The Phantom of Nantucket

Nancy Drew Diaries #7

by Carolyn Keene

A dream trip to Nantucket turns into a nightmare in this seventh book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.

Nancy, Bess, and George can't wait to start their trip to Nantucket. The three girls are there to visit Bess’s family friend Jenna and go to the opening of an exhibit at the local whaling museum. Jenna’s been working on the exhibit for months, but when the girls get to the museum, a threatening banner has replaced the welcome sign.

Nancy’s got plenty of potential suspects, but she’s worried she won’t be able to solve the case in time to save the opening. And as the threats increase in severity, she becomes more concerned about Jenna’s safety than the ruined exhibit. Can Nancy find the culprit in time?

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2014

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[rowan ꩜ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is part of a very fun series based on the original Nancy Drew mysteries but instead set in the modern world. i can read these books without having to roll my eyes when someone asks Nancy to take a guy with her while on her sleuthing cases. she can take care of herself dude!
read this when i was 11. maybe ill read it again:)

[lj ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

when i was 9 years old, i discovered the old, dusty collection of original nancy drew novels in my grandma's house, and took to them immediately. although it took more than a little effort to work through the old-fashioned language, i soon fell in love with the intrepid girl detective and her perilous adventures as she investigated various suspicious circumstances. i spent that summer and most of the next one eagerly devouring nancy drew mysteries. after i finished off my grandma's collection, i looked to my local library.

fast forward to quarantine. i discovered this series - a reincarnation of the old nancy drew novels. i downloaded the first one on audio and enjoyed the familiar names in my ears as i spooned cereal into a bowl and prepared for my online classes. was it particularly good? no. it was a mediocre mystery, with mediocre writing, with often-cringey phrases and storylines. but it was a beloved comfort in the chaos of that time, and i've been plugging along through this series ever since, smiling at the adventures of one intrepid girl detective once more.

this installment in particular was okay, but nothing really good in terms of mystery writing. i guessed the culprit from their first mention, but the setting was fun and i enjoyed the characters' familiar antics and relationships.

[Sarah Nealy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun quick read! I listened to the audio book version cause I wanted something light while I was working and it was perfect! It was just light enough that I didn't have to concentrate so hard to pay attention but not so light that I got bored. Looking forward to listening to more in the series!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a challenge, fun and quick read.

[Lydia Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+!

Pretty good book! I wonder what happend to the stolen pin that old lady had though.... Guess I'll never know lol.

And who would've know that George and Ava had so much in common?!? What a coincidence!!! Lol

10/10, 5 stars A+, would recommend.👌

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister got this for me to try out awhile back and it took me way to long to get around to reading it.
My main reason for wanting to read this was to see what modern authors had done with my beloved Nancy Drew. I can't say I was overly impressed.

While the writing style was cute, and the descriptions of the island were great, the whole book just fell flat.
First off, I had no idea how old the characters were. While the cover shows a tween girl, Nancy also talks about her boyfriend, so I really wasn't sure how old she was supposed to be in this.
Second, the characters weren't nearly as polite or nice to each other as they were in the original.

Overall, it was an okay book, but as a fan of the original, I just found this a bit grating.

[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy, Bess, and George are vacationing on Nantucket when they stumble into a mystery.
Bess' friend, Jenna, receives a threat just as her whale exhibit is about to unveil. Nancy and her friends work to solve who is behind the threat and why.
The story was exciting and has a few facts on whaling history and the culture of Nantucket.
Of the ND books I've read, this one features a characterization of George that I didn't quite like as much. She was a wee bit lazy and only interested in her tech and less likely to try new things, quite unlike the George in the classic and other series that I've read.
The cover art captured the book's essence, with the background of a lighthouse and Nancy.
I listened to the audio, and the narrator did a fantastic job.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Dinnu Reads Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew the culprit almost from the beginning, so that made the story a bit boring.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Diary series reads younger to me, I think because it’s in the first person, and I have yet to see Nancy‘s age explicitly stated – and Nancy (and Bess and George) read much more like high school students in this series than in the original stories. The ones I have read so far have her operate quite independently of her father and Hannah, whereas she often weighed in with them in the originals.

