Hit and Run Holiday

Nancy Drew Files #5

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew’s quest for the driver who mowed down Kim Baylor in broad daylight leads her into extreme danger and an encounter with a murderer.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery Thriller, Adventure, Crime

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1986

About the 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Quickie Review

This one doesn't score as high because its setting is one of my least favorite places: the beach. Regardless, it's still another moderately enjoyable volume in this very long series; if you've read it up to this point, you know what to expect.

Content Concerns:

• Sex: Kissing and flirting. 4/5
• Nudity: Girls are mentioned to be wearing bikinis; mild cleavage and a shirtless guy on the front cover. 3/5
• Language: None. 5/5
• Violence: People are attacked, hit, and shot at, all in a "PG" way. 3/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: The main character and her friends have their lives threatened more than once. 3/5

Score: 3/5

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, action-packed Nancy Drew adventure! Bonus points for having a character who’s referred to as Dirk the Jerk.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Not all that exciting for a plot despite there being no Ned in the novel.

[Sara Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Drew is on vacation in Fort Lauderdale with her best friends. Her plans for a relaxing getaway are interrupted when another River Heights girl is critically injured in a deliberate hit and run accident. The opening hit and run drama is the strongest start to any of the files I have re-read so far. However, the ensuing action is completely outrageous. There are jelly fish stings, wind sailing “accidents”, a high tide death trap, circling sharks, and a high speed boat chase piloted by Nancy, herself. And no Nancy Drew mystery would be complete without blunt force trauma to the head.

This was the perfect setting for the first day of summer. This book screams Baywatch from cover to cover and I loved the beach mystery tropes no matter how over the top they were. Nancy jumps to conclusions more death defying than the final launch of the boat over a sandbar. Revisiting these books as an adult has been fun but l wouldn’t say it’s for everyone. Some language hasn’t aged well but I think this may be the first file I’ve read where Bess isn’t poked fun at for weight or dieting, just for being more boy crazy than her friends.

I wish I could remember more about my real time reactions to these books as a pre-teen/teen. I know my imagination filled in a lot more scenes visually as a teen than I naturally do now. I engaged with stories and characters a lot more deeply then. As an adult, I worry a lot more about Nancy running off on her own in a strange town and canvassing the crowds for a person of interest. I don’t think I would have thought anything of it then out of sheer stubbornness and I still like to travel on my own adventures so it’s funny that it makes me nervous. I think it raises a subconscious alarm that my detective novel could very well turn into a thriller in these circumstances even though the files are barely PG.

I will definitely read more files soon but I think it’s time to bounce back to a more modern story for now.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This was a lot better than book four. And there was no mention of Ned which was great. The case here was awesome and got to shine and wasn’t weighed down and overshadowed but unnecessary drama. These books really are fun and Nancy Drew has such unique cases to solve in such fun places. She’s on vacation in this one with her friends and one of her friends gets hit in a hit and run. The story was interesting and I really enjoyed the end.



{Challenges completed:
✔Game Night: Bingo Team Challenge - Week 10
✔For Love of a Book: Greatest Love Stories Challenge
✔For Love of a Book: Women’s History Month Challenge}

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Nancy Drew Files! Loved the Florida beach town setting during spring break. Everyone was so boy crazy. So much action!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kids today are so lucky. Middle grade & YA books in 2022 are OUTSTANDING. Found this book and reread it for nostalgia’s sake. I’m thankful it was short. It’s just like the cover…too much ridiculousness.

[Jess Upon A Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot! Takes place in Florida which is cool.

[BabyLunLun · Rating 2 out of 5]

So So

The beginning was super mysterious with these men appearing at Kim's room and Nancy playing hide and seek with them. Nancy chase those man around a little bit, meet some people then suddenly boom Nancy figure out the mastermind is Lily and what those men been up to all of a sudden which is so sudden and out of nowhere. I wasn't really convinced

[Jia Harrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book of Nancy Drew and I'M IN LOVE WITH HER! Oh My Gosh! I had so fun reading this book. And the last part is soooo~~~~😘😅[DIRK IS SOOOO HANDSOME] 😆😆😆😚

[Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

My introduction to the Nancy Drew Files series certainly did not disappoint, though I was a bit shocked to see Nancy steamily kiss the handsome young undercover cop when she barely danced with anyone not named Ned Nickerson in the original books and condemned the real Ned to only pecks on the cheek.

[Nadine Keels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this fifth book in The Nancy Drew Files is one that I didn't read back in the day. All the same, this '80s YA mystery still welcomed my nostalgic side as if I'd already visited it before.

I chuckled inside while watching the "cool" college kids on spring break in Florida, partying on the beach, dancing to music playing from radios and cassette players. But I had to shake my head a little at how easily Nancy gets interested in new guys (and even lets one kiss her) when she's supposedly so in love with Ned, her boyfriend who doesn't appear in this book. And Nance had the nerve to get all jealous and accusatory in the last book when another girl showed an interest in good ol' Ned.

