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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #62

Alice et la poupée indienne

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When Nancy arrives at the McGuire's fitness ranch in Arizona, she discovers that the future of the ranch is being threatened by unexplained accidents. Teaming up with a ghost, Nancy begins her search for a precious collection of ancient Kachina dolls and hunts for her elusive adversary, who is determined to prevent the ranch from operating.

153 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

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About the author

Carolyn Keene

993 books3,864 followers
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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.

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5 stars
619 (31%)
4 stars
677 (34%)
3 stars
573 (28%)
2 stars
97 (4%)
1 star
24 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
Profile Image for Pooja Peravali.
Author 2 books110 followers
February 23, 2024
When Nancy Drew is summoned to Arizona by an old friend, she must solve the mystery of a strange ghost that haunts the ranch.

One of the books from the period in which the series was shifting from being published by Grosset & Dunlap to Simon & Schuster, this book follow the usual Nancy Drew formula of combining Nancy's adventurous nature with high femininity. There's a Native American ghost, a young boy in danger of being branded a criminal, and plenty of near brushes with death.

I read plenty of Nancy Drew when I was a kid, though I never got to this book. While I enjoyed the setting and the eeriness of the Kachina doll storyline, this is probably not one of Nancy's best outings. She more stumbles upon answers this time round, with very little deduction required. Bess and George are lacklustre here, without much to do.
Profile Image for Christine.
1,959 reviews62 followers
March 16, 2024
I used to read Nancy Drew books all the time, but it has been a while since I've read one. In this book, Nancy, George, and Bess travel to Arizona to help a friend whose family is trying to create a health and fitness resort in the desert, but unexplained accidents may shut it down before it even opens. I love the setting and the interesting plot reminded me a bit of a Scooby-Doo mystery with rumors of ghosts, but this book has an unexpected explanation. The book is of course aimed at a younger audience, but I enjoyed the trip down memory lane with Nancy Drew. 3.75 stars
Profile Image for Roanna.
178 reviews29 followers
October 1, 2014
The Nancy Drew series was my favourite mystery series to read, while growing up! And as you can see, I still can't resist a good one. I hadn't read this one before and it was fun but I kind of guessed who the bad guy was right from the start, hahaha. I blame this 27-year-old version of me! Ah, off to read The Swami's Ring or The Greek Symbol Mystery or The Secret in the Old Lace now - I can't decide which. Spoiled for choice! :-D
Profile Image for Alasdair Sinclair.
5 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2018
The main characters are lively enough, but the novel breaks many rules of the Detection Club. It's very weakly plotted, with a mystery that even the detective can't solve without effectively a deus ex machina.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Izzy.
697 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2020
fairly racist as predicted given the age of the book, but not as bad as I expected! I was kind of confused that the ghost element was never explained, but mainly I was happy with this, especially with where the kachina dolls ended up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ami.
45 reviews
July 6, 2017
Not one of the best books. I didn't really feel like I was on the edge of my seat. I would not recommend it.
Profile Image for DolphinBlue.
187 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2019
*** Same Nancy I Remembered From 1-56 ***

As an 11-12 year old, somewhere along that time frame, I discovered Nancy Drew at my library. I latched on (for some reason, the Hardy Boys never did catch on with me, maybe bc I thought Nancy was cute) and read, hmm, maybe 30-40 of the original series. LOVED THE BOOKS. Rarely was I disappointed. The convention of ending each chapter with a cliffhanger punctuated by an exclamation point was brilliant.

So now I'm 52 and why am I starting Nancy Drew again? Well, we all get a bit nostalgic as we age, don't we? Most of us, I suspect. I really did not know the story of the post-original 56 Nancy Drew books, so it was fascinating to read on the Wiki. I also did not realize that as I was reading them in the mid-late 70s, the original 56 were still being published, though near the end of their run. The series always seemed set in the 30's to me, and I don't think the Keene writer(s) tried to modernize it, until we get to post-56, the first 8 or so of which I believe were written by the same person(s) as the originals, just under a different publisher and format, which is significant to us who grew up with the little yellow-accented hardbacks.

I would prefer to read the post-56 in order, even though there is not much if any continuity, because, well, that is how I roll. I like to read in order even if it doesn't matter. LOL. It does make it easier to remember what one has read.

So I started with the first one that was available at a good Kindle discount, this #62. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, this book was clearly advanced in time from the originals, but the same basic style, settings and people were there, mostly as I remembered them. Nancy, Bess and George, all hopping on a plane with one day's notice (gosh, the tickets had to be exorbitant, no?), working on a mystery together. Bess' food addiction seemed a bit overplayed compared to what I remember -- there must have been 5-6 references -- but generally it was a quick and fun read.

Is it too simplistic for an adult? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, no? I enjoy an occasional escape, a reversion to childhood, and even as a somewhat plodding reader, I can knock these out in 90 minutes or so. And I learn something. One interesting thing about these books is that they are surprisingly packed with little tidbits of history, place, culture, etc. That is not to be overlooked.