While I don’t think any of the paperback series hold up to the hardcover originals, they are an enjoyable bedtime read.

[Taylor Rose Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best one in the series I’ve read so far! Very good mystery. Classic Nancy mystery where everyone is guilty of something and you have to figure out what. Only one person is the actual main culprit though if that makes sense. Just enough clues to try and figure some stuff out yourself but not overly obvious like some of the other books in this series. It really might be my favorite!

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nancy Drew! My mom figured it out right before I did and we both liked it.

[Danielle]

Family Read aloud for Vi

[Mia Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lol I don't remember anything from this book, just that kid me loved it. I was obsessed with Nancy Drew and read every single book about her that I could find. I think if I reread them now, I wouldn't be able to handle the old stuff, but hey, I've changed a lot. For little kids that need to get into reading, I think these are perfect. Maybe not for teenagers though.

[Sara Marigold · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's super awesome! Highly recommended

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have been a wee bit bias because my name was featured as a major character in The Phantom of Nantucket. This was a quick and light mystery that made my commute more enjoyable this past week. The Phantom of Nantucket focuses on Nancy Drew's visit to the island with her friends where they come across an important figurehead that's gone missing from the local marine museum. They do the usual song and dance of following clues and narrowing down possible suspects. This was a fun case to follow along and my only comment was that I confused the characters Kelsey and Marnie. I wasn't able to get a clear image in my head and couldn't fully compile my mental character list. Other than that, this was a quick case that I was happy to solve as a listener. It was so strange to hear my name constantly repeated because I kept automatically turning to the radio. I hope we continue on with the upswing and find another mystery in an exciting new locale! As long as there aren't any creeps chilling in the basements looking for their Angel of Music, we're Gucci.

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Nancy goes on vacation with her friends. First her friend Jenna tells that that a figurehead at a museum went missing. Then, Nancy's frined George fell into the lake and almost drowned. Last a dinosaur statue almost fell and hits George in the head. In the end of the book Nancy found out that one of her friends took the figurehead. Nancy gets the figurehead back at the museum is saved!

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few weeks ago I read my first Nancy Drew mystery in years and I was hooked. I have enjoyed mysteries my whole life because it means fitting pieces together in a puzzle to solve a case, and being right brained, I like to attempt to solve the mystery before the detective does. I remember that I must have read my first Agatha Christie book in middle school and have been reading Sara Paretsky and Faye Kellerman and now Louise Penny for year. My start as a mystery reader is the same one as it has been for generations of women before me: Nancy Drew. When I read my first Nancy Drew mystery, I cannot pinpoint, but I know they were a staple of my middle grade years. The cases she solved with the Hardy Boys: the best. Today I needed a mindless activity so even Hercule Poirot and Inspector Gamache would require me to use too many gray cells. I turned instead to the detective who got it all started for me: Detective Drew of River Heights.

The Nancy Drew diaries take place in modern times so that a new generation of girls can enjoy the detective in a meaningful way to them. This time Nancy, Bess, and George are visiting one of Bess’ close friends on Nantucket Island for a few days. Ned is still in the picture but this is a girls’ trip. Those are more and more common in the 21st century. George brings every gadget imaginable to stay plugged in. Bess and Nancy just want to enjoy a few days at the beach. That is the restful vacation that Nancy had in mind until (dum dum dum) a mystery happens to occur within the first few minutes that they are on Nantucket. So much for rest and relaxation, Nancy Drew has a case to solve.

Bess’ close friend Jenna is a summer intern at the Nantucket whaling museum. She is immersed in history and curated her first exhibit immediately upon graduating from college and is aiming to get a full time job. Her exhibit is set to open and solves the mystery of the sinking of the Eleanor Sharpe whaling vessel one hundred fifty years earlier. There are some full time island residents that do not like the idea of a summer resident like Jenna telling the island’s story. The exhibit is vandalized and key artifacts go missing. Without the figurehead of the Eleanor Sharpe, there is no exhibit. This is Nantucket, the playground of the rich; there are no detectives who happen to just be present. But of course there is a detective, so Nancy forgoes a relaxing vacation to do what she does best: solve a case.

“Carolyn Keene” sets the time and place so readers feel immersed in Nantucket summer culture. There is the tension between year round residents and summer vacationers who only want to be on Nantucket to go to the beach and sail. I can’t say that I blame them because I would do the same. There are local businesses that offer antiques and regional cuisine including warm donuts meant to be eaten on the dock. Nancy does get to experience all this but her main goal is to find the missing figurehead and see who has been vandalizing the museum in time for the exhibit’s opening. Regardless of one’s views on whaling and animal rights, one hopes that Nancy solves this case in order to preserve Nantucket’s history for future generations.

Nancy Drew solves her mystery because that is what Nancy Drew does. I enjoy the friendship between Nancy, Bess, and George as it teaches middle grade girls that friendship does not need to be a competition and that everyone brings different qualities to a relationship. This is the second case I have read recently and unlike other detectives who generally stay in one region, because Nancy Drew is timeless, she gets to travel everywhere. This shows what an able detective she is because she does not need to be in her home region in order to solve a case. While the adult in me would like to see more of Ned, the girl mom in me appreciates the female centric relationships that dominate most of the books. I have long moved on to “age appropriate” detective cases, but it is refreshing that Nancy Drew is part of my reading life again.

4 stars

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com.

"Nancy, Bess, and George can’t wait to start their trip to Nantucket. The three girls are there to visit Bess’s family friend Jenna and go to the opening of an exhibit at the local whaling museum. Jenna’s been working on the exhibit for months, but when the girls get to the museum, a threatening banner has replaced the welcome sign.

Nancy’s got plenty of potential suspects, but she’s worried she won’t be able to solve the case in time to save the opening. And as the threats increase in severity, she becomes more concerned about Jenna’s safety than the ruined exhibit. Can Nancy find the culprit in time?”

First off, the title of this book is all wrong. There is no Phantom of Nantucket. There’s a visit to Nantucket and a mystery to solve, but no phantom.

It’s Labor Day weekend and Nancy, Bess and George are vacationing on Nantucket Island and to visit Jenna, an unpaid intern at the local whaling museum. I said it before and I’ll say it again about the Diaries, they’ve got continuity errors. Bess and Jenna’s mothers grew up together and visited each other every summer. Well, according to the original Nancy Drew Mysteries, Bess and George’s mothers are sisters, so that means George should have known Jenna, too, but she doesn’t, which just makes it a little weird for those that have read the originals.

There’s to be a big celebration because the figurehead from the Eleanor Sharp was recovered. The Sharp was a local whaling ship that sank in the 19th century, one of those local legend stories that locals like to tell. Jenna has proof that the captain of the ship scuttled the Eleanor Sharp deliberately and the exhibit explains the who/what/where/why of Jenna’s investigation and facts she’s uncovered.

But the celebration banner has been vandalized with the word “LIAR” painted on it, and the figurehead is missing from its locked case. Which means whoever took it had to have the keys. Or so it would seem, until it’s revealed that another worker realizes her keys are missing, so anyone could have had access to the locked cabinet. And some scrimshaw is also discovered missing, too.

There have also been letters, which museum director Pete says is normal, but Nancy asks to look over them. Most of them don’t apply to the case, but one repeats the “liar” claim against Jenna.

One of the main suspects is Kelsey because she’s an islander who doesn’t like seasonal people like Jenna, and who has also been turned down for the same internship at the museum two summers in a row.

More is revealed about why someone would sabotage Jenna’s exhibit: Marnie. another worker with a 104-year old grandfather (time is spent talking about how he was 8 years old when WWI ended, and how he probably knew Civil War veterans), reveals some island history and says that the captain of the Eleanor Sharp was from a well-known island family, and some people prefer to cling to their stories they’ve known for years rather than know the real truth of the fate of the ship.

As in most Nancy Drew stories, accident-prone George gets hit by a boom of a sailing ship and lands in the water, but it’s only a minor injury.

It turns out the scrimshaw was sold by Pete, who runs the museum, to help raise capital for the exhibits, so that’s a dead end. And several other leads to suspects fizzle out.

Finally, Nancy figures out the “bad guy”, who did it because they are a descendant of the captain of the Eleanor Sharp.

Was there any doubt Nancy would solve the case?

[Amy (I'd Rather Be Sleeping) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the setting of the story the most of anything in it. For the first time in this series, I really felt like the crew was at a real place that was unique and fun. Early on, there's a decent amount of the area to give it a sense of place. It also deals some with the history of Nantucket, which I thought was nice and I enjoyed that.

The mystery was...typical of this series. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the one person Nancy never suspects is likely to be the culprit. Which is a way to handle the mystery that I do not like.

Finally, I wish the titles of this series had more bearing to the actual case. It's like, the case takes place in Nantucket and what's a cool word to go with that. *snaps fingers* Let's just call a thief and a rash of threatening overtures a 'phantom'. (I had hoped that this would be more 'creepy lighthouse, phantom keeper' because of the cover and the title, so I was a little disappointed.) (Usually we have a 50/50 shot of the title actually having bearing on the case an that is too low of a ratio, in my opinion.)

[Kristie J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the audiobook version of this modern Nancy Drew mystery. Nancy and her best friends, Bess and George, travel to Nantucket Island to visit Bess's cousin and get embroiled in a mystery on the island (the theft of an artifact from the Nantucket Whaling Museum). I was a little disappointed when I heard references to smartphones, the Internet, etc. because I didn't realize this was a modern remake of Nancy Drew when I first got the book out. I thought it would be neat to hear quaint references from an earlier era. However, once I got over the fact that Nancy has a cell phone and sends text messages, I enjoyed the sleuthing. They do openly say stuff like "Nancy, are you going to investigate?" which is a bit cheesy, but it was a clean story with good, wholesome principles that you could easily share with a young girl. A simple, pleasant, and short read (the audiobook was only 3 CDs).

[ikallam · Rating 2 out of 5]

𝚔𝚔 𝚜𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 “𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚢“ 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛“𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚢“ 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍???
𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴. 𝙱𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚕𝚢 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗?? 𝙰𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚆𝚑𝙰𝚝𝚂 𝚠𝚁𝚘𝙽𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚃𝚑 𝚆𝚎𝙰𝚛𝙸𝚗 𝚜𝙽𝚎𝙰𝚔𝙴𝚛𝚂 𝚗𝙰𝚗𝙲𝚢??

𝙺𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚐.𝟷𝟽 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢, 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚜’𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝. 𝚆𝚊𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎.

“𝐼 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝐽𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑘.“

𝚗𝙾 𝚔𝙸𝚍𝙳𝚒𝙽𝚐 𝚗𝙰𝚗𝙲𝚢. 𝚒𝚃 𝚖𝚄𝚜𝚃 𝚑𝙰𝚟𝙴 𝚋𝙴𝚎𝙽 𝚜𝚄𝚙𝙴𝚛 𝙷𝚊𝚁𝚍 𝚃𝚘 𝙵𝚒𝙶𝚞𝚁𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝙰𝚝 𝙾𝚞𝚃.

𝙺𝚔 𝚜𝚘 𝚒 𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜. 𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚜 ??𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚊𝚢. 𝙿𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝙹𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚜 𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚊𝚢.

𝙼𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎: 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚢𝚜.....

𝙼𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌..... 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 “𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚕𝚝𝚢 “ 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Title: The Phantom of Nantucket: The Magician’s Secret
Series: Nancy Drew’s Diaries #7
Author: Carolyn Keene
Narrator: Jorjeana Marie
Format: 🎧
Publisher: Oasis Audio
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook Pub Date September 23, 2014
My Rating: 3.3 Stars

Awww this story is based on one of the stories in the original Nancy Drew mysteries.
Trixie Belton introduced me to mysteries when I was nine years old a few years later I started the Nancy Drew series.
This story has been updated from when I was eleven - Nancy Drew and friends are in the modern world.

