystery series.
Nancy and Bess are excited when they run into their old friend Maggie Rogers in River Heights. As little girls, Bess and Nancy were in dance classes with Maggie, until she moved away to attend a prestigious ballet academy. Now Maggie is part of a ballet company made up of the most promising young dancers in the state, and the company is in town to perform Sleeping Beauty . This performance is especially important because the famous dance critic Oscar LaVigne will be in the audience. A good review could catapult Maggie’s career…but a bad one could ruin everything.
In the days leading up to the big show, strange things start happening. First someone tampers with Maggie’s phone, making her late to rehearsal. Then Maggie’s face is violently scratched out of all the official show posters, and she finds her dressing room completely destroyed.
All signs point to sabotage, and Nancy is determined to find out who’s behind it. Will she crack the case in time—or is Sleeping Beauty destined to be Maggie’s last dance?
#12
The Sign in the Smoke
2016
Nancy and her friends are faced with another chilling mystery in this twelfth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
When Bess asks Nancy and George to be counselors at her old camp, they’re a little wary. After all, running around after a bunch of little kids doesn’t exactly sound like fun! But Bess promises that the girls will get to enjoy nature, relax by the lake, and play some sports. Plus, it will give Nancy a much-needed break from solving mysteries.
But trouble always finds Nancy Drew! After hearing the disturbing tale about a camper who had drowned in the lake years ago, Nancy dismisses it as a ghost story. But then something pulls her under water during a swim lesson—something eerily human, with long, silvery hair. And the next night her entire cabin's sleeping bags disappear—only to show up at the lake, soaked.
Now Nancy isn’t so sure if she believes in ghosts! All she knows is she has to do everything within her power to make sure her campers—and her friends—are safe. Which means she’d better get to the bottom of what’s happening at Camp Cedarbark.
#13
The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn
2016
Nancy and her friends find themselves at a haunted inn with a mystery to solve in this thirteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
When Nancy and Bess accompany George to a cousin’s wedding in historic Charleston, South Carolina, they end up staying at an old inn near the family’s home with the rest of the guests. But when they begin hearing strange noises and witnessing unexplained phenomena at night—they soon discover that it’s one of Charleston’s most haunted hotels! When the wedding rings disappear during one of these spooky evenings, Nancy knows she’s got to get to the bottom of this ghostly mystery…before there isn’t a happily ever after.
#14
Riverboat Roulette
2017
Nancy and her friends only have a few hours to track down the donations for a charity gala that have mysteriously gone missing in this fourteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Bess’s mom is on the board of Pet Crusaders, a local rescue organization, and hosts the charity’s annual fundraising gala. Nancy, Bess, and George have attended the event ever since they were kids, and they’re excited for this year’s party, the theme of which is “A Night on a Riverboat.”
The gala will feature blackjack, roulette, and a high-stakes poker tournament, and all proceeds will go to help stray animals. But when the charity money goes missing mid-event, Nancy has to track down the thief—before the ship docks.
With three hours and over two hundred guests, Nancy faces one of her greatest mystery-solving challenges yet!
#15
The Professor and the Puzzle
2017
Nancy and her friends are on an epic quest to discover the identity of a treacherous Greek scholar in this fifteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy, Bess, and George are excited to attend Oracle College’s annual Greek mythology themed gala. But the festive sprit turns troubled when a student falls from the balcony mid-speech. Nancy’s investigations quickly reveal this was a case of collegiate sabotage. Can she find the campus menace before someone else gets hurt?
#16
The Haunting on Heliotrope Lane
2018
Nancy and her friends must try to figure out why a girl is acting strangely after visiting a haunted house in this sixteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy’s classmate, Willa, needs her help. Willa is convinced something is terribly wrong with her friend Izzy, but everyone has dismissed Willa’s concerns, saying it’s just teen angst. But Willa thinks it’s more than that; she thinks Izzy is possessed.
