An average story that probably would have been better if I didn't read the second ND Diaries, "Strangers on a Train" first. I didn't realize Strangers was a sequel to this one. I'm glad this wasn't the very first ND Diaries I ever read cause this case was pretty bland. There are better Diaries mysteries out there. Riverboat Roulette (Vol 8) is my favorite so far. ( )

"Just because it's all-you-can-eat that doesn't mean you have to try to eat it all."

Wow, I have so much to say I don't know if I can remember it all lol First off, this book was awesome! I always wanted to read a Nancy Drew book but never got around to it until now. I didn't expect the mystery to span across multiple books, I thought it would be a singular mystery per book, but that was probably just my own oversight.

For some reason, I couldn't picture Nancy and her friends as anything other than middle schoolers. Towards the end I started picturing them as teens. I think they are 18-20s? I'm really not sure.

Secondly, the O'Malleys made me think so much about the Weasleys. All I could picture was the Weasley family running around while Nancy tried to solve the mystery lol

Naturally, as it's a book geared toward children, the crime aspect has been dulled down significantly. The note that Nancy received in her suitcase made me chuckle because it didn't sound threatening at all, but I suppose to a child it might!

I have to applause the author for spanning the mystery over multiple books, it's a good strategy for several reasons. First, having multiple books with each one being fairly short keeps kids engaged and doesn't overwhelm them. Second, it gets people to spend more money. As someone that gets overwhelmed by large, thick books, I can relate. Plus, I yelled like a fool when the book ended because I want to know what happens next!

I feel like the author did a good job of making you wonder who was responsible. When the ABC's mentioned Lacey's look-a-Like, I was positive she was responsible! But I quickly forgot about her as Nancy tried to piece together all of the clues and information.

I really liked reading about George because I can relate to her so much. I'm glad it wasn't just glamorous and girly Bess! Also "Are you seriously feeling sorry for a spider?" Same, George. Same.

I highly recommend this book to any young sleuth! ( )

This was a fun, modern take on Nancy Drew. The ending was extremely abrupt. This felt less like book 1 and more like part 1 of the first novel. ( )

Meh. It started out interesting and exciting, and then draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagged in the middle. Nancy the girls couldn’t make heads or tails of anything for chapters upon chapters, and then in the course of approximately 3 paragraphs the mystery was solved. Granted, this happens a lot in mystery books, but that doesn’t make it ok. I’m fairly certain I know who the overall culprit is in the second book, but with all the convolutions in the story line and the surprise revelations with little to no foreshadowing, who knows? ( )

There was a certain serendipity about my reading this book. After reading Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson, I had a discussion with a fellow reader about Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, which is mentioned several times in Swanson’s book. My friend very kindly tried to order a copy on Amazon, but, not paying sufficient attention, managed to order another book with the same title, which turned out to be the second instalment of the Nancy Drew Diary stories. Remembering how much I had enjoyed some of the Hardy Boys stories when I was younger, I decided to see what it was like, and whether my great nieces might like it. To do the job properly, I went back and read the first book in the series.

I was impressed by how enjoyable it was. The plot fizzes along pretty quickly, and Nancy and her friends are very engaging characters. It came as a welcome diversion from some of the rather gory detective novels I have found myself reading recently, and was far more enjoyable than the Patricia Highsmith book that I had been expecting. And yes, my great niece enjoyed it too. ( )