Customer Reviews

The Haunted Showboat (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, No 35)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a chilling way to look at Mardi Gras in the Deep South! Nancy and her pals, Bess and George, are off on another adventure - this time to the river and bayou country near the Big Easy! Nancy and her friends solve an old family mystery while trying to end a lovers quarrel while trying to find a fortune in buried treasure. Having grown-up near New Orleans as a child, and visiting there for over 35 years, I can say that the majority of this book is true to life. It gives the reader a charming glimpse into the excitement of Mardi Gras and the relaxed ease of the river plantation life where unfortunately many things are "gone with the wind". Le Bon Temps Rolle (That's New Orleans talk for "Let the Good Times Roll!"

I'm almost always a HUGE Nancy Drew fan. This one was just not all that good. I found the "mystery" way to easy to figure out. Almost right away Nancy found out who the bad-guy was. There was just too much time wasted in the book, seriously the characters didn't do as much as they usually do. She had evidence against people, but she didn't do anything with it, it almost seems like she forgot it. I was thinking the "Haunted Showboat" would be scary like everyone said, but it wasn't at all. Having read more than half the series, which means some books set the mark high, this was just lower. It was a let down for ME. I wouldn't get this if I were you.

The first Nancy Drew book that I read, and that only recently, was "The Clue In the Diary", which was written in 1932. This book, written in 1957, provides an interesting contrast in the styles. Nancy and her friends Bess and George act much less frail, wear clothing more suited for their activities and are much more physically involved.
In this story, Nancy and her friends are to travel to New Orleans during the Mardi Gras season and explore a mystery surrounding an old river showboat. The boat, "River Princess" was beached during a storm and has simply set and rotted since that time. The goal is to move and restore it before Mardi Gras so that a Southern belle can host her engagement party. Strange things have been happening on the boat, leading many to believe that it is haunted. Of course Nancy and her friends delve right into the thick of things, despite the apparent dangers. Their car is stolen and someone is following them trying to scare them off the case.
The story involves old black people who are servants and practice voodoo in the swampland around New Orleans. While they do speak in "black-speak", they are intelligent, proud, capable people and there is no racial stereotyping. One plot element that is an improvement over the 1932 story was when Nancy jumped out of the boat into the Mississippi River to swim for help. Later, she must take a great deal of time to clean the mud off. This is not consistent with the behavior of the Nancy Drew of the 1932 story, where she always seemed to need the intervention of her father. That improves the story dramatically, if Nancy is going to chase criminals, then she must be willing to "get dirty" in the process. Of course, the mystery is solved and the criminals apprehended.

The Haunted Showboat is the greatest Nancy Drew. It keeps you on the edge and you really feel like you are Nancy Drew at times. George, Bess, Burt, Dave, and of course Ned help Nancy solve The Haunted Showboat.

This book was so good. The plot was amazing and the mystery complex. I jumped out of my seat when the people hit Ned and Nancy over the head and the boat lit on fire. I give this book 5 stars because it deserved it. It was a very well written mystery. If there was one, books like this would earn the best mystery award!

For any person who loves mysteries this is the one for them. It has scary moments like when Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson are hit on the head on the showboat which is on fire. And it has mystery moments when Nancy uses her intelligence to solve the mystery. I would recomened this book to everybody.

Nancy, Bess and George go to New Orleans at Mardi Gras time to solve a mystery concerning a haunted showboat and the strange occurances onboard the ship. The mystery must be solved by Mardi Gras time so that Bess and George's aunt and uncle can use the showboat for a ball they are planning to have. Personally, I didn't find this book to be very good; although, it is not really bad. There isn't much action in the book and the mystery isn't overly exciting. In fact, by the time you get through the silly shenanigans concerning the girls being chased on their way to New Orleans by a man who stole Nancy's old car and the obligatory tour guide through New Orleans and actually get into the mystery, the book is already 1/3 over. Some fans may like this book, but I didn't really care much for it and it's not one that I'd highly recommend.

The Haunted Showboat has been the best book I have ever read. The setting is so classic, the mystery is so chilling, and the characters are somewhat unique. It just happened to be that we were driving to Washington when I was reading this, and every now and then when I'd get bored, I'd just pick this up and enjoy myself. When we were passing by the Columbia Gorge, we traveled across it and I just read the book and once in a while I looked at the scenery. It just gave me this special feeling that made me feel really relaxed. And when we were in our apartment, I would sometimes read that book instead of watching TV!

So, from what you've heard here, I would definitely recommend that you don't miss this one.

I think this book was very interesting because in the beginnig Nancy,Bess,and George had to go through a lot of misunfortunate events while trying to get Mardi Gras. Even though they went through a lot of bad stuff they didn't give up. I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries.

I think this book was GREAT! It's good for all ages. Nancy tries to solve the mystery of the River Princess and it was so good I didn't want to put the book down.