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The Clue of the Broken Locket

(Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #11)

Carolyn Keene

3.98 · Rating details · 12,065 ratings · 314 reviews

Another vacation turns into a riddle for Nancy to solve while she visits a lakeside holiday area. Cecily Curtis seeks the girl sleuth’s help in solving two mysteries. One concerns her fiancé, a popular singer who believes his record company is cheating him. The other involves a hidden family treasure; the only clue is half of a gold locket. Strange circumstances provide Na ...more

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Hardcover, Revised text, 178 pages

Published 1965 by Grosset & Dunlap (first published 1934)

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· 12,065 ratings · 314 reviews

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Start your review of The Clue of the Broken Locket (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, #11)

Mar 29, 2011 Tina rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-childhood-favourites

My first childhood Nancy Drew....loved it and I was hooked!

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Mar 16, 2020 Ann-Marie rated it really liked it

Probably read in 1964 or 1965.

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Feb 10, 2017 Sheila rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, read-aloud, young-adult

Okay, seriously, Nancy Drew might really want to consider finding a new area of the country to live in. I cannot believe how many people get kidnapped, held hostage, tied up, etc. all within a very short convertible drive from the lovely home she shares with her father and their housekeeper. I mean, really, people are getting kidnapped left and right! This book has two children kidnapped, then their mother held hostage and tied up and gagged and kept in an attic when she tries to rescue them, an ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 Jaksen rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery-series

I try to read (re-read) the Nancy Drew books as the ten-to-twelve year old girl I was when I first discovered them. (Imagine my horror when a town librarian told me the 'library didn't carry those' as they weren't 'good literature?' Well, anything which keeps a child reading is good enough in my book. Well, almost anything.)

Anyhow, here I am over fifty years later thinking, what was I thinking? Because this particular book has to be one of the worst in the series. Forget the plot, (Nancy and fri I try to read (re-read) the Nancy Drew books as the ten-to-twelve year old girl I was when I first discovered them. (Imagine my horror when a town librarian told me the 'library didn't carry those' as they weren't 'good literature?' Well, anything which keeps a child reading is good enough in my book. Well, almost anything.)

Anyhow, here I am over fifty years later thinking, what was I thinking? Because this particular book has to be one of the worst in the series. Forget the plot, (Nancy and friends help out yet another girl who's seeking a long-lost family fortune), the characters are so wooden I ended up laughing at the end of each cliff-hanger-type chapter. That was my initial reaction, but...

Then I went back and reconsidered; read it as that ten-year old girl. Had I been excited or concerned when a log rolled down a hill and almost killed Nancy and her new friend? Probably. How about when she gets kidnapped? Maybe. What about when she takes a rowboat out to the middle of a swampy lake to figure out why people keep seeing a large boat sink with people on board - something which happened decades ago? A ghost ship! And then there's a hole in Nancy's boat and she has to swim in the dark in a swamp to safety? I must have been thrilled!

So, when Nancy and friends decide to help a girl who has half a locket, and a family secret to untangle, and a wedding to plan (he's an up and coming rock star!) and who rents a cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere to do all this - I must have loved it. Because for atmospherics, the story has it all. Creepy cabin. Prowlers all about. Screaming loons at night. A nearby estate constructed of 'pudding-stone' or local fieldstone in which creepy people live who mistreat a pair of three-year old twins. Wow. Add in the boyfriends arriving late in the story to add a tiny bit of sexual tension. (TINY BIT.) I must have eaten this up with a spoon.

A few more comments: Nancy is the tidiest girl on the planet. Even in the midst of chaos and crisis - someone throws a rock through the cabin window and hits two people, knocking them out - Nancy and her friends always 'tidy up' the house or kitchen before trekking off to do some 'sleuthing.' They're admirable, perfect girls, who sent their 'dates' home at night and always make sure someone's had their breakfast.

However, though the ten-year old me would prob. have gladly given this five wonderful stars, the old me can only give it two. Too much happens, too many characters, not enough reaction to anything at all. One perilous, dangerous event happens on top of another and the response is: let's get lunch, tidy up, and do some more sleuthing. How practical of them, but also, how stupid.

