The Haunted Showboat

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #35

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy, Bess and George visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras. While on vacation for the festivities, the three friends become involved with pirates, ghosts, and investigating an old showboat, rumored to be haunted, that must be restored in time for the gala celebrations. This book is the original text. A revised text does not exist.

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

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across The Haunted Showboat (Book #35) in near mint condition at a local antique show this past fall and decided it was time to read my very first Nancy Drew mystery. Published in 1957 and stamp-marked 2.95 (no dollar sign) on the back cover, I gladly paid my $10.

Anyway, in this case, our young sleuth is summoned to travel to New Orleans to solve the mystery of why someone is sabotaging the rehab of an old storm damaged showboat. The story starts out like gangbusters with auto theft and car bombs and proceeds along at a fast pace with a mysterious and dangerous pursuer desperately trying to stop Nancy and friends from arriving at their destination.

But Nancy does arrive and fearlessly seeks out clues until she, of course, uncovers the big secret behind the sabotage and locates the missing pirate treasure in the hold of the old vessel.

I can sure understand why this young adult mystery series was so popular in its time with the wonderful old stamps within the front and back covers, and the lovely illustrations throughout the book, but one fact is blatantly obvious from start to finish and that is Nancy's well-mannered attitude and respect for everyone. A super fun and enjoyable read for young and old alike.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Neiti Etsivä -sarja oli jonkinlainen ilmiö 1980-luvun loppupuolella ja seuraavan vuosikymmenen alussa. Lienen kuullut elämässäni useamman kirjaesitelmän aiheesta, sillä se oli monen luokkakaverini suosikkisarja, mutta en itse tullut niihin tarttuneeksi. Ennen kuin nyt, Tammen uusintapainosten myötä.

"Neiti Etsivä ja teatterilaivan arvoitus" (Tammi, 2019) ilmestyi ensimmäisen kerran jo vuonna 1957. Carolyn Keene -nimimerkin taakse kätkeytyi tällä kertaa Harriet Adams, sarjan luoneen Edward L. Stratemeyerin tytär.

Neiti Etsivä ystävineen selvittelee kirjassa vanhaan jokilaivaan liittyvää arvoitusta, ja samalla pitäisi ratkoa vähän ihmissuhdesotkuja New Orleansissa. Vaaralliset tilanteet ja epäuskottavat juonenkäänteet seuraavat toinen toistaan, eikä ihan hirvittävää jännitystä pääse syntymään, vaikka tarinaan on ympätty mukaan muun muassa autopommi, merirosvojen aarre, voodootohtori ja kummitus. Lisäksi syyllisen saattaa arvata heti ensimmäisellä kohtaamisella, mikä syö intensiteettiä melkoisesti.

Ei kirja ole kestänyt aikaa muutenkaan hirmuisen hyvin; mustia kutsutaan sediksi ja tädeiksi, eivätkä naispuoliset päähenkilöt (niin neuvokkaita kuin he ovatkin) kuitenkaan sovi ihan hurjimpiin tehtäviin.

Kapteeni Runcie halusi välttämättä mukaan. Mutta hän sanoi myös: Olen taitä kaikkia paljon vanhempi ja tahtoisin antaa yhden neuvon. Ei tyttöjä tähän miesjahtiin. Ne tyypit ovat aivan liian vaarallisia. Paula myönsi vastahakoisesti, että hän oli oikeassa. (s. 145)

Ja tulipa tämäkin selväksi:

- Te varmaan ilahdutte kun kuulette, että olen järjestänyt illaksi hiukan lisäturvaa. Kaksi ystävääni, Frank Morse ja Jack Memory, tulevat päivälliselle ja lähtevät suistoon kanssamme.
- Hyvä! Bess sanoi heti. - Porukassa on voimaa, etenkin jos se sattuu olemaan miesporukka! (s.101).

Lapset lainaavat kokemukseni perusteella Neiti Etsivä -kirjoja edelleen, eli kaipa uusintapainokset ovat siinä mielessä ihan perusteltavissa. Vinkkauslistalleni kirjaa en kuitenkaan taida ottaa.

