Without a Trace

Nancy Drew: Girl Detective #1

by Carolyn Keene

Hi, I'm Nancy Drew, and I've got a case to crack. Actually make that two cases. First a gorgeous Fabergé egg has been stolen. Who would have the heart to snatch such a precious family heirloom from someone new to town? Some housewarming that is!
And if this isn't enough to keep me busy, someone's running through gardens and stomping on all the zucchinis. Needless to say, it's a big mess -- in more ways than one. Especially for Mr. Safer, who is suspected of squishing the squash. I'm pretty sure Mr. Safer's innocent. But who's the real vegetable vandal?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Mystery Thriller, Crime

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2004

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It just seems like everyone in this town has suddenly getting weird about zucchini."

That quote's pretty much all you need to know about this book. And yet, it was an utter delight. Nancy Drew is just nostalgic and cozy for me. Is it perfect? No. But it's a ton of fun. I love River Heights, as weird as it is. Ned Nickerson is the best boyfriend ever (and dare I say, deserves better than Nancy?), Bess and George are #iconic sidekicks, and the other citizens of River Heights are loveable even if they're odd. The mystery genuinely has low stakes, which made it so nice to read on a rainy evening. It felt like revisiting my childhood, and it was perfect for what I needed.

3 stars from me.

[Kavya Meghwani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so accuse me of being weird about it and I really think i am.. i read this book back like when i was 12 years old and tbvh i loved it... It was great read for me that time...i read this book again now... Only because I had to read a childhood favourite book considering a prompt in a challenge i took part in... So it's my childhood favourite? ....duh i thought so... It is actually cause... I used to LOVEEE nancy drew...
Then why am i giving it 3 stars?

Well because... 1) it's unrealistic to me now... it's like when I'm reading it i know it's fiction.. it's not like I'm into it.. like I'm living it...noo...and that's one thing which is really imp for me when it comes to books..
2) it's not written that well...i mean who introduces the main character on the first page like
"Hi I'm Nancy drew" like yeahh u r... I will know that once i read a little.. and it makes sure that i know it's fiction on the very first page...
3) it's like she's always helpinn the other people... Like yeahh i get it u r sweet and everything but smtimes... Some times one gets selfish ... That's so obvious....where is that?... I want that kind of realistic feelinn in a novel...well...novella.

I'm sorry if u don't feel the same way.. it's not necessary that people's point of view always match..... I've read all the girl detective series probably and i totally loved it when i was young..
Now it's just so... unrealistic and cozy...and "duh i know it's fiction" i would still say that if u r 12 or 13 years old...u might like this one. But not now. Sorry!

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy investigates in her neighbourhood who has been destroying zucchini in gardens
This is one I read when I was younger and loved. I decided to pick this up because I needed a nostalgic read. I’ll admit I don’t love it as much as I did then, but this was still a fun and cozy read. Definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a light read.

[Mandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of some bits I found a bit sexist? But it was early 2000s feminism so. Mystery was pretty interesting and I loved having the whole crew involved! :) again not a big fan of the writing even for a children’s book, but I love Nancy Drew so

[Shelz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little read

[Agnibhu · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
perfectly average

[Malene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klassisk

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Without A Trace
Author: Carolyn Keene
Series: Nancy Drew: Girl Detective, 1
Format: ebook
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: Hi, I'm Nancy Drew, and I've got a case to crack. Actually make that two cases. First a gorgeous Fabergé egg has been stolen. Who would have the heart to snatch such a precious family heirloom from someone new to town? Some housewarming that is!
And if this isn't enough to keep me busy, someone's running through gardens and stomping on all the zucchinis. Needless to say, it's a big mess -- in more ways than one. Especially for Mr. Safer, who is suspected of squishing the squash. I'm pretty sure Mr. Safer's innocent. But who's the real vegetable vandal?

Mini-review: This is a set up book for a new series. It's two barely there mysteries just so we can meet the new residents of River Heights (Harold Safe is my favourite). The secondary mystery belongs in one of the children's series (Notebooks or Clue Crew) not a middle grade. It's a zucchini smasher.