Sorry, ten-year old me. ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Olivia rated it it was amazing

"When two adopted parents are unsuitable for caring of baby twins, Nancy sets out to search for the rightful birth mother with the help of a broken locket."

- Upon meeting the Blair's Nancy mentions that its a shame the adopted twins biological mother never claimed them. Kitty Blair responds by saying "when a mother abandons her children, she should lose all right to them!". Nancy immediately starts coming up with excuses for how the mother could have been tricked into being separated from her ch ...more

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Apr 02, 2017 B.M.B. Johnson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Another day, another mystery. Nancy's father doesn't have time to deal with another of his client's issues, so of course he sends his teen-age daughter out in the woods to take care of things.

"It's super dangerous, so take a couple of your friends with you -- you know to increase the carnage if things go bad," he says between the lines. "And also feel free to invite the boyfriends along later. They are sexless cardboard cutouts, so you'll be fine."

Maybe it was in a bad mood when I read this, but Another day, another mystery. Nancy's father doesn't have time to deal with another of his client's issues, so of course he sends his teen-age daughter out in the woods to take care of things.

"It's super dangerous, so take a couple of your friends with you -- you know to increase the carnage if things go bad," he says between the lines. "And also feel free to invite the boyfriends along later. They are sexless cardboard cutouts, so you'll be fine."

Maybe it was in a bad mood when I read this, but this particular tome seems a tad out of date -- perhaps even for the times in which it was written.

Although it follows the basic Nancy Drew formula: Do something dangerous because your father has too many cases (it's awesome that he trusts her, don't get me wrong -- but he already had a wife die and every book he just shoves a pipe in my mouth and sends his daughter off to war any chance he gets); Nancy invites her friends "The bold one" and the "chubby one" (yes, even in progressive female-led books we're making fun of the overweight character); Nancy bites off more than she can chew (or rather there's NEVER just one mystery, there's usually 3 or 4 ALL RELATED TO THE SAME ANTAGONISTS!); as an aside -- but not usually to help to any great degree (which is usually my favorite part of the book), the boyfriends are called (usually for some kind of sock hop), and not one of them tries to make a move on the girls (?)..."Well get our own cabin, and see you in the morning!" --apparently sex wasn't invented until the 70's; the cops of course don't believe her at first, so Nancy and her friends get in trouble; Nancy finds a hidden alcove so that she can overhear the bad guys [probably due to time constraints -- because the plot ran long] talking about how and why they did the bad thing they did; and then the mystery is solved and Nancy's already musing about her next adventure (usually along with a little advertisement for the next book.)

Neat. Tidy. Telling instead of showing. Unrealistic communication. Although charming, and I'll still read the next one of these because I love them.

BMB ...more

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Jun 27, 2020 Dean Cummings rated it it was amazing

“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” – Rachel Carson

“The Clue of the Broken Locket” begins in one of my favorites of the Nancy Drew traditions, the “over the dining room table” father and daughter discussions about promising, exciting new mysteries.

In this case, it’s over breakfast that Carson Drew, a River Heights attorney tells his daughter, super-sleuth Nancy about an intriguing set of circumstances involving a cabin on Misty lake ...more

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Jun 10, 2013 Karen rated it it was ok

Shelves: middle-grades-reading-list

For as many of them as there are and as popular as they purportedly have been over decades of readers, this was a huge disappointment. Nancy Drew is full of bland, shallow characters, predictable and slow-paced action, and boring and unnecessary detail.

First things first -- characters. A good writer can take a character you don't really want to like and make you like them, as with Sherlock Holmes. Yes, he's brilliant, but he's very annoying. However, you can't help but like him, faults and all. For as many of them as there are and as popular as they purportedly have been over decades of readers, this was a huge disappointment. Nancy Drew is full of bland, shallow characters, predictable and slow-paced action, and boring and unnecessary detail.

