Throwback Thursday: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

Author: Carolyn Keene
First published in 1930, revised in 1959 by Grosset & Dunlap

Nancy, unaided, seeks to find a missing will, and the search not only tests her keen mind but also leads her into a thrilling adventure.


In The Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy decides to try and track down a missing will to help a family collect their promised inheritance.  For me, there really wasn't a mystery as you kind of know ahead of time there is a the key to a will in an old clock.  You just go along for the ride as Nancy tries to find it.  

After reading Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey (my review), which made a lot of references to Nancy Drew, I decided to revisit an old favorite of mine.  I first read Nancy Drew mysteries when I was in middle school and I remember loving the books.  I'm not sure at a young age, I realized what a "Mary-Sue Sunshine" Nancy really is.  Not in a bad or annoying way, but definitely in a 50's, everything is sunshine and roses way.  It was fun to read a book in which the character solved a case with no internet, Google or smart phones. In fact it was kind of refreshing.

One interesting fact that I never knew (thank you Wikipedia) is that Carolyn Keene was a pseudonym for several different writers who all contributed to the series over the years.  If you haven't read a Nancy Drew mystery in a while, I encourage to pick this one up.  It's like visiting with an old friend.