Fan Cast:
Nancy Drew - Katherine McNamara
Bess Marvin - Abigail Breslin
George Fayne - Brianna Hildebrand
Carson Drew - Max Martini
Ned Nickerson - Ansel Elgort
Chief McGinnis - Vincent D'Onofrio
Deirdre Shannon - Francesca Reale
Harold Safer - Cheyenne Jackson
Mrs. Mahoney - Lily Tomlin
Susie Li - Kelly Marie Tran
Ellen Zucker - Renee Felice Smith

[Live Wilhelmine Vestland · Rating 2 out of 5]

(old review, my thoughts on this book have changed)

🌟🌟🌟
I did enjoy this (but not really my thing) so I gave it 3/5 stars. It was cute and funny and a light read. I mostly enjoyed this because I read this when I was little, so it was nostalgic. Its a very fast read, and thats why I read it now (I am waiting for another book in the mail and wanted to finish a book before it arrived. I dont know when my book will arrive, so I chose a book that I would read in like 1/2 day).

This is the first book in the new Nancy Drew book series. It is about her solving two small mysteries in her town, River Heights, and getting knew friends as well as spending time with her boyfriend, besties and new neighboors.

[Nostalgia Reader]

Skimmed a bit of the beginning of this, but the new "modern" first-person narrative style is SO ANNOYING. There's plenty of the original series (as well as the "Ready for Chapterbooks" Notebooks) in standard third person, that I'd just stick to those.

[Katsuro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the kind of review that I need to preface with a cliché: It's not you, it's me.
Part of the reason I just couldn't get into this novel -- well, novella -- is that it's the kind of children's book that you only can enjoy sincerely when you're in the intended age group. The kind of children's book that, when you're 31, seems very amateurish and a bit embarrassing.

Like the worst Goosebumps books, it feels like it was written by a 12-year-old. A talented 12-year-old, but still clearly a child.

Let's begin at the beginning. The opening lines are awkward: "My name is Nancy Drew. My friends tell me I'm always looking for trouble, but that's not really true. It just seems to have a way of finding me." The phrasing in itself is awkward. It's like the ghost writer was told to make Nancy appear to be a great detective from page one, and couldn't think of an elegant way of phrasing it.

Another issue with the beginning is this:
Right away the narration makes sure to emphasize the incredible amount of adventure Nancy finds herself in, and characters keep mentioning what a keen sleuth Nancy is. The problem is, this is the first part of a reboot. In this new continuity, we've never seen Nancy solve any kind of mystery, so it's just bad storytelling to keep holding her up as a great detective and never, ever mention (or even vaguely allude to) any specific earlier cases she solved.
I realize that this might not bother other readers as much, because to most people it goes without saying that Nancy Drew is a great detective.
But this is a reboot, and a reboot needs to be able to stand on its own legs, so to speak. So imagine that the earlier Nancy Drew books never existed. Treat this book as the part 1 it's meant to be. If you do, you're soon going to find it very weird how the characters keeps hyping Nancy as a great detective, but never ever mention any specific examples of her previous cases.

The original series handled that issue much better. The first Nancy Drew novel ever had her solve her first mystery, and provided a neat little origin story. Flawed though it was, it was a good read. Sure, the plot was a little hokey--Nancy had to save a pair of nice old women trying to raise an orphan--but at least there were serious stakes.

And that's another issue with the plot here--nothing's really at stake. Nancy's new neighbor's Fabergé egg is stolen, but she can survive without it. The other mystery is why a friend of Nancy's finds his zucchini squashed all the time. Again, not really a life-or-death matter. There's never any real sense of danger, except for a short part where Nancy trips and falls and her friends speculate that it might be somebody trying to get at her.

In short, it's a cozy mystery that goes too far in the "cozy" direction. Nobody's really evil, or even mean. No danger is present, and it feels like this was made mostly to be the basis of a Nickelodeon TV show or something similar. Because that's my issue with the characterization--people feel like characters from 90's live action Nickelodeon shows, as opposed to actual people. Way too cartoonish. One character, Harold Safer, is a musical lover. And when the subject of the squashed zucchini comes up, he mentions that they were so big that they could be used for a remake of Little Shop of Horrors. He's the musical-lover, so he needs to have references to musicals in his dialogue even when that's not the subject.

