Part of Series
AMERICA'S TOP TEEN DETECTIVES TEAM UP TO DIVE FOR DEADLY TREASURE Nancy Drew and her boyfriend, Ned, are among the guests invited to plush Padre Island, on the Gulf Coast. Everyone's geared up for spring break, including Frank and Joe Hardy. The brother detectives happen to be staying at the home of wealthy friend Buck Calhoun. While scuba diving, Buck makes a play for Nancy, which Ned intercepts. But the games end when Buck finds a sunken wreck—and a very dead body. Meanwhile... Padre Island's social set is raided by a squad of resort sharks. The sophisticated crime ring has ripped off a fortune in loot. But they've never left a clue—until they snatch a pair of melted keys belonging to Joe Hardy. The worthless keys have deep personal value for the young sleuth. And he vows to track them down—no matter what the risk...
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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.