Enjoy.
Profile Image for Eden Silverfox.
1,228 reviews102 followers
June 12, 2013
One day Nancy Drew receives a letter from a friend she hasn't heard from in a while. In the letter, her friend is asking if she'll come to Arizona and solve a mystery for her. Her friend wants to make a fitness ranch and with the fact there is a ghost haunting the place, she's not sure if anyone will want to come and stay. As always, Nancy is on the case.

The book was a little slow at times, but does get really good. I haven't read many Nancy Drew books, but I think Nancy is a great character. She's good at solving mysteries and brave. I think this one had a good story and I like that Nancy wanted to clear the one character's name. It was an enjoyable read.
Profile Image for August.
238 reviews8 followers
December 9, 2020
Better plot and pacing than a lot of the Nancy Drew books of the same era, but the kachina ghost guiding Nancy was never explained, so we're supposed to believe - what? This ghost was waiting around for decades for the right white girl to show up so it could show her the treasure? Kind of disappointing in that regard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sydney.
1,115 reviews14 followers
March 21, 2015
this book was kinda scary,but it was still really good.the problem is that in the halls there is this Kachina doll floating around,and you don't know where it's coming from.
Profile Image for Brina.
1,239 reviews4 followers
June 26, 2023
Like many women I grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries, which fostered a life long love of mystery and detective stories. At this point in my life, an easy reading mystery is still my preferred genre to cleanse my reading mine after heavier reads. I will admit, this has not been an easy year on a myriad of levels. I told my parents recently that I think all my brain can handle this summer is Agatha Christie and baseball books. Segue, a few woman in my retro chapter chick group still read Nancy Drew regularly. Apparently there are even Nancy Drew book clubs for adults, who knew. They do know that mentally I have been going through hard times so they invited me to buddy read a Nancy Drew mystery with them. Granted the read is not scheduled until next month but I read in order of library availability so here I am back in the comfort of my favorite childhood detective.

Nancy Drew receives a letter from an old friend Heather McGuire. Apparently the ranch that her family bought in hopes of creating a getaway destination and stable income is being spooked by a combination of previous owners and Kachina doll ghosts. Heather remembers that Nancy is the best at solving mysteries and within a day Nancy and friends Bess and George are on their way from River Heights to the southwest to see if they can solve the mystery of the spooky kachina dolls.

This installment in the Nancy Drew series had been originally published in 1981, and it had late 1970s to early 1980s vibes. The McGuires drive a station wagon. The supposed enemy is an adult who does t want Nancy meddling in local affairs and is out to get her and continues to send signals that are meant to take her off the case. Of course, there is a “ghost.” Of course, there is a second mystery in which a twelve year old is being framed for crimes he didn’t do. Of course, it is up to Nancy Drew to solve both cases and save the day. And of course, there are southwestern style parties and food when Nancy solves the first of these mysteries.

In the 1970s and 1980s although at that point more than one generation old, I believe that Nancy Drew and Barbie, two icons I have read about recently, were responsible for telling another generation of girls that they could do anything. That is why both icons are still around and more than relevant as the 21st century nears its one quarter mark. A woman wants to stay home and raise kids, fine. A woman wants to be like Nancy Drew and solve mysteries, great. A woman wants to fly a plane or be a firefighter or is a math genius and decides to crunch numbers (the three professions my three daughters are interested in), fine. Women like Nancy Drew who solved cases on their own facilitated women as primarily stay at home moms to girls knowing that they could be moms and detectives. Hence, when I get an opportunity to read Nancy Drew again, I will gladly jump at it.

The writing is obviously not designed for a forty something teacher on summer vacation. There are illustrations for every chapter and the text itself is under two hundred pages. Of course I finished in a little under two hours. The writing, not the greatest, but again, geared toward youth audiences, not their mothers. Yet, Nancy Drew should be geared toward mothers who grew up reading her. If Carolyn Keene is a consortium of women writers, she could just as easily create an adult Nancy solving cases with her daughter as she has created modern books featuring Nancy and friends in elementary school. Wouldn’t that be fun to read. In the meantime, I am happy to pick up a few Nancy Drew books a year. They are refreshing and bring back wonderful memories.

3.5 stars
4,389 reviews56 followers
February 26, 2019
2 1/2 stars. A fun mystery full of adventure and danger. I like the depiction of the desert, including the unexpected beauty that can be found there. The Kachina dolls are handled somewhat sensitive but I wish there had been a little bit more information about them.

Unusual that there was an actual supernatural elements to the mystery. The Kachina figures seen were not some trick put on by the criminals and Nancy seemed to easily accept she had experienced some sort of ghost. Usually she is more skeptical and would have looked for some sort of explanation.