I thought this would be a fun trip down memory lane - plus I love stories about Nantucket but where was the phantom?

Nancy made the comment that although her best friends have different fashion sense they
are like a puzzle – they fit together perfectly yet have their own place!

Personal Note: I like that - don't you?

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the original Nancy Drew mysteries. Disappointing. It was slower-moving; I think that the 1st person voice was a poor choice. There’s an old writer’s adage that says “show your readers, don’t tell your readers”. It means that authors should describe characters’ behaviors to show you who they are instead of telling you. I.e., list everything a character eats in one setting rather than say “she eats a lot”. This book was full of telling rather than showing.

I also don’t like the left-wing political voice on animals given that ND’s family is supposed to be wealthy conservative lawyers. It’s not a match. And it is not practical or logical to see 19th century whaling as morally wrong. I don’t think someone down-to-earth enough to be a bona fide detective in her teenage years would take this stance.

[Chawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

the Nancy Drew Diaries is the latest installment in one of my favorite canons of fictional literature. here Nancy is not the perfect 18-year old of the originals, but a very real and perhaps more relatable version. I actually like this version much better. it depicts her as brave, but not quite fearless. in this story, Nancy and her two best friends, the infamous Bess and George, travel to the island of Nantucket for a vacation and to visit a cousin of Bess. immediately things go sideways and Nancy is drawn into another intriguing mystery. the writing is addicting, as Keene uses foreshadowing at the end of each chapter that will make you want to read "just one more chapter!" it was a delightful read and I often listen to the audiobook while multi-tasking! it is perfect for this as the story is light.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR Keene, Carolyn
TITLE The Phantom of Nantucket
DATE READ 05/13/21
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH YA Mystery/2015/Hoopla Audio/3 hr 16 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE ND Diaries #7
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 47/120
GROUP READ ND
TIME/PLACE 2013/MA
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew, Bess & George
COMMENTS Visiting Nantucket at the end of the summer, Nancy and friends are there for vacation and to support their friend Jenna. Jenna has an art exhibit opening at the Nantucket Nautical Museum. When banners to promote the exhibit are vandalized and then an item stolen ….

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly standard Nancy Drew Diaries mystery, but enjoyable!

For someone like me who is used to residing in Michigan, it brought up images of Mackinac City and Mackinac Island, which was a welcome image. I quite liked it.

Mystery-wise, I did figure out who it was fairly quickly, but it wasn’t as obvious as it can be in these novels - and without giving away spoilers, the execution was well-done in regards to the suspects. Overall, it was definitely one of the better done Nancy Drew Diaries books, and I liked it!

[Rosa Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This dairies book wasn't as good as the others; I was still glad I listened to it since it is part of the series. But although the others were a firm 3 (not bad but not really good either) this one was just mediocre to me. I found my thoughts drifting away as I listened and had to remind myself to get back into the story. And no you do not need to read the others in the series to read this one. I can be a stand alone book if need be

[Samantha Bartley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! The newer Nancy Drew books have proven to be a lot less entertaining than the originals, and usually rather boring in comparison, but I liked this one a lot. The mystery, although seemingly mild compared to most, was solid. The ending made sense and didn’t feel too unrealistic. While I’ll stick to the OG Nancy Drew mysteries for the best of the best, this one was a good addition to the series.

[Debra Clewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Middle-Grade/YA novel mystery. I haven’t ever read any of the Nancy Drew series before. There was enough intrigue for the most avid young reader, and I guessed who the thief was way before the ending. Believable characters along with the story line of blending the past with the present and future made for an engaging tale. I loved the description of the island and its people, wary as they were of outsiders. Something I now understand, having moved to an island in 2020!

[Aiko Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes! I can guess who the culprit yet again! Second time in a row. I like this book. The setting of Nantucket really give it a classic vibe, reminds me of a movie I've watched once long ago. The mystery isn't too intricate, but lots of possible suspects is presented. Another great Nancy Drew adventure.