It's all just so awkward.

Give this one a miss.

[Sabrina Hendricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Nancy Drew book!! I was planning to start with the og first book but I want to play the game first and I was really in the mood for a little mystery. Now listen, does this deserve a 4 star objectively? No, probably not. Am I biased because I know and love some of these characters from the games? Yes, most definitely. But who cares?! I had a blast reading about faberge eggs and smashed zucchinis thank you very much. The thing that really surprised me here was how good the characters and writing were. The conversations were funny and natural, and the characters all seemed like pretty real teens from the 2000s (which unfortunately did come with some sexism and weird appearance comments.) I’m going to focus on the core four for a bit. Nancy was great ofc and I enjoyed her kind of more youthful and real teenage demeanor here. Ned was actually really sweet and supportive and their banter was very cute. He overall had much more personality to him than he does in the games. George was pretty similar, but I enjoyed her added computer nerd trait. Bess I actually really loved here. She is still the girly girl boy crazy one, but she was way more confident here. Plus I LOVED the choice to make her the handy one and like cars. It was unexpected and made her much more multifaceted than usual. Maybe it’s because I really did turn my brain off but I didn’t really guess the culprit and the ending was good. Okay okay okay, I’ve been holding my breath but I need to talk about the BEST character, Mr. Safer!! The queer coding was as subtle as Nancy’s concussion. Let’s start off with a quote: “I simply moved my chaise a few yards to the right and VOILA! Uninterrupted sunset views one again.” Not to mention the musical obsession and the LITERAL RAINBOW STEPS LEADING UP TO HIS HOUSE. I was genuinely cackling that whole conversation omg. Anyways, yeah, this book was great and Mr. Safer is a diva

[Ann Mat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a blast in the past. I liked to preserve the memory of reading Nancy drew in my early teens I visualized an American typical neighborhood with a front porch. How uncomplicated life may seem despite the constant disruption of these cases I figured out who stole the egg, but I didn't catch on the zucchini-smasher. It was quick, breezy, and uncomplicated. You were in it to solve the mystery very apropos and age- appropriate with the main character. There are only a few who could capture the sense of nostalgia like these storylines. It’s wholesome that it stood the test of time I’m very invigorated to re-read her books or explore mystery again. I just wished that it was given justice in the modern lens or adaptation.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐

WITHOUT A TRACE by Carolyn Keene

WITHOUT A TRACE follows Nancy as she takes on the case of the zucchini destroyer. Soon, another case pops up: someone has stollen a precious family heirloom from a new neighbor. With the help of Bess and George, Nancy solves the case...obviously.
I read this book as a pallate cleanser---and a way to dwindle my tbr. Back in the day, I read so many Nancy Drew books from my local library---probably all they had to offer---so I was excited to dive back into this universe. WITHOUT A TRACE is a fast read at exactly 150 pages. I did fly through this, which is great. This book, however, is highly predictable. I know it's meant for younger audiences, but I think even children would have been able to solve the mysteries at hand, and I think younger audiences would enjoy this.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a handful of these in middle school, and I can still picture the spot where they sat on the shelf of my sixth grade classroom. I like these because I can’t complain too much about the writing - they are well-written enough and engaging (though the adverb ‘decidedly’ was a bit overused). However, I do feel like Nancy as a character is not very personable or interesting. Ned Nickerson was absolutely perfect, but big facepalm at all those moments Nancy was all giggly and flirty with those French guys while trying to get some clues… Anyways, the whole mystery was about zucchini, which was a little bit silly. But I’ll probably be reading these whenever I have nothing else to read because they are quick.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR Keene, Carolyn
TITLE Without A Trace: Nancy Drew Girl Detective
DATE READ 12/30/19
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF YA Mystery/2004/kindle/160 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #1 Girl Detective
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2019 Reading Goal 197/111;
GROUP READ ND
TIME/PLACE 2004/Ohio
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew, her friends Bess and George
COMMENTS Enjoyed the dual storylines of the zucchini massacre and the missing Fabrege egg. Moved along at a good pace. Look forward to more of the Nancy Drew Girl Detective series.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, as far as juvenile/YA goes. Two low-stakes mysteries propel the story forward, but this is ultimately character driven, or rather, protagonist driven.