It also doesn't explain why the criminals were so determined to scare Nancy off right from the beginning. It doesn't make sense to send a warning to Nancy when he has never heard of her. I can't believe that adults would think a teenage girl would be a real threat, particularly if they never heard of her before. It would be much better not to draw any attention to themselves. The owners of the ranch believe all of their misfortunes are due to a curse or perhaps tricks played by Ngyun. Only once Nancy actually got there and started to make some progress would it make sense to set up some of the tricks.
Profile Image for Stacey.
619 reviews1 follower
February 10, 2021
More like The Kachina Doll Mystery Nancy only solves because she followed a kachina ghost around.”
Seriously. Nancy only solved the doll mystery because the ghost kept showing her clues! She did little actual detective work! Oh look the deified ancestral spirit (thanks Merriam Webster!) points to one spot on a mural. Low and behold... there’s a box behind it! The kachina spirit literally leads her to the painting of where the treasure is buried. Nancy did diddly squat.
And wouldn’t the kachina actually go to the Native Americans living in the dang house for years?!
Nope gonna go with the white girl who’s been here a day.
I also want to point out that Jake’s idea to paint clues leading to the treasure would have been for naught if the bad guys had burned down the house as he feared. You need a backup plan, Jake. A nonflammable one.
The other mystery Nancy actually solved with the little Nguyen was totes adorable and I liked it. Even if Nguyen has to save her white butt at the end. More Nguyen and his pinto Cochise, please. Maybe the kachina would rather talk to you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu.
872 reviews62 followers
July 23, 2023
I remember receiving The Kachina Doll Mystery as a teen, yet I never read it!
So, many years later, I have decided, along with a few fellow Nancy Drew fans, to read it finally.
I wasn't disappointed; I loved the mystery, albeit similar to a few other Nancy Drews I've read set on a ranch. However, despite this minor flaw, I enjoyed that there is a reference to a real-life mystery in the novel that plays a role in the mysteries that Nancy is trying to solve. In general, the book was respectful toward the indigenous people in Arizona, and I enjoyed reading about the Kachina dolls.
Overall, this was an entertaining, fast-moving mystery without many red herrings. I recommend it to Nancy Drew fans of all ages.
Profile Image for LobsterQuadrille.
1,103 reviews
December 8, 2024
2.5 stars

Far from great, but a marked improvement over The Secret in the Old Lace and The Greek Symbol Mystery(granted, the bar is very low). The pacing is much better and the story is mostly coherent this time. The supernatural element

The illustrations are also far better in this book. The style is still on the realistic side, but with much more snap and energy to it. The Kachina Doll Mystery is a respectable effort, but not a must-have for my collection.
Profile Image for Myra.
194 reviews34 followers
June 21, 2018
Typical Nancy Drew fun. I really enjoy these books because they're the kind of books I enjoyed as a pre-teen and early teen. It is only now that I notice how apparent the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter are.
This had a pretty novel concept and it was fun to read, but I was kind of dissatisfied by the conclusion.
I wanted to know more about the Kachina ghost. But it makes for a fun read, overall.

41 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2021
I've been reading the books in the order they were written. This is the first one that feels more like the Digests and less like the Yellowbacks.

I felt this book had real suspects and though I could guess who the culprit was, I wasn't sure until I got to the end. It also felt more respectful to Native Americans than the earlier Nancy Drew books that feature people of Non-European ethnicity.
Profile Image for Darinda.
9,183 reviews157 followers
October 23, 2017
Nancy Drew and her friends, Bess and George, visit Arizona to solve a mystery on a friend's ranch.

Nancy and her friends go on another trip to solve a mystery. Two things were different in this book: 1 - the supernatural part of this story was not explained away, like it is in the other Nancy Drew books and 2 - the guys (Ned, Dave, and Burt) were not in this book.
Profile Image for Carolyn.
514 reviews2 followers
April 20, 2020
As usual Nancy gets herself into impossible situations - not enough thinking ahead, feeling free to go into houses that obviously belong to bad guys, riding off alone without telling anyone where she's going... I did love how she was able to interact with the spirit.
Profile Image for Laura  (Reading is a Doing Word).
803 reviews72 followers
July 29, 2020
Nancy goes to a ranch in Arizona to investigate the curse of a ghostly kachina figure but also helps clear a young boy of false accusations. Many attempts are made on her life but she doesn't really do any proper sleuthing, rather stumbles upon information or is led to it by the kachina ghost!
Profile Image for Truly.
2,764 reviews12 followers
December 12, 2020
Percaya pada bantuan arwah? Setidaknya seorang Nancy Drew mengalami ada bantuan dari seseorang atau sesuatu yang tak ia kenali wujudnya ketika memecahkan sebuah misteri. Kadang, bantuan dalam bentuk apapun ketika memecahkan misteri memang sangat dibutuhkan.
265 reviews
Read
July 28, 2021
Read this book as part of a reading challenge...read a favorite book of yours from childhood. It wasn't what I remember it to be but parts of it did and brought me back to when I first read it. I read a ton of Nancy Drew growing up, but for some reason this one has always stuck out in my mind.
Profile Image for Allie Love.
24 reviews1 follower
Read
August 24, 2023
I really liked it. I couldn't wait to read the next chapter.
Profile Image for Laura.
103 reviews8 followers
October 16, 2023
This story is a good one, even with all the usual plot and characters. Different Hope Kachinas are described, so I learned something!
Profile Image for Hazel.
Author 1 book10 followers
December 2, 2023
This is the best of the newer Nancy Drew's so far. It does stray outside the realm of reality but in a way that fits much better than the previous sci-fi instances.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews

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