Hauskana kuriositeettina mainittakoon, että romaani on Jaana Kapari-Jattan ensimmäinen käännöstyö vuodelta 1988.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that great.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When Nancy, Bess and George travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to the Mardi Gras they are enveloped in a mystery involving a haunted showboat. Nancy unravels the mystery involving an impostor and a search for pirate's gold." [x]

- The bomb in Nancy's car is such a serious incident yet the girls seem to shake it off as nothing but an inconvenience.

- I'm surprised Mr. Drew would buy Nancy such a flashy car that's easy to spot. Being a detective you'd think a subtle car that blends in would be the smart choice.

- The second the girls find out Uncle Rufus is a voodoo doctor they start to think he must be holding secret voodoo meetings on the old showboat and is responsible for scaring away visitors. This is such a leap and also kind of offensive.

- I'm surprised Nancy doesn't consider Charles a suspect. As a spurred lover of Donna Mae he has plenty of reason for wanting to sabotage the showboat thus ruining her engagement announcement.

- Both restaurants mentioned in this book, Antoines and Broussards, are still in existence and have pretty good reviews. Makes me think how fun it'd be going to all the real life restaurants Nancy's been to!

You can read the rest of this review at VintageGirlsBooks.blogspot.com

You can see all the illustrations from this book at www.pinterest.com/Nancydrewart

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

New Orleans is the setting for Nancy's #35. . . .Mardi Gras and all the fun that leads to and from that holiday! There is a haunted showboat complete with ghosts, voodoo drums, gold pirate treasure and a true love, along with a false love.

Dances and moonlit sleuthings. Ned and his boys. All those fun ingredients add up to 184 pages of fast, fun reminders of how much I loved this series in my past - we never had $$ to spend on books and the library never had all the ones I hadn't yet read, so this is me, sweeping them all down so I can say I've read them all!

On to #36.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This one was fun! I enjoyed the unusual setting. I disliked Alex from the start, but Donna Mae turned out okay. I really liked Charles! I liked the storyline a lot too, and the mystery. What takes off half a star is some mentions of voodoo/spiritualism... easily edited out.

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could have been so much better. The "Showboat" was not haunted, and neither was there a Show on it!!!

We do see Nancy, Bess, and George going to visit Bess's cousin who lives in Louisiana. The cousin had previously been sweet and nice, and engaged to a nice fellow. But suddenly the cousin has tossed aside the nice fellow, and now she has gotten herself entangled in another engagement with an outsider! And this fiance number two seems to have a phony accent!

A weird moment occurs when the brainwashed bride asks Bess and company to try on some pixie costumes that are "essential" to an upcoming engagement party. George and Bess reject said costumes by acting with wildly inappropriate vocalizations and behavior.

Can someone please rewrite this day in Nancy's life please? Her weird friends are totally upstaging her.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another great novel in the Nancy Drew mystery book series.

[Ana]

I know a Nancy Drew book hate to see me coming!

[Jessica Petrovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

PRE-CIVIL-RIGHTS-ERA-NANCY NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! We were rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!!! 🫠🫠🫠🫠 Very jarring to go from the revisions of the later years to 1957 language and characterization.

Why do plantations factor into so many mysteries 🫠

Besides the dated nature of the story, the mystery itself was cooky enough to be entertaining. Also Nancy wrecking like eight cars on the journey down to New Orleans was great 😅. And I enjoyed the Alex betrayal.

Resetting my expectations for these next few novels now 😬

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the first time I read Nancy Drew. It blew my mind that there were girls presented with a brain. Most of the stuff I'd read up to that time, was that girls were sugar and spice - fluffy. No brains. To also learn about George who is a tomboy was a nice validation. Carolyn Keene wrote just for me! That is how I felt. When I did more research, I was shocked to find out, Ms. Keene was actually a man ... writing under Franklin Dixon. I also loved the Hardy Boys. No wonder I loved these series.

Great for girls aged 8 and up.

[Svet Mori · Rating 4 out of 5]

(read in french, under the title « Alice et le flibustier ». Please note at least some characters, including Nancy Drew a.k.a Alice Roy were renamed in this translation.)

What if I told you this is a thriller ? Yup. Aiming a young audience, but still. The heroïnes' lifes are even threatened more often than in many adult books I've read. No graphic violence nor blood, but sabotages, agressions and even a bomb !

