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Nancy Drew Files #4
Smile and Say Murder
In the glitzy world of magazine publishing Nancy Drew searches for a ruthless killer. A series of death treats send Nancy undercover at Flash, the country's top teen magazine. The target is Yvonne Verdi, co-owner of Flash and wonder-girl of the magazine world.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
26 people are currently reading
646 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
943 books3,814 followersCarolyn 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 28, 2022
The reading experience itself with these books aren't brilliant. Thy are mildly entertaining but the charm is more of its "brand". To get to read Nancy Drew that I've hard about since I was a kid but never read myself. Sort of false nostalgia
October 1, 2018
This installment in the series was a letdown.
1) Nancy and Ned - what??
2) The whole concept of the teen magazine as a crime setting could have been great and very 90s, but the problems between Ned and Nancy really interfered with the plot. George and Bess also had only brief roles in this story.
1) Nancy and Ned - what??
2) The whole concept of the teen magazine as a crime setting could have been great and very 90s, but the problems between Ned and Nancy really interfered with the plot. George and Bess also had only brief roles in this story.
July 25, 2023
A Quickie Review
Much like a reliable TV series, the Nancy Drew Files books deliver the goods again and again. If you've read one and didn't like it, you probably won't like the others...but, for fans like me, this is a treat. It's decidedly different than the original series, but still good fun nonetheless.
Content Concerns:
• Sex: Innocent romance. 4/5
• Nudity: None. 5/5
• Language: None. 5/5
• Violence: A scene involving a gun accidentally hurting someone. 4/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some "PG"-level peril. 4/5
Score: 4/5
Much like a reliable TV series, the Nancy Drew Files books deliver the goods again and again. If you've read one and didn't like it, you probably won't like the others...but, for fans like me, this is a treat. It's decidedly different than the original series, but still good fun nonetheless.
Content Concerns:
• Sex: Innocent romance. 4/5
• Nudity: None. 5/5
• Language: None. 5/5
• Violence: A scene involving a gun accidentally hurting someone. 4/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some "PG"-level peril. 4/5
Score: 4/5
April 10, 2019
I read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys throughout my school and college days.
Nancy Drew is an amateur detective who solves crimes with occasional help from her best friends, Bess and George and, her boyfriend Ned. She also has occasional help from her father Carson Drew who runs a private law practice. From finding stolen goods to missing persons and solving mysterious happenings, Nancy is a force of nature.
Until I discovered that Carolyn Keene is a pen name for a whole bunch of ghostwriters, I used to feel confused about the slight differences in each character from books to book over the many series of Nancy Drew mysteries. I like the character of Nancy best in the original books written by Mildred Wirt Benson where Nancy is truly a character to root for – an independent and street smart girl with a penchant for trouble.
Nancy Drew is an amateur detective who solves crimes with occasional help from her best friends, Bess and George and, her boyfriend Ned. She also has occasional help from her father Carson Drew who runs a private law practice. From finding stolen goods to missing persons and solving mysterious happenings, Nancy is a force of nature.
Until I discovered that Carolyn Keene is a pen name for a whole bunch of ghostwriters, I used to feel confused about the slight differences in each character from books to book over the many series of Nancy Drew mysteries. I like the character of Nancy best in the original books written by Mildred Wirt Benson where Nancy is truly a character to root for – an independent and street smart girl with a penchant for trouble.
June 22, 2013
I love the 80s description of clothes. Not one of my ultimate favorites because of Nancy's attitude toward Ned and how easily the case is to be solved.
January 5, 2021
Nancy is asked to investigate who is terrorising Yvonne Verdi, co-owner of Flash, a successful teen magazine. A $10 million dollar buyout seems to be the reason and Yvonne is convinced that Mick, her partner is behind it all. But can Yvonne’s version of events be trusted?
I’m working my way slowly through the Nancy Drew stories reading some of the older ones and newer ones too. They are short but they have good plots, characters and varied locations. I like how Nancy is shrewd and realises that even her clients might not be trustworthy and she is good at reading people.
