Hot Pursuit

Nancy Drew Files #58

by Carolyn Keene

While vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Nancy, Bess, and George learn that one of the hottest rock groups around is filming a music video at their resort. But something sinister is brewing beneath the palm trees, turning the island retreat into a danger zone.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Crime, Classics, Juvenile

150 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.

Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.

Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took me forever to finish. The mystery doesn’t even start until Ch 7/8 and was kinda convoluted. We didn’t even find out what the real mystery is until about 70%. So Nancy and the gang actually take a real vacation for once.

-a band named The Hot Rods who are desperately trying to finish shooting their music video at the resort
-tropical American owned island resort
-immigration smuggling ring
-Nancy almost gets hit by a barrel and hangs off the slide of a cliff to avoid it.
-Nancy starts a fire with a magnifying glass
-Nancy has never encountered a knot she couldn’t untie or binds she can’t get out of
-barnacles!
-Nancy is a kazoo player. Who knew?
-snorkeling
-bicycle brake sabotage
-near death by falling coconut
-a lot of cameras
-amp catches on fire and Nancy uses a croquet mallet? To unplug it
-Nancy and George climb up on a straw roof hut to spy

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has got to be one of my least favorite of the files books. It takes Nancy along time to get going with the investigation and the end is just awful. The whole mystery is boring and awful.

[Eric Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ok ND book. Nothing really happens in the first half of the book, just a bunch of mysterious events that causes foreshadowing for the solution of the overall mystery, thus making it obvious, and also drama. The mystery summarized for this book doesn't even start until chapter 8, halfway through the book, but the solution is kinda obvious, due to the foreshadowing and it obviously being connected to the events. I thought Nancy was a bit dense with the solution to the mysterious events and mystery, it was mostly obvious, but yet she doesn't really have a clue for most of the book. She also doesn't do much investigating for the first half of the book and not doing some things she should have for solving the events and the mystery. The ending was also wrapped up a bit too conveniently and a bit disappointing, like with Nancy being left for dead on an island for just a couple of pages. I would have liked to see Nancy try to survive on the island and try to get rescued for some time, make the book longer by doing this, but instead, she conveniently has a magnifying glass with her, starts a bush fire, and quickly gets rescued all in 3 pages. But overall, I kinda enjoyed the book, the second half was a bit more interesting once the mystery starts and I enjoyed the action scenes and when Nancy gets left on the island even though it was a bit disappointing. But the whole plot was mostly obvious and predictable. 2 1/2 stars.

[Briley Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read lots and lots of Nancy Drew books and I think this one has to be one of my least favorite books. I love a good mystery but this book took forever to really get into the mystery which should be what it's all about! Nancy and her besties, Bess and George are on vacation and are ecstatic to find out their favorite band is filming there. One thing goes wrong after another which leads to Nancy Drew being put on the case.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. My least favorite in this series that I've read in a while. This was so incredibly boring. The mystery takes way too long to start but then it's so dull and the ending was unsatisfying. Completely dropped the ball all around on this one.

[K.L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy books set on islands, but don't really remember too much of the plot in this one. Except that the girls natirally become BFFs with a famous music group who are being sabotaged...

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun as always.

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not expecting human trafficking. And I was not expecting to learn about '90s US immigration quotas from a Nancy Drew File.

[Ravi Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of the best books I read but nice.