Customer Reviews

The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew, Book 4)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Mystery at Liliac Inn" was great!!! It's full of suspence and i couldn't put down for a second!!!!!! The part in the book that was the best was when the bad guys all kidnap Nancy. When the bad guys find Nancy snooping around and about to go to the police, they take her hostage, tie her hands benind her back, tie her legs together, and tie a handkerchif around her mouth as a gag so she can't scream or talk. Anyway, when the kidnappers(to find out who they are, read the book), decide to take Nancy to an island and hold her hostage there until her dad pays a ransom for her, they go on a boat there and relize that the water is to rough and the boat was about to go expload!!!!!!! So, in the middle of the lake, all of the kidnappers jump overboard and leave Nancy in the cabin tied and gagged!!!!!!! There are other boats around, but remember, Nancy still has that handkerchif tied around her mouth as a gag, so whenever she tries to talk or scream, she just goes "MMMMMMMMMMPH. MMMMMMMMMPH. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMP". Will Nancy Drew get the gag out of her mouth and yell for someone to save her? Find Out BY READING!!!!!!!!!! Other books that have Nancy in peril like this (e.g.- being kidnaped, tied and gagged) include: The Clue of the Velvet Mask; The Quest of The Missing Map; The Mystery at The Ski Jump; The Secret of the Old Attic; The Clue of The Tapping heels; The Clue of the Black Keys; and The Secret at Seven Rocks. Enjoy!!!

I love the original versions of the books in this series that Applewood Publishing has been printing. If you are a Mother who read the series, these make excellent books for your daughters who love to read and like a good mystery!The illustrations are great.The dialogue is dated, but only leads to the charm of these books.The true author's name was Mildred Wirt Benson, a ghost writer from the MidWest.She was the first graduate of journalism from the University of Iowa.She writes an introduction to this book that is worth the price of the book alone!Not my favorite in the series, but it still evokes the spirit of the 30's and the fun I had curling up and devouring these books on a rainy weekend afternoon.

Looking for a mystery? Read The mystery at Lilac Inn, by Carolyn Keene. Meet Nancy and Helen, two teenagers who solve a series of mysteries in the Nancy Drew books. In this book, Nancy and Helen go to Lilac Inn to visit their friend Emily, the owner. Strange things have been happening at Lilac Inn. First Nancy and Helen's cabin gets blown up. Then someone sees a ghost. Then Emily's diamonds get stolen. What will come next? Can Nancy and Helen solve the mystery? Will it be too scary? Find out by reading this fantastic book.

This review concerns both the original 1930 edition and the revised 1961 edition, which is the one commonly found in new book stores. Both editions involve the theft of valuable jewels which belong to Nancy's friend Emily from a place called Lilac Inn; however, that is pretty much where similarity between the two books ends. In the original edition, Lilac Inn is a restaurant where Emily's guardian, Mrs. Willoughby, goes to have lunch while in possession of Emily's jewels. After the jewels are stolen from Mrs. Willoughby, the police begin to suspect that she was involved in the theft. Nancy and Emily believe in Mrs. Willoughby's innocence and Nancy sets out to find the real thief. With the revised edition, Lilac Inn is an inn owned by Emily and her fiance. The jewels are stolen during a dinner party where Mrs. Willoughby (who is Emily's aunt in this edition) was going to present Emily with the jewels. Also Nancy has a look-a-like who is going around town causing all sorts of trouble. Both editions are excellent books and because they are both distinct stories, you could read them both and not feel like you know exactly how the second one will turn out. Both books had plenty of action and had good endings. Personally, I prefered the original, but they are both interesting books. Read them both if you can, you won't be disappointed with either one.

Originally written by Mildred Wirt Benson from outlines by Edward Stratemeyer, the Nancy Drew series was first published in 1930s. THE MYSTERY AT LILAC INN was the fourth book in the series, and it and those that followed presented its heroine as a rich, headstrong, and distinctly reckless teenager who sometimes carried a pistol and who wasn't above breaking the law when it suited her purposes.

As the series progressed and other writers began to generate Nancy Drew novels, the character changed and Nancy was "toned down;" instead of flatly rich, she became reasonably affluent; recklessness was replaced by commonsense caution; and while she might be willing to bend the law a bit she would never knowingly break it. In the 1950s and 1960s the earlier novels were re-written to reflect this change in character.

Every book in the Nancy Drew series repeats certain basic elements, but even so THE MYSTERY AT LILAC INN is something of an exotic. The original 1930 book concerned a jewel theft; the 1961 re-write kept the idea of a jewel theft but threw out the rest of the plot and very unexpectedly involved Nancy with everything from identity theft to espionage! And not only is LILAC INN surprisingly violent for a Nancy Drew mystery, it also permits the normally unflappable herione to show her temper more than once.

This particular story finds Nancy invited to act as a bridesmaid for friend Emily, who--along with her future husband--has bought Lilac Inn, a resort hotel they hope to update and operate once married. Accompanied by friend Helen Corning, Nancy visits Emily at the Inn, only to discover the property is beset by a host of mysterious happenings: employees have resigned, "ghosts" are stalking the grounds, and in short order Emily's inheritance of valuble diamonds are stolen. But this is only the start; before the story ends Nancy and her friends will cope with auto theft, blackmail, impersonation, and two attempted murders.

As is always the case with the original series, the book is very much of its era: there are no cell phones, computers, or similar modern gadgets and although she is allowed to loose her temper a few times in this title Nancy remains the "perfect good girl" according to the standards of the day. Even so, the unusual nature of this particular book lends a bit more spice to the proceedings than usual, the result is particularly enjoyable.


The Nancy Drew books are not great literature by any stretch of the imagination--they are too distinctly formula for that--but they are competently written, literate, and never talk down to their target audience. They are also good "comfort reading" for grown-ups who recall their childhood reading fondly. THE MYSTERY AT LILAC INN is certainly one of the better efforts, and both old fans and young newcomers will enjoy it.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I chose to read this book because my mom had told me that the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories was a good series of books. By the cover of the book I had thought that it was going to be about the typical scary haunted house book but it wasn't. Before I read the book I never imagined that it would have been this good. The main character of the book is a young lady named Nancy Drew. Nancy is invited along with her friend Helen to come and join their friend Emily and her fiancé on their wedding day and stay at the inn that they own called, Lilac Inn. In the book someone breaks into Nancy's house and steals her charge plate and some articles of clothing. They are using the charge plate to impersonate Nancy. The impersonator has been stealing all other sorts of things also from the inn. Nancy discovers thatsomeone is trying to impersonate her so now she is on the hunt for her impersonator/burglar who is causing all problems for Nancy. While on their stay Nancy and her friend Helen come to beleive that the house is haunted. Nancy and Helen think that the house is haunted because of the noises and mysterious things that are happeining. I suggest you read the rest of this book to find out who impersonates her and why. This was a very suspenseful book and I enjoyed reading it, it was one of those books where you couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and there was not a boring moment in this book. This was really good book and that is why I gave it 4 stars.

My friend was always very into Nancy Drew. She had bought a couple of the books, but then recieved a box set and was left with a few doubles, so she gave this one to me. I thought "Wow. Great. A cheesy mystery novel." It sat in my bookshelf for two years. I only have a few unread books left in my shelf, and didn't feel like going into my series of Louisa May Alcott books just yet, so I picked this book up yesterday. In the middle of the third chapter, I was sucked into a vortex and couldn't come out. I started this book at 4:40, took a half hour break for supper, and finished the book at 10:11. Normally when I read mysteries (which is very rare because I find them so predictable) I am able to piece together everything that will happen. Not in this one. There are so many well-developed characters to support Nancy, and the plot has multiple twists and turns. For girls from about 8 to 13, I think you will enjoy this book greatly!

I chose to read this book because my mom had told me that the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories was a good series of books. By the cover of the book I had thought that it was going to be about the typical scary haunted house book but it wasn't. Before I read the book I never imagined that it would have been this good. The main character of the book is a young lady named Nancy Drew. Nancy is invited along with her friend Helen to come and join their friend Emily and her fiancé on their wedding day and stay at the inn that they own called, Lilac Inn. In the book someone breaks into Nancy's house and steals her charge plate and some articles of clothing. They are using the charge plate to impersonate Nancy. The impersonator has been stealing all other sorts of things also from the inn. Nancy discovers thatsomeone is trying to impersonate her so now she is on the hunt for her impersonator/burglar who is causing all problems for Nancy. While on their stay Nancy and her friend Helen come to beleive that the house is haunted. Nancy and Helen think that the house is haunted because of the noises and mysterious things that are happeining. I suggest you read the rest of this book to find out who impersonates her and why. This was a very suspenseful book and I enjoyed reading it, it was one of those books where you couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and there was not a boring moment in this book. This was really good book and that is why I gave it 4 stars.

I started reading the original Nancy Drews eleven years ago when I was just eight years old, and no matter how many times I've read them since, I just never get tired of them. 'Mystery at Lilac Inn' is a perfect example of why. As usual, Nancy's just trying to help out a friend when she finds herself confronted with a challenge she naturally can't refuse, ending up embroiled in any number of unsavoury situations before the final page comes around. The mystery is genuinely intriguing, and while slightly old-fashioned dialogue might put a few readers off, it's really a treat to see halfway decent speech patterns for a change. An honestly enjoyable mystery combined with a heroine who was surprisingly modern for her time makes for a classic that is every bit as delightful today as it was forty years ago.

I love this book. I have read in before and I have rated it a 4-star book. Only one star away from the tops. The only reason I didn't make this a 5 star is the criminal, whom I won't say, you don't know him/her untill the very end. And I like to figure out the mystery as I read the books which I couldn't do here, but the events that happen in here and the way the story line just clicks, makes up for that! From canoe crashes to stolen diamonds, this book has it all!