It all started when Willa and Izzy snuck into an abandoned house with some of their friends. After running around and exploring, Willa went in to the basement and found Izzy staring into space. Izzy was conscious, but she was acting weird—she wouldn’t speak and she didn’t seem to recognize Willa. And when Izzy finally woke up from her trance, she had no memory of the previous few hours. Since then, Izzy’s continued to act strangely. She’s usually funny and easygoing, but now she’s high strung and has intense fits. Once she even threatened to hurt Willa.
Nancy is sure there’s a rational explanation for all of this and has a feeling she’ll find it at the “haunted” house. But what she finds has her questioning her resolve. Could Willa be right? Is Izzy possessed by the ghost of Heliotrope Lane?
#17
Famous Mistakes
2018
Nancy and her friends are out to find a comedian’s saboteur in this seventeenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy’s boyfriend, Ned, has recently started his own podcast called NedTalks and he just got his big break. Up and coming comedian Brady Owens has agreed to sit down for an interview. And this isn’t just any interview; it’s the first interview Brady has given since a video of him lashing out at an audience member went viral. Now people are protesting his shows and calling him violent.
Nancy agrees to help out with the technical stuff so Ned can focus on the hard-hitting questions. But when they go to meet the interviewee they find Brady’s hotel room trashed—and no comedian in sight. Luckily, they find Brady unhurt and nothing of monetary value is missing from the room. Only his notebook of new material is gone. Brady says he knows it’s the people who’ve seen the video of him yelling. They think he’s dangerous and doesn’t deserve a platform. He wishes it would all blow over.
Nancy disagrees with Brady. She thinks he should apologize to the crowd and admit that he crossed a line. But she recognizes a person in need of help when she sees one and agrees to get to the bottom of this sabotage anyway.
Complex social media charts, undercover outfits, and intense button study send Nancy, Bess, George, and Ned on a wild ride through River Heights to uncover the truth. But nothing is what it seems in this game of comedic timing. Can Nancy find the culprit before it’s too late?
#18
A Nancy Drew Christmas
2018
Nancy finds herself a Christmas mystery in this super special eighteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries series, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy is spending her winter vacation at the most beautiful ski resort in Montana. Everything looks perfect, from the spectacular mountain views to the cozy rooms inside complete with fireplaces and holiday decorations. Unfortunately, not all is as jolly as it seems.
Things started to go wrong on her very first day; she hit a bad patch of ice on a run down the slopes and broke her leg in a couple of different places. Then a doctor decided she needed a giant cast and lots of bed rest. It’s been a week of unfortunate events for rest the resort too; there was a sabotaged opening dinner, multiple hotel room break-ins, and a dangerous trap was set for the star chef. And if she thought things couldn’t get any worse, a giant storm is heading her way and may just snow everyone in for days. Trapped in a hotel with someone bent on destruction? Cast or no cast, you know this sleuth is on the case.
It’s almost Christmas and both guests and staff are starting to panic. With all the odds stacked against her, can Nancy solve these crimes in time and save the holiday season? Or is this one Yuletide she’ll wish to forget?
#19
The Stolen Show
2019
Nancy, Bess, and George race to catch an international jewel thief in this eighteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy is helping out her Dad’s friend, Louise Alain, and her dog, Marge, at an upcoming dog show in Montreal. Marge is a professional and needs someone she can trust to handle her at the biggest show of the season. Nancy is happy to oblige, especially since Louise invited Bess and George as well!
Of course, the three friends are investigating a crime within hours of their arrival. One of the show dogs was drugged and a giant wad of gum was matted into its hair. Louise asks Nancy to investigate and gives her a useful look at the dogs—their temperaments and styles are often a good window into the hearts and minds of their owners. But instead of solving a case of competitor sabotage, Nancy discovers jewel thieves have been using the dog show circuit as a smuggling operation.
