The Moonstone Castle Mystery (1962) - Plot & Excerpts
The Moonstone Castle Mystery is a children's story by Carolyn Keene (pseudonym) and the 40th book in the Nancy Drew series. When Nancy Drew receives a valuable moonstone as a gift from an unknown person, she is amazed and puzzled. But it is only the first of several startling events in this complex mystery that challenge the ingenuity of the pretty sleuth. Why are the Bowens—a missionary couple who recently returned to the United States—having so much trouble finding their missing seventeen-year-old granddaughter?I’ve always been a voracious reader. So, as a child, one of my favorite things about summer was the frequent trips to our local library, which was less than a mile from our house. Like most young girls of a certain age (ahem), my love for mysteries started with Nancy Drew—there simply was no mystery too baffling that she couldn’t solve. And as I would read her most current adventure, I would imagine myself following in her footsteps … taking charge and plunging ahead, getting into mischief, chasing down culprits and solving the mystery. Even though I haven’t re-read any of these books since I was a child, I still think that Nancy is a great character—her courage, confidence and fierce independence, makes her an iconic source of inspiration for young girls everywhere. A must-read children's book, The Moonstone Castle Mystery is another wonderful Nancy Drew mystery.
A child disappears 15 years earlier without claiming an inheritance, and Nancy (well, actually Carson but he pawns his work off on her) and the girls have to track her down. In this one book, it is expressly stated that Carson Drew picks up all the expenses of the girls' trip.A ring of people swindles old ladies and gets them to write checks and securities to these people. No one is directly killed by them though, and I've realized that no one has ever directly been responsible for murder in any of Nancy's cases. She seems to be pretty strictly white-collar.Lots of non-sequitur odd things happen, and it turns out that a former maid of Nancy's aunt is peripherally involved. No major characters lose consciousness but Nancy gets rendered semi-anesthetized by a vial of liquid in some guy's pocket.
What do You think about The Moonstone Castle Mystery (1962)?
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. There were bits of humor and it was a very well thought out mystery on Carolyn Keene's part. However, I felt as though it could have been better. Keene lacked her usually effective writing, which resulting in the book being a bit dull. The mystery was so creative and is capable of being great and suspenseful. Unfortunately, this book did not do the mystery justice. Nancy was sent a mysterious item from an unknown person. She then goes and tries to find a couple's missing granddaughter who they think might have been kidnapped. While trying to do this, she stumbles across a castle that seems to be playing host to her enemies. This could be an excellent mystery novel! I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Nancy Drew books. However, you are going to have to be patient while reading it, because it takes the book a while to start gaining suspense.
—Abby Pearce
Nancy mysteriously receives a Moonstone from an anonymous sender and is soon after roped into the mystery of the Bowens, a missionary couple who are searching for their long lost granddaughter who hasn't been seen in years. Nancy heads to the town where the little girl was last known to be and soon discovers that a woman who pretended to be the granddaughter may have made off with the girl's inheritance from her dead grandmother, but what happened to the little girl? Nancy discovers there may be a connection with the old abandoned Moonstone Castle, but how will this help her solve her mystery?
—Miri
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.
—♆ BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme
