Part of Series
The world’s favorite teen detective is back, and she’s on the case. Keep up with Nancy Drew in this thrilling collection of mysteries full of intrigue, boys, and murder. In Smile and Say Murder, a series of death threats send Nancy undercover at a magazine whose coowner has a talent for making enemies. Nancy calls in her boyfriend Ned to help, but when he seems to fall in love with the lead suspect’s sister, Nancy is on her own—and she’s the killer’s next target. In Hit and Run Holiday, a friend’s near-murder plunges Nancy down a path of darkness on Florida’s seemingly sunny beaches. With a whispered name as her only clue, Nancy combs the coast for the would-be killer, desperate to find him…before he strikes again. In White Water Terror, Nancy is on a Montana adventure that soon becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse when a sinister phone call and two near-fatal “accidents” put the fun on hold. It’s clear Nancy and her friends are being stalked by a ruthless murderer, and everyone is a suspect. Can she find some answers before more than relaxation is lost?
Author
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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.