But she is still young (perpetually 18 since the 1930s!) and not perfect she is vulnerable like all of us to making mistakes - this time the green eyed monster raises its head when she becomes jealous of Ned’s friendship with a potential suspect in the case and also realises that she and Ned need to work harder on their relationship due to her commitment to her work as a detective.
“Don’t make a sound, or your face is going to be such a mess even plastic surgery won’t help.” 😲
Page 132
I’m working my way slowly through the Nancy Drew stories reading some of the older ones and newer ones too. They are short but they have good plots, characters and varied locations. I like how Nancy is shrewd and realises that even her clients might not be trustworthy and she is good at reading people.
But she is still young (perpetually 18 since the 1930s!) and not perfect she is vulnerable like all of us to making mistakes - this time the green eyed monster raises its head when she becomes jealous of Ned’s friendship with a potential suspect in the case and also realises that she and Ned need to work harder on their relationship due to her commitment to her work as a detective.
“Don’t make a sound, or your face is going to be such a mess even plastic surgery won’t help.” 😲
Page 132
January 22, 2024
This was a good mystery.
But Nancy's character was super annoying (the way she treated Ned) and the almost cheating that happened. I realized how naive I was as a teenager reading this and how much I've grown now and find this behavior extremely problematic! 😐
But Nancy's character was super annoying (the way she treated Ned) and the almost cheating that happened. I realized how naive I was as a teenager reading this and how much I've grown now and find this behavior extremely problematic! 😐
April 26, 2021
This was quite entertaining and also nice to see a bit of relationship drama from Ned and Nancy
Nancy is hired with intern as an cover to investigate something at Flash , a popular teen magazine. She invited Ned along but they have a bit of scuffle because Ned has gone too close with Sondra. Throughout the whole series Ned has always been a real supportive boyfriend but this time he wasn't too happy when Nancy refused to go on vacation with him because of the mystery
Nancy is hired with intern as an cover to investigate something at Flash , a popular teen magazine. She invited Ned along but they have a bit of scuffle because Ned has gone too close with Sondra. Throughout the whole series Ned has always been a real supportive boyfriend but this time he wasn't too happy when Nancy refused to go on vacation with him because of the mystery
November 17, 2014
Whew! What a load of relationship drama in here. Nancy was called by Yvonne Verdi who co-owned top teen magazine after she received a series of death threats. Nancy went undercover and got Ned to help her as well. Dangers surrounded their investigations and a couple of near deaths experiences to both Verdi and her partner, Mick. Despite the exciting description, this book seemed to focus more on the angst and drama of Ned and Nancy’s rocky relationship. Nancy seemed clumsy and stupid in here by jumping to conclusion without thinking things through. Way to go, top detective! She and Ned got me rolled my eyes in annoyance more than a couple of times.
September 7, 2017
I absolutely loved it! A much more modern spin on the classic detective, with just the right hint of romance, danger and intrigue! Ive already started looking up the rest of this series! Nancy gets hired to figure out whose writing threatening letters to the magazine owner, but get a lot more than she bargained for, including a bout of jealousy!
June 21, 2022
I’ll be honest. I was in a little bit of a funk this morning. All I could manage was comfort reading. So I dragged myself out to the hammock on this final day of vacation 2022 and I turned to my longest reading companion, Nancy Drew. I had read the first two case files this year and found them…somewhat lacking after 36 odd years on this earth. But the heart wants what the heart wants and I wanted to be 12 again reading on the porch swing between taking turns mowing the yard in 90 degree heat. And so I was. And this mystery was what I needed it to be. A companion from days gone by, shimmering in the heat of a lazy summer day.