The rythm, however, remains quite tranquil despite all those plot twists. Once the road trip opening the story with lots of suspense ends, the investigation, revolving around a single place, doesn't progresses much when the characters are elsewhere. And if the mystery stays... a mystery almost until the very end, the doubts aroung a certain character as soon as he appears immediately guide the events : it won't be about « who », but « why » and, more importantly, « how to prove it ».

It's almost a « cozy mystery » before it was cool (the original release was in 1957), we visit the old quarters of La Nouvelle-Orléans, go wandering in the bayou, in properties with mesmerizing flower gardens...

But the ending comes quite abuptly. We don't see much of the famous carnival. And some twists really lack of credibility, like when a cop stops the heroines for excessive speed... before helping them without asking questions. But these are maybe the only flaws of the book, whose plot is still well-thought. Vintage, but very good !

7/10, generously rounded up to 4 stars.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My book is the original 1957 printing of this title. This is a classic Nancy Drew mystery. While I enjoyed re-reading it very much, I think perhaps my tastes have become jaded over the years. Perhaps once I would have given the book 5 stars but after all, this is a simple mystery of the era in which it was written and can't compete with the more complex books written for young adults today. On the other hand, I could not give it less than 4 stars so 4 it is.

Nancy and her chums travel by car to New Orleans to solve the mystery of an old haunted showboat. Along the way there are some thugs with evil plans but the girls always triumph. I just sure wish that my daddy could have afforded to go out and buy me a new convertible if my (hypothetical for me) old convertible was stolen. Mr. Drew tells his savvy daughter, "I was going to buy you a new one for your next birthday anyway." It's just as well because Nancy Drew has not had a birthday in the 20 years before this book nor in the 59 years since! The eternal 18 year-old.

[Greta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Best things about this one is the ambiance of a swamp setting and the colorful capture of the villain which has a fun dramatic flair. Low marks for some racism. News bulletin: referring to black servants as "Mammy", "Pappy", and other black people as "Uncle" is a throwback to names from slavery times. This book was republished in 1980s.....these offensive terms should have removed.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

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I’m up to volume 35 in my reading of the Nancy Drew Mysteries. The first 34 books had an Original Text (OT) which were 25 chapters and a Revised Text (RT) some years later which were 20 chapters. From The Haunted Showboat on, there is only one version of the books. This volume was published in 1957 and remains unchanged from its original publication.

Nancy takes another trip to New Orleans (she previously went in The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (Nancy Drew Mysteries #25) by Carolyn Keene click for review), this time to visit a cousin of Bess and George named Donna Mae who is a year older than Bess and George (so 19). She’s been engaged twice in one year, and family members were shocked when she got rid of Charles for this guy from New York named Alex, who acts suspicious to Nancy from the beginning.

Because it’s a trip to another locale, at times the book reads like a travelogue, but you know what? I always enjoyed these type of Nancy Drew mysteries because as a family of nine people, we never traveled anywhere. And of course, I learned a few things about other parts of the country.

Donna Mae’s parents, the retired colonel and his wife, live on a plantation and they have “servants” named Mammy and Pappy. Ah, yes, the old south is alive and well in this volume, just like the last volume, where Nancy traveled to Virginia and Bess was charmed by the “quaint” slave quarters. In fact, I’m going to have to look up and see if the same ghostwriter was used for both volumes because once again Bess thinks anything to do with slaves is “quaint.”

Nancy’s beloved blue convertible is stolen before she even leaves town, and her father just goes out and buys her a yellow convertible right away, saying he can trade in her old car if it’s ever found. They both claimed that her car was in derelict shape, with stains and tears in the interior. The yellow car is sabotaged with an alarm clock bomb under the hood so Nancy has to call the bomb squad, then as they go along a while further, they discover the housing is coming loose (turns out acid was poured on it to loosen it). So she gets a replacement vehicle which she almost drives over a cliff.

Then they have a “Negro” river guide named Uncle Remus Rufus (I swear, every time I read Rufus I was thinking Uncle Remus because of how he was portrayed; even the interior artwork has Rufus dressing like Remus), whose canoe is destroyed as they get closer to the old showboat. There’s some references to the fact that Rufus practices voodoo or at least dabbles in it, and he’s a healer of sorts to “his people.” Egads.

All the while Nancy and the gang do some sleuthing, Donna Mae’s betrothed, Alex, does some pretty shady stuff and acts suspicious so you just know he’s involved in the shenanigans somehow. Few clues are turned up into who or why anyone would want to “haunt” the old showboat, which the colonel wants dragged from the swamp where it’s stuck. Late in the story it’s revealed that there was pirate gold on this abandoned showboat.

Donna Mae’s behavior throughout the book runs hot and cold, and Bess and George think it has to do with her fiance’ because she used to be sweet as pie when she was engaged to Charles, who, despite being jilted, is still helping the colonel with the restoration of the showboat. Donna Mae fears that her fiance’, Alex, has eyes on Nancy, so she arranges for Ned, Burt and Dave to visit during their mid-semester break from Emerson (this of course does not match up in any way with college as I know it since Mardi Gras is the end of February-early March and most spring breaks are mid-March, regardless of whether the school has a winterim session or not).

As for peril in this volume, besides the trouble with the cars, someone throws a rock into Nancy’s car, George falls through a rotten board and falls into the ships hold and hurts her leg, Bess falls and hurts her arm, and Nancy and Ned are knocked unconscious by two people after they discover the pirate gold on the old showboat.

Nancy and the gang are able to attend the Mardi Gras parade and apprehend Alex and his co-conspirator at the same time. Of course, Donna Mae realizes her mistake and quickly hooks back up with Charles and gets engaged–again.

I thought this book overall was good, but not great. I really like the cover art of this one. Nice deep rich colors, and notice Nancy is now a redhead? I can’t remember if this was the specific volume where Nancy’s hair color changed for it’s not mentioned in the text.

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy and her friends go off to New Orleans for this mystery, at the invitation of Bess' aunt and uncle. Once there, she is asked to investigate a haunted old showboat that Bess' uncle wants to restore in time for Bess' cousin's wedding. Only, it is reputed to be haunted and there are mystery noises coming from it at night. Meanwhile, Nancy's car also gets stolen even before they leave River Heights.

Donna Mae, the cousin having the wedding, also presents a mystery with her behaviour. Apparently, a very nice person, she has broken off her engagement to a nice chap and is currently engaged to a fellow nobody likes. She has also become abrasive, annoying, and selfish. Every scene with Donna Mae was weird, including one in which she tries to push the three friends into fairy costumes. Bess and George wear it and also begin to behave oddly!

A decent enough story but had some odd twists that I did not find to be fun at all. Nancy, as usual, faces all kinds of dangers but nothing stands out for me. Donna Mae (again!) invites Ned and his friends to keep Nancy and her friends company so that they don't flirt with her boyfriend? The whole story was overtaken by this woman's odd behaviour.