First things first -- characters. A good writer can take a character you don't really want to like and make you like them, as with Sherlock Holmes. Yes, he's brilliant, but he's very annoying. However, you can't help but like him, faults and all. With Nancy Drew, the characters are just too cookie-cutter to be likable. They have no realism to them. I kept feeling like I was reading about those chipper, chirpy cartoon housewives you always see in vintage pictures. They cover all three hair colors -- blond, red, and brunette -- and all three girl types -- overly feminine and chubby, athletic and tom-boyish, and middle-of-the-road, girl-next-door. Boring. The conversation is horribly stilted. I've watched commercials with more meaningful dialogue. When the "boys" come along, first of all, they have nothing better to do than drop everything to partake in this mystery? They don't have lives or plans to speak of? Well, of course not, because college hasn't started yet. Until then, they just sit around and stare at each other. After college starts, don't expect them to drop as much as a line. All in all, everything is just so white-washed. It's like watching the Andy Griffith show except without adorable little Opie.

SPOILERS. The biggest thing I don't get is the behavior of the other red-headed woman. She has lost her only children, her husband is dead, and she is so calm. If it were my children, I would have been INSANE. She casually stops in to buy a record from the local soda shop owner because she has time to think that he might need the business. Seriously? I would be fighting tooth and nail to get my children back, and I am willing to bet that most "normal" mothers would be a little more like a tiger whose cubs have been taken than a vaguely robust Stepford Wife. And then when she gets them back, after they've been ABUSED, all she has to say is, "Yes, I'm your mother, let me tell you all about it," and these traumatized children not only just wander peaceably back to the living room with her, but then it's like she missed them about as much as if they'd been in the next room all this time. There are no tears, there are no embraces, there is no movement and vigor. It's all just very calm and precise and proper. It's like she was possessed by Emily Post. And the next morning, she's not feverishly by the side of her children making sure they are okay (which I would be. . .I would be violently overprotective until I died), she's getting all giddy and silly over the prospect of a treasure! Your children are the treasure! I personally wouldn't be surprised to learn she was in on the scheme the whole time and is playing them for fools. What a creep fest.

Secondly -- the action. Predictable. I know it's for children, but it's patronizingly predictable. Oh gee, you think there could be something sinister going on here? Oh no, Nancy, everything in the world is peaches and cream! You would use that metaphor, wouldn't you Bess? (But that's another barrel of fish altogether.) Sure, a young child probably wouldn't have been able to figure it out, but let's pretend for a moment that children excel when given the opportunity to be challenged and that a more complex plot-line still would have been okay. Yes, it picks up after a while, but it's very much a laundry list. They went here and then they went there and next they moved a little bit to the left which might be important but probably isn't.

Which brings us to number three -- the inane amount of useless and mundane detail. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY ATE FOR EVERY MEAL AND WHO SERVED IT. This may be almost unfathomable, but I DON'T CARE. This whole book is one giant laundry list of details all mushed together to very little effect. It should serve as a primer of what not to do with a novel. There was surprisingly little of actual value in the points that made up the plot. This kind of writing is not only infuriatingly dull but also just plain bad. I cannot count the number of times I rolled my eyes at lines like, "Nancy and Bess, although sympathetic, did not comment. They quickly purchased the items they needed, then said good-by and left" (pg. 45). Oh golly gee, I'm so glad to know that they actually bought the things they needed, rather than just staring at them and then leaving. . .and thank goodness I know they said goodbye! Otherwise, I might think they were rude! And why does every chapter need to end with an exclamation mark?

Lastly -- poor Bess. The whole book, it just felt like the author and the other characters were pointing and chanting "fatty". They pointed out way too often that Bess would have two scoops of ice cream instead of one or that she is the one who insists upon a snack or that she really likes cookies. Good lord. We get it. She's chubby. It makes you feel better to look down on the fat girl. However, it does you no favors in my mind. Mid-life suicide, anyone, when Bess finally has enough and her last fifteen diets have all tanked and she's heavier than ever? Can you solve that one, Nancy?

