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onceuponthesewords's review
2.0
Been feeling nostalgic and wanted to reread this series. It's not as good as I remembered... but that won't stop me from rereading all the Nancy Drew books I have!
yates9's review against another edition
4.0
The mystery novels are so essential they are also a great way to learn more about writing a mystery.
rainynook's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is the second in the Nancy Drew mystery series. It's not as good as the first one. The copyright date is 1959, so it does not include the racist viewpoints I found in "The Mystery of the Ivory Charm" (1936). That said, it's an all-white cast. The story just isn't that interesting; it seems to me that with the success of the first book, a second book with a lackluster plot was quickly churned out. There isn't much of a mystery; there's a hidden staircase, it's in the title. The plot is just dumb and a bit forced. Not my favorite.
planet_taffy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Keene presents us with two mysteries that intertwine, both with high stakes and exciting twists and turns. I really liked the closed setting of this one, focusing mainly on Twin Elms mansion and taking us out of River Heights for a change; old colonial mansions are one of my favorite settings for mysteries (and hauntings). The quality of the mystery and of the writing itself is greatly improved from the first book. I have no complaints really, other than I'm disappointed to have misremembered George and Bess as being introduced much earlier in the series. (Still no sign of them.)
The deciding factor between four and five stars was how much of this book stayed with me since first reading it in middle school. I'm still haunted bythe idea of a face appearing in a darkened window or faint music coming from the empty second floor . Hard to deny a book that stayed with me for that long a five star rating.
The deciding factor between four and five stars was how much of this book stayed with me since first reading it in middle school. I'm still haunted by
camping4life's review
2 copies
1 is part of the double book with book 1
1 is an older yellow spine copy
1 is part of the double book with book 1
1 is an older yellow spine copy