In shorter books like this, I don’t need as much of a compelling draw when it comes to plot or character. I’m looking for a bit of escapism. Suburban America. Not much in terms of politics. Teens living the good life. It takes me back to my middle and high school years.

So four stars because this book transports me to a better time. It reminds me of that hour or two after school where my hormones calmed down and I was just a PBS kid. Good times.

[Maddie Giles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Nancy Drew trying to solve the mystery of who stole a priceless Faberge Egg and who has been smashing the towns garden zucchinis. She goes on many adventures and puts herself in situations that she should not have gotten herself into. Throughout the story she gets many suspects and many clues are drawn.
This book was pretty good. It was an easy read and it was hard to guess who could've committed the crimes. I gave it only three stars because it wasn't my favorite Nancy Drew book and it wasn't the most exciting book. It was well written but it just wasn't my favorite.
Content Warnings include violence

[Priyadarshni Palanikumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of the Girl Detective series of Nancy Drew, and I love the concept! Modern settings, with mobile phones and the internet!

A new neighbour loses a family heirloom and River Heights is being attacked by a zucchini vandal. Nancy is caught between two events. With new friends, she never knows who is true and who might be a thief.

I'm glad I could see a more relatable relationship between Nancy and Ned (they actually call each other girlfriend and boyfriend). And it's a good start to this series.

[Melia (she/her) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75

Someone has stolen a valuable Faberge egg AND someone else (or the same person?) has smashed all of the neighbors' zucchinis! Nancy, the whitest, most privileged white girl you know is on the case!

Read due to my childhood love of Nancy Drew and mysteries, left with a feeling of bleh. 2.75 for the signature "cliff-hangers" that end each chapter as well as nostalgia and every-day mysteries.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally tracked down the first book in this series!

I just love how Bess and George are portrayed here. Bess knows mechanics and is curvy and gorgeous (no one calls her fat here, unlike the original books) and George is a whiz with computers. Plus, Nancy is a real human with flaws!

I'm hoping to eventually read all of these, because they really are cute books.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I read Girl Sleuth (sorry, I've forgotten the really long subtitle) a couple of months ago I decided I wanted to read one of the original republished Nancy Drew's, and one of the new ones as well. this is the first new one. It was interesting to see what things have stayed the same and what things have changed. Poor Ned, Nancy is still too busy to get serious!

[lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is honestly the first time I have read a Nancy Drew book, and I quite enjoyed the whole premise and how fast-paced and digestible the writing was. My younger middleschool self would have loved discovering these books, but I also tell myself that reading should be an enjoyable hobby and that books should be for all ages.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to reminisce but decided to start this series as I read most of the mysteries and case files during my childhood.
The zucchini mystery was rather obvious but the egg theft took me some time to figure out.
I would recommend mystery fans to try the other series as this felt too juvenile even for YA

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a younger reader (as it is intended for) it would be a great read, however, I found the writing too repetitive at times when it would state an action then the character would say she did the action. I also found the zucchini thing a bit silly, but again, for the audience it is intended for, it would be a good read that does have some challenging vocabulary words.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love Nancy Drew as a child and perhaps I am a tad too old for it now, but I really didn't enjoy the book. The story was kind of lack-luster and predictable. I would recommend another Nancy book.

[K.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy investigates a stolen Faberge egg and a mysterious zucchini stomper (my sympathies were entirely with this culprit!!!!) Amusing, but characterisations were quite off, and Nancy seemed a lot younger than 18!!

[Karis Anna-Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember my grandmother gave me this series when I was around 10 or 11—I enjoyed it then, despite being a huge fan of the classic books, and upon rereading I still enjoy it now. The narration is snappy, the mystery is solid, and I especially like the characterization of Bess, George, and Ned.

[Sara MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery was pretty good until the very convoluted end. It required a last minute info dump to make any sense. The intertwined zucchini mystery was unnecessary and too easy. That all being said, it was another enjoyable ND story.

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good for younger readers since it doesn’t include inappropriate stuff but it mighy be boring for the other ones buy it sure is a great book but i do think tge end was a little rushed because she found who stole the egg so quickly