Hits and Misses

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys: Super Mystery #16

by Carolyn Keene, Anne Greenberg (Editor), Ann Greenberg (Editor)

While Nancy tries to piece together the past of an amnesia victim, Frank and Joe Hardy help recording artist Angelique, whose producers have been cheating her to the tune of $2 million.

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

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this is one I hadn't read before and it was fine! Other than a hug at the beginning, there's no Frank and Nancy to speak of and honestly, for a bunch of detectives it took them way too long to figure out why this random girl with amnesia knew all of the famous musician's songs, but it was very readable and I needed that.

[DARIAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice twist with angelique and Jane.

[Brett Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what I would expect from a detective novel. Both Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys searched for clues and asked people questions. Though it was easy to determine who Jane was and who stole the money. But far and above "Courting Disaster".

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very intense but good!