I know I must seem vitriolic in my review. Honestly, though, this book left a bad taste in my mouth. It's books like this that give older books a bad name. It's a purported "classic," but unlike classics that have actual literary merit, this one probably leaves most of its readers in the cold and with the notion that older books are terrible. Why on Earth there is such a huge number is beyond me. Not only does it highlight some of man's worst features while coating everything with a thick coat of white-wash mixed with a lot of sugar, the effect is singularly sinister because it all seems like a nightmarish situation where no one sees that anything is wrong. No, no, dear, it's definitely alright to make fun of the fat girl because we're all "laughing," for example. Peer pressure gone horribly wrong. I will be staying away from Nancy Drew in the future and will not be making a foray into The Hardy Boys, since they are written by the same type of people, if not the same ones exactly.

P.S. If you want to read about a more realistic and enjoyable "girl detective" (and she's a "young sleuth"!), check out the Herculeah Jones novels by Betsy Byars. I'd choose those over these in a heartbeat. ...more

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May 23, 2020 Sarah {The Bookish Knitter} rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, mystery-thriller, ya, nancy-drew

3.5 Stars

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Jan 28, 2013 Ann♥♪♪♪♪ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, young-adult, nancy-drew

Really cool cover and intriguing mystery (actually mysteries), with Nancy, Ned, George, Bess, Dave, and Burt. Several mysteries for them to solve in this one - including from a long time ago! Plenty of bravery and persistence for good in the book with them not letting bad people, as well as danger, stop them from doing the right things. I read the book with friends and that always adds to the fun. I mentioned on my blog what book I was currently reading and that got another friend's post about r ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Brian rated it it was amazing

The appeal of Nancy Drew to me is that while some of the mysteries are slightly convoluted, there is no doubting Nancy's honesty and desire to help people. In this particular case, she unintentionally finds the source of her mystery before she even begins to investigate! Nancy, George and Bess are always on the case...especially when Nancy's father greets her with a mystery at breakfast! This is # 11 in the series and one I would recommend. Read Nancy Drew, "The Clue of the Broken Locket" as a b ...more

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Jun 26, 2018 Annie rated it liked it

Shelves: nancy-drew, read-reviewed

This installment is a bit messy - it felt like there were way too many things going on for a short book..... Ghost ships, kidnapping, ransacking, treasure hunting, child abuse, abduction, secret tunnels, record pirating, rock musicians etc. So while it was entertaining I feel like some of the side plots could have been dropped and more focus given to the main story ark.

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Jan 21, 2018 Allison rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-ya, mystery-thriller

"The young sleuth smiled to herself. "I wish that phantom boat would appear! I'd like to know what it looks like."

"'Oh boy, hot water!' Bess exclaimed. 'Time for a relaxing bath.'
'Not now,' George said. 'Sleuthing comes first.'" ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Moonkiszt rated it liked it

Shelves: characteristical, childhood-fav, kids-against-all-odds, whodunit, music-is-key, spooky-dreams-foggy-nowheres, fashion-style-bling-featured, kidnapped-abduction-hostage-holding, justice-finding-seeking-fighting-fo, teens-aplethora

Music piracy, kidnapping, treasure hunting and iron flamingos. All are featured herein.

A fun read between other books. #11 in my series read, but I've misplaced #10. Anyone seen it? ...more

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Oct 17, 2008 Keli rated it really liked it

Shelves: lis-565, juvenile, mystery, series

Synopsis

Girl Detective Nancy Drew and her friends explore a mystery that involves a hidden family fortune, pirated records and a ghostly apparition.

Review

Having never read any Nancy Drew mysteries, I was prepared to dislike this book. However chubby and girly Bess, her boyish cousin George and pragmatic and adventurous Nancy Drew won me over in the end. These girls are a little wholesome for a modern audience. However it never comes off as saccarine. Just that the girls have incredibly polite ma ...more

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Jan 15, 2016 Sarah Crawford rated it really liked it

This is the eleventh book in the Nancy Drew mystery series. The revised text version of the book covers the story of a group of guys who are pirating records, kidnapping people, and mistreating kids. The local police don't really have any respect for Nancy and she doesn't get much cooperation from them until near the end of the story.