Nancy seriously takes her guy for granted. A lot.

As for the mystery, I wasn't surprised to see Nancy do some running toward danger by herself at one point to conveniently get caught in a trap. But unlike in the previous books, Nancy figures out the mystery here at about the two-thirds mark. So the rest of the book is just a matter of getting out of danger and getting the bad guys caught, rather than sleuthing.

I guess I don't prefer such an early solving of the puzzle in a mystery novel.

Still, some of the action in the last third is pretty exciting, particularly in the last chapter or so. Looking forward to moving right along on my trip/revisit through this long, vintage series.

[Adeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one! The love triangle between Dirk and Bess and Nancy isn’t great—c’mon Nancy what are you doing??—but otherwise I enjoyed it. Very action-packed, with interesting twists and dangerous situations, and Nancy does some pretty good detective work.

I also really appreciated that this book shows Nancy and her friends being sympathetic towards undocumented immigrants, wanting to help them, acknowledging why they are vulnerable, and hoping they can stay in the country. I loved that the evildoer is a conventionally attractive, wealthy, white American woman whose family owns orchards and exploits undocumented immigrants for unpaid labor. I really didn’t expect this from a book published in 1986. Very refreshing. I’m glad I was finally able to find a copy of this book.

[Gabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me much longer to read than the others, but just as wild and fun and flirty as the ones before. This series is quickly becoming my favorite.

Nancy and her friends are off to Florida for spring break and a nice little vacation until their friend Kim, is nearly ran over by a hit and run and is placed in the hospital.

It’s up to Nancy to figure out who has it out for kim and she’s on the search for a girl named rosita.

Murder, trapped girls and illegal residents are just the tip of this iceberg.

[M Chandler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a poor, yet modern, representation of the original Nancy Drew. It was nicely detailed and written, and it had plenty of suspense, but....it wasn't as satisfying as the originals. The characters were mostly the same as the originals, but they were changed too much for me to believe that this was a story about Nancy Drew and her friends. On the other hand, if this had been a book about a totally different person solving mysteries, then yes it would have been be a very great book.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find that any of the Nancy Drew mystery novels I read, I read quickly. This particular book dove right into the plot and kept me intrigued throughout the entire thing. While I figured out who was behind it about midway through the book, it was one of those cases where I could not stop reading. Due to the nature of this kind of book, I cannot help but wonder what happens within the next book.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so much fun!

I love that the mysteries are actually a lot more dangerous, because people actually die in these books. (Or at least they have in the last two I’ve read.) In the old books Nancy or her friends were constantly getting run down or bashed on the head or kidnapped, but there was obviously never any actual danger. But in this series, the stakes seem to be a lot higher!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I actually finished this one.

[H.s.khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, made me want to read some more of these. Don’t want to read the same book again though.

[Reading and Beyond ( Kyla) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!! 😍❤

[Andrew Thais · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Happy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love old books and I am still an infant when this was published. I love Nancy Drew despite its predictability.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh

[Jelaina Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. Definitely higher stakes with the "Files" series than the earlier novels. Doesn't make me want to run off to Fort Lauderdale though!

[Charity Cummings]

I'm honestly just too old for this 😆
nostalgic read for Tessa's Summer Reading Challenge ✔️

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sooooooo '80s, and I mean that both as a positive and as a negative. Politically and racially: #yikes. Tactical shark escape? #yes

[Hydrate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun book i enjoyed a lot with my boy dirk the actual goat

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, Nancy Drew books were integral to my childhood. I remember liking the 'Case Files' series better than the classic yellow hardcovers because this series was a bit more risque what with the murder plots and make out sessions. I re-read a handful in quarantine and here are my thoughts:

Hit and Run Holiday is a quick fun read. The plot is surprisingly relevant (the villian runs operation abusing illegal immigrants) although not examined too deeply. I also enjoyed the absurd 'tie Nancy to the railway tracks' style murder attempt that occurs about half way through.

A lot of these 'Case Files' books suffer from insufferable romance drama from Nancy and Ned, who is more of an on-again-off-again boyfriend rather than the dependable reliable beau his is in other series. But thankfully none of that is present here!

All and all, probably my favorite of the 'Case Files' that I've read.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been many, many years (20?) since I’ve read a Nancy Drew book, and I’d forgotten how much fun they can be. Nancy, Bess, and George have all they need for the perfect spring break — great weather, nice beaches, good looking guys, and a mystery. Nancy arrives just in time to see her friend run down in the street and witness the friend’s room being searched. And if she resisted the urge to find out what was going on, she wouldn’t be Nancy Drew. The storyline is actually still relevant, and if it weren’t for the lack of cell phones, this could have been written yesterday. I have a bunch of these on my Kindle, so I’ll definitely keep reading them from time to time.