I loved the mystery. I hated Nancy Drew as a romantic role model. She did not treat Ned well. Ned complicated his innocence in retaliation. Honestly, they’d be lost if not for a very mature NPC named Sondra who called them out in time to solve the mystery together. I did not read the third case file yet but I think the case files are establishing their footing and ready to run starting in book 4. There are still cracks at Bess’s dieting habits but George and Bess are very supportive friends even when Nancy is self sabotaging. I didn’t remember Nancy Drew being such a flawed detective but solving mysteries is her seven percent solution. It complicates her relationship and she has so far accused both her best friends’ love interests of murder within 4 books. She really needs help. And I’m here for it.
I loved the mystery. I hated Nancy Drew as a romantic role model. She did not treat Ned well. Ned complicated his innocence in retaliation. Honestly, they’d be lost if not for a very mature NPC named Sondra who called them out in time to solve the mystery together. I did not read the third case file yet but I think the case files are establishing their footing and ready to run starting in book 4. There are still cracks at Bess’s dieting habits but George and Bess are very supportive friends even when Nancy is self sabotaging. I didn’t remember Nancy Drew being such a flawed detective but solving mysteries is her seven percent solution. It complicates her relationship and she has so far accused both her best friends’ love interests of murder within 4 books. She really needs help. And I’m here for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2020
Just nonsense.
May 2, 2020
3.5 STARS
February 19, 2019
I came across 2 old Nancy Drew books at a book sale and I had to snatch them up. I spent some time this afternoon with the girl detective, and it was just as much fun now as it was when I was in middle school (even if they didn't call it middle school back then). The stories hold up, although there was a line about a store not taking an out of town check that made me giggle...that, and cameras with actual film (gasp!). Definitely worth the time today.
April 25, 2021
This one suffers from a few major issues.
1.) There's Nancy/Ned relationship drama that takes up large sections of the book. It's tedious and irritating. Nancy is extremely childish and spends so much of the book purposefully ignoring Ned instead of talking out their issues.
2.) Nancy's deductions are all over the place. She's really quite stupid at points and jumped to conclusions without proper evidence to back up her claims. Yet at the same time the mystery is pretty easy to figure out. So there's this weird dichotomy where Nancy is both too slow on the uptake, but also jumps way too fast to some conclusions. Makes for a clunky read.
3.) Mick is an unlikable jackass. In his introduction scene, he smashes his business partner's vase during a minor argument at work. That's so over the top and such rage monster behavior that I spend the whole rest of the book hoping he'd die. Which makes it awkward because the rest of the plot is about stopping him from unjustly being framed and saving his life. It's kinda a bad sign when you're rooting for the villian (who, for the record, was incredibly easy and predictable to spot).
1.) There's Nancy/Ned relationship drama that takes up large sections of the book. It's tedious and irritating. Nancy is extremely childish and spends so much of the book purposefully ignoring Ned instead of talking out their issues.
2.) Nancy's deductions are all over the place. She's really quite stupid at points and jumped to conclusions without proper evidence to back up her claims. Yet at the same time the mystery is pretty easy to figure out. So there's this weird dichotomy where Nancy is both too slow on the uptake, but also jumps way too fast to some conclusions. Makes for a clunky read.
3.) Mick is an unlikable jackass. In his introduction scene, he smashes his business partner's vase during a minor argument at work. That's so over the top and such rage monster behavior that I spend the whole rest of the book hoping he'd die. Which makes it awkward because the rest of the plot is about stopping him from unjustly being framed and saving his life. It's kinda a bad sign when you're rooting for the villian (who, for the record, was incredibly easy and predictable to spot).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2020
2 stars. My least favorite in the series so far. This one was hard to read just because Nancy and Ned were both being such unlikable jackasses. Their relationship mess overshadowed the case which was annoying. Nancy had all of her damn nerve seeing as how she had that thing with that guy in the first book. Not to say that Ned was right for flirting (and kissing! wtf????) Sondra because he was trash af for that but she was ready to risk it all for ol' boy in the first book so she had no room to talk. So annoying. Sucks because the premise of this one had potential to be so much fun but instead it reads like a teenage soap opera. No thanks.