The story also involves inheritance and hidden treasure from the time of the Civil War. There's also a phantom ship, a sabotaged canoe, the broken locket, a hidden ...more

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Jul 31, 2011 John Yelverton rated it it was amazing

One of the very first Nancy Drew books that I ever read, and therefore one of my favorites.

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Jun 13, 2014 Rachel rated it really liked it

I still love these books I read as a kid!

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Sep 25, 2015 Abigail rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery

The broken locket is my favorite Nancy Drew

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Nov 03, 2018 Laura rated it really liked it

Nancy and the gang do some sleuthing, stop to go to church, do some more sleuthing, Bess talks about food, Nancy gets kidnapped. It's all thrilling, wholesome excitement! ...more

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Feb 05, 2021 Ruby Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-books, couldn-t-put-down, series, everyone, favorites, good-books-for-elsie, own-it, not-what-i-thought, will-read-again, read-when-i-was-younger

I always wanted to read this one when I was younger. I remember holding this one, and I am so glad I got my hands on a copy.

Normally classics don't hold me the same way that their newer books based on them do.

Exception: This book. And after a while this series as I have been reading all the copies that I can get my hands on... THANKS MOM!

A long lost family treasure, lost children, a spooky old house, creepy neighbors, in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Oh and of course half a broken loc ...more

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Mar 22, 2018 Susan needs more books, not really rated it liked it

Shelves: nancy-drew, 2018

Typical Nancy Drew mystery. Good story.

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Mar 28, 2019 MysteryReaderLee rated it really liked it

Shelves: nancy-drew-series

This Nancy Drew book was interesting and exciting, especially when the phantom boat would appear on the river. I enjoyed reading this one too!

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May 08, 2020 Barbara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, kids-ya, classic, mystery, 2020

My first Nancy Drew! This was fun. Not a sophisticated mystery; it was full of unlikely coincidences, but I enjoyed it anyway. I can see why Nancy Drew is an engaging heroine, with her cheerful independence, her spiffy roadster, and her indulgent father. This was a fun escape, and I’ll probably pick up more of these as fun comfort reads!

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Jan 11, 2021 Katja rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-genre, adventure, series, romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 1900s-hisfic, review-to-be-updated, secular, my-favourites

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I enjoyed this story! The mystery was quite interesting and well done, in my opinion. I liked Cecily & Niko, and Susan was sweet. There was some touching, but otherwise it was quite clean. I appreciated that the villains were bad but not creepy, too. XD

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Feb 17, 2021 Alice rated it it was amazing

Nancy Drew was my first book love and I'm always going to enjoy reading one, every once in a while. Are there too many coincidences? Sure. But the stories are always very sweet. And I find it incredible to have such strong, independent female characters in books written so long ago. In a time when there are so many conversations about representation, let's not forget Nancy led the way! ...more

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Mar 24, 2020 Bonnie rated it really liked it

Shelves: cbr12

A thrilling mystery with a lot of bumped heads and threats issued. I'm always interested when a doppelganger turns out to be better than secret twins, and this plot is more complex than most involving look-alikes. ...more

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Jun 01, 2020 iz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

legitimately pretty scary, and wove together two very unexpected things

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Feb 06, 2019 Destiny Martinez rated it it was ok

This book is okay but the thing is that I didn't really understand it well. It was too confusing and I think this book was a little too hard for me. This book is good but I don't think it's for me. ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Emily W rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: preteen/early teen girls

Recommended to Emily W by: Mum

Shelves: read-more-than-once, mystery-and-suspense

When I was a mere 12 year old, The Clue of the Broken Locket was the first Nancy Drew book I ever read. It was the same year that the Nancy Drew movie (starring Emma Roberts) came out - and I was hooked on Nancy.

Now, seven years later, I have re-read my very first Nancy Drew book. And I found it to be, well, all a little bit ridiculous really.
The clues! which all happen to tie in with the mystery (does she ever find anything irrelevant?)
The cliffhangers! at the end of EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER!
The c ...more

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2015 Reading Chal...: The Clue of the Broken Locket by Carolyn Keene	3	17	Aug 21, 2015 03:17PM
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About Carolyn Keene

Carolyn Keene

2,655 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 Str ...more