Rating:

1940s Nancy Tackles Murders, a Plane Crash, and a Leopard

Author: Carolyn Keene

I’ve been chronologically making my way through an eBay haul of Nancy Drew mysteries and finally got to the one I was looking forward to the most: The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion. The thing about an eBay haul is that some of the books are the 60s/70s “Flashlight” edition (which are quite sanitized and often have completely different stories) and some of the books are the original version (20s-40s usually), where our sleuth isn’t quite such a retiring lady. As a matter of fact, Nancy can be downright gangster at times in the original, which, honestly, I quite love.

This time, I landed on the 1941 version where Nancy and friends discover . . . you guessed it . . . a moss-covered mansion. Something isn’t right with this shady site. Strange screams come from the building, a retiring and altogether unpleasant man stalks the suitably creepy grounds, and some large and dangerous beast prowls the vicinity. Add to this the fact that a murder (yes, that’s right, in this Nancy adventure we get a lot grittier) happened nearby, and you have a recipe for disaster. Of course, Nancy can’t stay away. Why even have a creepy old mansion if not for snooping?

Meanwhile, Carson Drew is less than perfect. He’s trying to find an heiress who just inherited a fortune. Unfortunately, Drew got taken in and gave the money away to an impersonator. Now, he’s desperate for Nancy’s help. Could the two mysteries possibly converge? Of course they can.

In this Nancy mystery, at least in the 1941 original version, we’ve got some BIG events: a murder, a fierce wildcat, plenty of people shooting guns, and a fiery plane crash. Yes, you read that right, a plane crash. There are even a few chapters where we (and Nancy) suspect that Carson Drew is burnt alive among the wreckage. Totally kid appropriate. Totally delicious.

What’s less nice here are George and Bess, who are impersonal, cowardly blobs. They are just sort of there, and Nancy literary leaves them in the dust numerous times. Way to look out for your friends Nancy.

The boyfriend, Ned, makes a token appearance, but has no real relation to the plot. He could have totally been skipped, another sidepiece to the entirely Nancy focused drama. Even Carson Drew is helpless and stupid here. If it weren’t for Nancy, I’m not sure that any of these supporting characters would be smart enough to remember to breathe.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Then, we’ve got the racism. Our lead villain is constantly described as “gypsy like” and “swarthy.” Literary, he is “swarthy” on EVERY SINGLE page. This seems to be enough to justify him being a totally rotten person. Sigh, Nancy, come on. Plus, in one brief hotel visit we have a Black maid who speaks, shall we say, very colloquially.

Meanwhile, the mystery itself is all over the place, and the plot is not very tightly woven. We’ve got Nancy and co wondering the woods A LOT and eventually sort of bumbling into the answer, which conveniently ties everything together and adds in a tame(ish) leopard, because, why not. I admit I liked the plane crash and the more real danger, but it was all quite a hodgepodge, and if I sat down and tried to outline the plot, I’m sure I’d see nothing but coincidences and plot holes, which in all fairness, is not that unusual for a Nancy story.

My next move is to actually try out the 70s version, which apparently focuses on the space race and exploding oranges, so THAT sounds very different. Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion is the one I’ve always wanted to read most (because of the title and the cool cover on the 70s version – the 40s cover is boring), so this time I’m going to go outside the randomization of the book lot and do some deliberate sleuthing on my own. Let’s see what era does the most justice to the crumbling, creepy mansion. Maybe in the 70s version Nancy will be a better friend and stop leaving Bess and George alone in the dangerous forest.

– Frances Carden

Follow my reviews on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/xombie_mistress

Follow my reviews on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/FrancesReviews

Frances Carden
Latest posts by Frances Carden (see all)