January 22, 2011
This was a totally exciting and suspensful book! I loved it and recommend it to everyone reading this review.(especially girls because it has some relationship stuff between Nancy and her boyfriend.)
Read
July 31, 2011They never get old.
Read
October 17, 2017the effort i went to in order to download this is worth 5 stars
October 14, 2016
Omg, Nancy thinks her boyfriend of what, seventy some years, Ned Nickerson, is cheating on her. I'm pretty sure she's just pms-ing though.
March 30, 2019
Nancy treated Ned like crap in this one and the book made it seem like it wasn't that big of a deal and it was partly his fault.
December 29, 2022
I finished the third book in The Nancy Drew Files series and barely took a breath, so to speak, before I jumped right into this fourth one. I'm getting a kick out of these '80s YA mysteries.
I also got a little kick out of the tie to other actual mystery novels and authors in this book, including a mention of books about the Hardy Boys. And one character's comment about detective stories being too predictable for her—a pretty mischievous move on the writer's part to stick a line like that into one of these quick and easy Nancy novels.
I found it kind of funny that at one point, the narrator adds a little explanation about what the phone number "911" is. That emergency number had been in effect for almost two decades by the time this book was written, so the book's young target audience would have grown up knowing the number already.
As I suspected would happen while reading the previous novel, Nancy and her boyfriend Ned run into more relationship trouble as romantic plans of theirs are again interrupted by a case Nancy takes on. As for the case itself, some of the most interesting action and its resulting problem are brought on by a critical mistake on Nancy's part, when she jumps ahead of "the rational side of her brain." Not the first time that she's messed up in a way that doesn't make the most sense for a detective who's so experienced.
Nevertheless, I still found the read quite entertaining, from the workplace mystery, to the dash of teen magazine industry glitz and glam, to the now outdated tech and the presence of a store like good ol' Woolworth's. (Am I dating myself?)
Looking forward to reading (and revisiting) more of this series.
I also got a little kick out of the tie to other actual mystery novels and authors in this book, including a mention of books about the Hardy Boys. And one character's comment about detective stories being too predictable for her—a pretty mischievous move on the writer's part to stick a line like that into one of these quick and easy Nancy novels.
I found it kind of funny that at one point, the narrator adds a little explanation about what the phone number "911" is. That emergency number had been in effect for almost two decades by the time this book was written, so the book's young target audience would have grown up knowing the number already.
As I suspected would happen while reading the previous novel, Nancy and her boyfriend Ned run into more relationship trouble as romantic plans of theirs are again interrupted by a case Nancy takes on. As for the case itself, some of the most interesting action and its resulting problem are brought on by a critical mistake on Nancy's part, when she jumps ahead of "the rational side of her brain." Not the first time that she's messed up in a way that doesn't make the most sense for a detective who's so experienced.
Nevertheless, I still found the read quite entertaining, from the workplace mystery, to the dash of teen magazine industry glitz and glam, to the now outdated tech and the presence of a store like good ol' Woolworth's. (Am I dating myself?)
Looking forward to reading (and revisiting) more of this series.
March 31, 2020
AUTHOR Keene, Carolyn
TITLE Smile and Say Murder
DATE READ 03/30/20
RATING 3.5/C+
FIRST SENTENCE Nancy Drew sank back into the cushioned seat of the commuter train that traveled between River Heights and Chicago and pulled a glossy new magazine out of her shoulder bag.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF YA Mystery/1986/Simon & Shuster/137 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #4 Nancy Drew Files
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 50/120;
GROUP READ ND
TIME/PLACE 1980's/IL
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew /girl detective and her boyfriend Ned Nickerson
COMMENTS So far this is my least favorite of all the ND series. I did not find Nancy as friendly as usual and rather mean-spirited towards Ned. Did not care for their interactions at all… yes Nancy can be driven in her detective work but not at the expense of being compassionate and civil toward Ned. Otherwise, fairly good although not surprising mystery.