The ugly 1950s America rears its head in this one with mention of black people in the role of servants and doing other menial jobs. There is also a black shaman who heals people with voodoo. Pretty historically accurate and not whitewashed by later versions, so it's always interesting to see how things were.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy, Bess, and George are invited to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Their cousin Donna Mae and her family want to have a celebration on a beached showboat, but the rumor is that it’s haunted and when people try to make repairs they seem to be mysteriously ruined over night. The reason for all the drama is that there is rumored to be pirate treasure hidden somewhere in the ship. Nancy must be getting famous because before she even leaves for New Orleans, her car is stolen. And the replacement car, a gift from her father, has a bomb hidden inside it. It was embarrassing to read a book that was revised in the 1980s having a "colored couple" named Mammy and Pappy and another African American character named Uncle Rufus. You'd think it was written back at the turn of the 19th century.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another dangerous mystery with a rather violent man trying to stop Nancy’s trip to New Orleans by stealing her car, putting a bomb in the new one, pouring acid on ... something. But he’s caught “offscreen.” Boo. Still, I couldn't put this one down!
It is exciting. Nancy is hired by cousins(?) of Bess and George to solve the mystery of a haunted showboat the "Colonel" (sigh)... wants to restore. So the girls set out, but Nancy's car is stolen first! Then an almost deadly road trip (see above!0 leads to encounters on an abandoned showboat, car chases, canoe chases, alligators, and falls off and through things. Why do Bess and George’s parents let them go with Nancy? One of them always gets hurt! This time it’s both girls! Not to mention the BOMB in the car! I did like that Hannah wasn’t all “don’t go, it’s too dangerous “ like she was in the last book. For being written by the same ghostwriter, characterizations vary each book.
Instead of the interesting bad guy trying to kill her, Nancy gets to investigate pretend posh boy Alex. Who is smarmy and oily and no one likes. Obvs the bad guy. He stole away the heart of Donna Mae, the Colonel's daughter, from her intended fiancee (is it not official until it's been announced?) while Charles was on a long trip. It's unclear if Charles was mad that Donna was out with another boy while he was away or if Donna Mae cheated on him, either way, she's now engaged to Alex with the official announcement set after Mardi Gras at a big party. Of course he’s only after Donna Mae’s name and the possible hidden treasure. All is well by the end of the book, but I’d be a little wary of the engaged couples’ chance at future happiness. Just saying. Girl‘s engaged three times in one book.
There are actually POC in this book! Several! The first ones we meet are the servants of Donna Mae's parents, Mammy Matilda and Pappy Cole (sigh)... and the narrator continually refers to them by their "full names." Sigh.
Uncle Rufus is the other POC and he's rather fun. He practices voodoo, but surprisingly the text does not make him evil or portray him as foolish. I found that quite refreshing, plus he hits an alligator on the head with a paddle to save Nancy. Even the white characters speak well of him! There is the red herring of Nancy and Co. thinking Rufus is holding voodoo meetings on board the old boat and scaring away others... I mean, why? He's got a perfectly good house. He's there for most of the adventures. Rufus was my fav part.
Part of me wishes I could see Nancy's New Orleans as the author describes the town beautifully. I wonder how much of it still exists. Ironically, the girls get a tour of the Mississippi and Donna Mae raves about the New Orleans' great flood protection. Ha.
Ned, Burt, and Dave show up to help save the day and Ned gets to tackle the bad guy. Honestly, he wasn't bad in this book. He didn't whine or complain, he just helped. Nice.
Quite an enjoyable read!

[Bookish Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to love Nancy Drew books and I enjoyed rereading it all these years later. I was reminded about why I loved them and why I now love reading mysteries. Such a great series to engage young readers!

[Norah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was kind of slow but still interesting enough for me to keep reading it. It was really rushed at the end ten pages from the end.

[Linda Kemmerer · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read this almost 60 years ago I probably would have given it a 4. Now it barely gets a 2. Pretty ridiculous, and it hasn’t aged well.

[Mari Finstad Bergum · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨Minner✨

Ekstremt aktiv hverdag for frøken detektiv.
Gøy å lese fra 50-tallet, men ingen actionscener, det var for farlig for kvinner🤣

[Brianna D · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book “The Haunted Showboat” from the Nancy Drew series ,and authored by Carolyn Keene, Nancy is invited to go with her cousins, George and Bess, to New Orleans to solve a mystery and also have some fun at the “ Mardi Gras Parade.” Nancy learns new and exciting things that lead up to her solving the mystery. This book always interests me and I always love when I have the free time during school to read this book. At the end and beginning of every chapter you are either learning some new or you are left with a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter. I really like this book and recommend you read this book and the rest of the series.

The author always makes me want to read more. Carolyn Keene, the author, has a great way to hook you and doesn’t use a lot of hard words for my age as a 7th grader. Everything she puts in has an impact later in the book. An example for that would be if she hadn’t put the character Alex Upgrove in the book the story line would be way different. He has a great impact on the story. Donna Mae was an important character because if she wasn’t in the story Alex Upgrove nor Charles Bartolome would be in the story which are also important characters. I can’t tell you why Charles or Alex are important because it will spoil the story for you if you have not read it yet. Nancy, Bess, and George would not have been invited to New Orleans if it weren’t for Donna Mae, so that is another reason why Donna Mae is an important character in this story. Nancy, Bess, and George are important because if they weren't in the story the mysteries wouldn’t have been solved without them. “But along came Alex Upgrove from New York and Donna Mae lost her to him completely.” (page 2) Another thing that is important is this story is the “River Princess,” the River Princess is a boat that legend has said that there was a treasure on. The River Princess was beat down because hardly anyone took care of it anymore. The reason why no one took care of it anymore was because a lot of workers reported to see scary things and events happening. Donna Mae wanted to use the River Princess for the Mardi Gras Parade because she was putting on a ball in the theatre of the River Princess. “The ball will take place in the theatre of the boat.” (page 3)

I recommend you read this book because it always makes you want to keep reading and always hooks you. I enjoy reading the series and love how the reading level isn’t super hard nor super easy. The book isn’t confusing because the author always explains things thoroughly. The book wasn’t predictable because you never see things coming. When I read the book I wasn’t expecting Nancy and her cousins to get in so much trouble to get to New Orleans because someone kept stopping them. I loved the ending and the ending of all the other books in the series because Nancy and her cousins or friends always solve the mystery. Carolyn Keene, the author, also puts in the title of the next book so you know which mystery is next. My favorite part is when Donna Mae says at the end “Nancy, you helped me recover something more precious than all the gold in the world, “ Donna Mae whispered.” (page 184) Donna Mae was talking about Charles Bartolome who she was going to be engaged to again. In the book it talks about how there is a big garden in the backyard of the Haver’s house, and I thought about the big nice house and big garden in the show “The Series of Unfortunate Events,” which is also a book series. The authors style of writing in this book is very nice and neat. She orders it nice and always leaves a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter. “The reptile's jaws were aiming for Nancy’s hand!” (page 88) This why I recommend you read this book and the rest of the series. |I also apologize if their is spelling errors in this review but that is how the words are spelled in the book |

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Haunted Showboat (1957) finds Nancy invited to New Orleans at Mardi Gras time. Bess & George's uncle had planned to move and restore the River Princess, an old river showboat that's been abandoned in the swamp. He wants the boat in good order in time for a gala celebration--a costume ball to celebrate the engagement of his daughter Donna Mae to Oxford graduate Alex Upgrove. There are just a few problems....the boat is rumored to be haunted; no one is willing to move the boat; and every time any repairs at all are done onboard they are immediately destroyed. The uncle specifically requests Nancy to come to the rescue (I'm guessing Bess & George have been bragging to their family about all of Nancy's detecting skills--'cause how would he know otherwise? )

So, the girls get all set to head south in Nancy's blue convertible when it gets stolen! But, no worries, Carson Drew comes to the rescue with a brand new yellow convertible (because he was planning to get her a new one for her birthday anyway). There's a bomb scare and acid on car bits and a game of hide-and-seek with the culprit all along the way--but they arrive safely in New Orleans and Nancy is ready to get busy solving the mystery. Except Donna Mae seems determined to prevent any detective work--which makes absolutely no sense when you consider the party planned for the boat is supposed to be for her. Of course, she seems to be very jealous of Nancy and afraid that our detective will run off with her boyfriend. It doesn't help that Alex seems way more interested in what Nancy's doing than in his fiancée. Fortunately, Nancy doesn't let a little interference stand in her way and soon she's taking night-time boat trips to the swamp and learning about pirate treasure. Ned Nickerson and his pals Burt & Dave show up in time to help Nancy tackle the bad guys.

I'm not entirely sure why this one wasn't a bigger favorite of mine when I was younger. There's a lot to appeal to the young reader--a car race of sorts as Nancy, Bess & George try to out-distance their pursuer on the way to New Orleans; a spooky old showboat with a ghost in the middle of the swamp; and a hidden treasure! What's not to love about that? And yet--for some reason, this was a "one and done" book for me. I initially read it because it was part of my mom's six-book collection, but as far as I can remember I never picked it up again. Until I found this Cameo Edition to add to my own collection and decided that I needed to give the book another try. It definitely has a stronger mystery element than many of the stories and makes for quite an exciting adventure.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy takes another trip to New Orleans (like in Blackwood Hall, maybe?) to stay with another cousin of Bess n George. They are a retired colonel and his wife and 20-year-old daughter, and they have house slaves named Mammy and Pappy. The daughter's fiance is besotted by Nancy and he's totally a dubious character from the outset.

Nancy's car is stolen in the first chapter, and her father immediately buys a replacement which is sabotaged before she even leaves town. Then she nearly drives the second replacement over a cliff. So three cars before we even hear about the mystery. Then they have a Negro river guide named Uncle Remus Rufus (he sounds more Georgian than Cajun Creole) whose "ka-noo" is destroyed by an underwater barricade.

Anyway, there's apparently gold on this abandoned showboat and the fiance and his friend are looking for it. Nancy and Ned lose consciousness when they're both cracked over the head at the same time by these two assailants.

The girls have a great time at the Mardi Gras parades, and the beads are flying freely. Of course. Book reads like a travelogue of New Orleans.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy is invited by Bess and George to spend Mardi Gras in New Orleans with their aunt, uncle and cousin. The uncle, is especially eager to have Nancy get to the bottom of the mysterious incidents occurring on an old showboat he is restoring.

From the beginning, the trip was riddled with problems. First, Nancy’s car is stolen. But it all works out when her dad buys her a new one. Then someone places a bomb in the new car and later damages the exterior when the bomb is disarmed. Once in New Orleans though, things settle down. 

Bess and George’s cousin, Donna Mae is engaged to Alex Upgrove. Much to Bess’s dismay as she preferred Donna Mae’s former fiancé Charles. There is a bit of drama going on there. Especially when Charles invites Nancy, Bess, and George to dinner. Donna Mae becomes upset and insists on inviting Ned, Burt and Dave so that the girls won’t date Charles and his friends. Girl, you’re engaged. Let them do whatever they want! 

Anyway, the mystery was a piece of cake for Nancy. There were no major impediments to her sleuthing. Her hunches were always spot on and Bess and George provided her with good clues.

[Jayant Saket · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apart from being the first Nancy Drew book I read,this book also became my third favourite book.The Haunted Showboat — with crossing 185 pages — is a bit - lengthy than the others.The positive review for this book has been possible through its decent story,likeable characters,wondrous descriptions,feel-alive atmosphere and a pretty good villain in the form of the young Alex Upgrove. The story isn’t much but still remains to be decent.The mystery gets to be sidelined through the extreme emphasis surroundings (which are admittedly wondrous and beautiful).But we never get ourselves lose the track of the story.I personally think that the location of the treasure was quite tricky.I had to read those portions 2 times to get myself clear.The story moves on a breezy note.The inclusion of voodoo magic never felt gripping though.I can’t seem to have a stable on that part of the book.The chapter “A Curious Alligator” has been brilliantly titled.Donnae Mae and Charles were good characters while Alex was one of the better villains here.New Orleans has been vividly described.A 4.7 star-rating is enough.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite independent bookstore, Octavia Books, mentioned "The Haunted Showboat" during Mardi Gras in an Instagram post. I had to buy it because I miss living in New Orleans. And how did I not know that Nancy Drew went to the Mardi Gras?? As I get older, I feel increasingly nostalgic about my childhood. I loved Nancy Drew then and still do today, though some of my mild criticisms of it as an adult were things I found mesmerizing or delightful as a suburban pre-teen.

The language is a bit dated, which is to be expected, and amusing at times. Despite Nancy and her friends' proven ability to handle threats, there is a scene in which they defer to a male authority's admonition ("'Girls, don't go on this man hunt. Those fellows are too dangerous.'"). It's a clear and common hallmark of gender stereotypes at the time. Nancy is no damsel in distress! Her easy confidence is why I enjoyed it as a kid, and still find it to be a pleasant read 35+ years later.

[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.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy's car is stolen right out of her garage, her dad buys her a brand new one (because of course he does), and then a bomb is planted in the new car - and all this within the first two chapters!

This was much more action-packed than usual, which made it a lot of fun to read. Uncle Rufus' "dialect" was uncomfortable to read, however, but I have to keep reminding myself that these were published such a long time ago in a different world.

I always laugh when the criminals immediately confess everything to Nancy as soon as they are caught. "Yup, that was me who tried to blow you up in your car! No hard feelings?" I'm assuming the Miranda rights weren't around back then....