The thieves are not comfortable with the teenage sleuth who’s asking too many questions. And when they make some serious threats, Nancy, Bess, and George quickly find themselves in dangerous territory.
Can Nancy discover the thieves’ identity and take home the trophy? Or is this one case where the bite is worse than the bark?
#20
Hidden Pictures
2020
Nancy, Bess, and George must find the truth behind a photographic mystery in this nineteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy and her friends are spending the weekend in a small mountainside town called Shady Oaks. The local museum is displaying a never-before-seen collection from famous nature photographer, Christopher DeSantos. So the usually sleepy town is now filled with tourists. But it’s not just the dramatic lighting of the old black and white photographs that people have come to see.
Newspapers all over the country have picked up the story of two visitors who went missing in Shady Oaks only to turn up in the old DeSantos photographs, seemingly frozen in time. What’s more, there was a rumor that DeSantos was cursed by his former partner after a disagreement. Now everyone is wondering if the legend is real.
Nancy, Bess, and George are convinced that there is another explanation to be found. But it quickly becomes clear that someone is making sure they don’t find it. Can these three teenage sleuths solve this mystery before it’s too late?
#21
The Vanishing Statue
2020
Nancy, Bess, and George must find a stolen statue in this twentieth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
Nancy is beyond excited when she receives an invitation to an elite celebration of the arts hosted by the Duchess Strickland, a woman once renowned for her collection who hasn’t been seen in years. With Bess and George at her side, Nancy’s certain it will be an evening she’ll never forget.
Then just days before the party, a priceless sculpture is stolen! Still, the Duchess vows the party will go on as planned—and Nancy is determined to use the opportunity to sniff out the thief.
But on the big night, as creatives, collectors, and connoisseurs—all with their own motives—converge, it quickly becomes clear that crime, like art, is all about the illusion, and a stolen statue may be the least of Nancy’s troubles.
#22
Danger at the Iron Dragon
2021
Nancy, Bess, and George’s Jiu-Jitsu lessons turn into a takedown of another sort in the twenty-first book in the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
After a close call, Mr. Drew insists that if Nancy’s going to be an amateur detective, she needs to be able to defend herself. So Nancy, Bess, and George decide to check out a Jiu-Jitsu class at Iron Dragon MMA. The technique is hard, but before she knows it, Nancy’s having a lot of fun.
And then, just as class ends, the students are shaken by a disturbing sight—someone’s left a dead rat on the front desk and spray-painted “traitor” on the wall. With a big competition coming up soon, is a rival academy trying to stir up trouble to throw the Iron Dragon team off their game?
Nancy agrees to help the team get to the truth, but as her investigation takes some unexpected and increasingly dangerous turns, has River Heights’s finest sleuth been outmatched?
#23
A Capitol Crime
2021
Nancy, Bess, and George look for Nancy’s missing father in the twenty-second book in the Nancy Drew Diaries series, a fresh approach to a classic series.
While Nancy’s dad is away at a conference in Washington, DC, she invites Bess and George over for a slumber party. The girls are having a great time until Nancy gets a call from a number she doesn’t recognize. Her dad never showed up for his panel and he isn’t in his room. No one’s seen him since the night before, and he isn’t answering his phone.
Worried, Nancy and the gang hop the next flight to DC to investigate. The girls scour the hotel for clues with little luck until Nancy finds her dad’s cell phone in the hotel basement. She’s pretty sure he left her a message on the home screen, if only she could figure out what it means.
The hunt takes them across the US capital, retracing Mr. Drew’s steps to figure out what went wrong or who might be out to do him harm. If they don’t solve this mystery, it may cost Mr. Drew his life.
#24
The Blue Lady of Coffin Hall
2022
Ned and Nancy track down a ghostly saboteur in the twenty-third book in the Nancy Drew Diaries series, a fresh approach to a classic series.
Nancy and Ned are visiting Coffin Hall, an estate turned rare books library, doing research on the library’s rumored ghost for an episode of the NedTalks podcast when a fire breaks out in the records room. One of the library’s security guards accuses Ned of arson—after all, he was the only one in the room when the fire started—but Ned swears it wasn’t him. He was trying to stop the fire. He tells Nancy he saw a lady in blue right before the incident, and thinks it was Henrietta Coffin, the ghost of Coffin Hall!
Nancy is confident her boyfriend is innocent, and she’s determined to identify the real culprit, though she’s pretty sure it wasn’t of the paranormal sort. When she investigates further, she learns that the fire was just the latest in a string of recent strange and inexplicable incidents plaguing Coffin Hall.
It’s increasingly apparent that someone has more than a passing interest in shutting down the library. But who—or what—is responsible? And why?
#25
Captain Stone's Revenge
2023
Nancy's sailing trip to Vermont turns into a hunt for a ghostly saboteur's lost treasure in the twenty-fourth book in the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
When a family friend, Grace, opens a sailing club on Lake Champlain at the former site of the Gemstone Islands Resort, Nancy, Bess, and George are invited to enjoy a few days of boating before the club's official grand opening. But when they arrive, they learn there have been some strange things happening on the property, from missing items to holes dug all over the yard. Is someone trying to sabotage the club, and could it have anything to do with the fire that destroyed the old resort twenty years ago?
As Nancy tries to pry information from the tight-lipped locals, all clues lead back to Captain Richard Stone, the enigmatic Revolutionary War-era pirate whose tavern once stood on the same site as the resort and sailing club. Legend has it that Captain Stone's ghost still haunts the property, guarding the treasure he buried there. But it isn't a ghost that punches a hole in Nancy's sailboat, leaving her and the girls to sink in the middle of the lake when an unexpected summer storm rolls in.
Unraveling the mystery of Captain Stone's treasure will be the key to finding out who's been sabotaging Grace's club. But first, Nancy and her friends will have to make it back to shore in one piece...
#25
What Disappears in Vegas . . .
2024
A missing bride leads Nancy on a chase through Las Vegas in the twenty-fifth Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
Bess and George’s cousin Veronica is getting married to extreme sports enthusiast Xavier Redd, and as a close friend of the family, Nancy has been invited to the wedding. Given the groom’s big personality and love for the extreme, the wedding will take place in Vegas, and the couple plan to take advantage of local sporting opportunities in the week leading up to the big event.
Not everyone in the family approves of Veronica’s fiancé, though, especially because of the risk-taking behavior Xavier has introduced her to. And when one of the couple’s sporting stunts almost ends in a serious accident, it’s not clear whether it’s an unfortunate coincidence or whether someone really wants to stop the wedding from happening.
Still, the day of the wedding arrives. But when it comes time to exchange vows, the bride is nowhere to be seen. Is this just a case of cold feet? Or has one of the wedding guests created a cold-hearted plot? One thing’s for sure—Nancy won’t rest until she finds out.
#26
Superstitions of "The Scottish Play"
2025
Nancy investigates a string of accidents at the theater in the twenty-sixth Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.
When Ned is cast in a stage production of Macbeth, led by the famous but peculiar director Bear Larouche, Nancy volunteers to help with the set. She’s also allowed to sit in on a few rehearsals, where she gets an earful from the director about theater never say “Macbeth” out loud—only refer to it as “The Scottish Play”—never wear blue, no peacock feathers onstage, and so on.
The play is off to a promising start until Ned breaks the most important rule and accidentally says “Macbeth” in the theater. And then accidents begin happening during rehearsals. It quickly goes from odd to scary, and the director is ready to cancel the show.
Nancy might not believe in superstition, but she does believe in intuition, and hers is telling her that the cause behind these incidents isn’t a curse, but someone in the cast. It’s up to her to find out who before opening night.
Author
Carolyn Keene
Author · 627 books
Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator. Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten. Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