TITLE Smile and Say Murder
DATE READ 03/30/20
RATING 3.5/C+
FIRST SENTENCE Nancy Drew sank back into the cushioned seat of the commuter train that traveled between River Heights and Chicago and pulled a glossy new magazine out of her shoulder bag.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF YA Mystery/1986/Simon & Shuster/137 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #4 Nancy Drew Files
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 50/120;
GROUP READ ND
TIME/PLACE 1980's/IL
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew /girl detective and her boyfriend Ned Nickerson
COMMENTS So far this is my least favorite of all the ND series. I did not find Nancy as friendly as usual and rather mean-spirited towards Ned. Did not care for their interactions at all… yes Nancy can be driven in her detective work but not at the expense of being compassionate and civil toward Ned. Otherwise, fairly good although not surprising mystery.
August 26, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐
SMILE AND SAY M*RDER by Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew is back on the case---this time posing as an intern at a Magazine company. Someone's making d*ath threats, and as things heat up, Nancy must figure out who's responsible before someone else gets hurt...or worse: is k*lled.
SMILE AND SAY M*RDER has been one of the better Nancy Drew books I've read as I've been making my way through the ones I own but haven't read. It's fast-paced, and I was able to read it in under two hours. I was really intrigued by the case, and though predictable, the last half of this book was action after action, threat after threat, and it didn't let up until the end---which I loved. I wasn't a fan of Ned and Nancy in this. They were arguing and just not being them, and I don't remember the orignal Nancy Drew books that I read when I was a child being like this.
SMILE AND SAY M*RDER by Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew is back on the case---this time posing as an intern at a Magazine company. Someone's making d*ath threats, and as things heat up, Nancy must figure out who's responsible before someone else gets hurt...or worse: is k*lled.
SMILE AND SAY M*RDER has been one of the better Nancy Drew books I've read as I've been making my way through the ones I own but haven't read. It's fast-paced, and I was able to read it in under two hours. I was really intrigued by the case, and though predictable, the last half of this book was action after action, threat after threat, and it didn't let up until the end---which I loved. I wasn't a fan of Ned and Nancy in this. They were arguing and just not being them, and I don't remember the orignal Nancy Drew books that I read when I was a child being like this.
January 10, 2025
Ehhh I usually love Nancy Drew books and I remember loving the more glamorous and romance-heavy ND Files when I was younger, but after reading 2 ND files recently, they don't hold up quite as well as the others. Nancy - usually level-headed and brilliant and talented- is silly and randomly jealous here. The mystery runs parallel to some silly drama about Nancy and Ned's relationship, and like I know she's just 18, but because she's usually so mature in regular ND mysteries, it was frustrating to see her act so irrationally about Ned, and also be so dismissive of his feelings.
May 30, 2022
I loved the Nancy Drew books as a child. They were the first full length books I read on my own and the first book I ever purchased with my own money. This book reminded me why. It's an interesting mystery with a little action and without all the adult mess thrown in. A quick, fun and nostalgic read.
July 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this one. Gave me some good laughs and I enjoyed the teen melodrama. Never thought I’d be calling Ned a scoundrel hahaha.
I also enjoyed how this one was a bit meta with references to mystery novels, writing under pen names, and even the Hardy Boys as a book series!
The only problem is that the culprit was not exactly surprising.
I also enjoyed how this one was a bit meta with references to mystery novels, writing under pen names, and even the Hardy Boys as a book series!
The only problem is that the culprit was not exactly surprising.
April 3, 2023
The book was really good. The suspense and thrill had me reading for a straight 2 days. And the ram ve break between Ned and Nancy was really unexpected.
Definitely recommend. Though if your a fast reader, I’d say the Nancy Drew Files Vol.2 would be better…
Definitely recommend. Though if your a fast reader, I’d say the Nancy Drew Files Vol.2 would be better…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2017
half of the book was all about Ned and Nancy's fight hahahaha
May 16, 2020
Pleasant trip down memory lane (but somewhat predictable end)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews