A review by nlwisz
The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk by Carolyn Keene

5.0

Nancy is off to a great start, as she is mysteriously gifted a valuable kitten (but wait, have you forgotten about Togo, your mysterious dog in the basement?!) and an expensive monogrammed suitcase (the latter from her charmer of a dad). Unfortunately, her luck quickly turns and she is involved in a fender bender by the end of Chapter 1. (Although usually not at fault, Nancy must have a hard time getting car insurance at this point...). She and the girls are thrown not one... or even two... but three going-away parties prior to their cruise departure. The gang gets caught in two vicious storms, but that’s par for the course in ND mysteries. Maids and service people are berated throughout for making “stupid” mistakes. Bess makes a couple of fat jokes about herself. Ned is a bit of a grouch in this one, but in all fairness, Nancy is kind of friend-zoning him, so I get it. Carson flies to Salt Lake City but returns to River Heights in order to help Nancy solve the latest mystery via a few very expensive long-distance calls. People wear disguises, arrests are made, and an innocent girl is pretty much exiled to South America to spare her the embarrassment of facing her parents’ shameful behavior. Phew.