The Secret of the Old Clock {Nancy Drew #1}

Title: The Secret of the Old Clock {Nancy Drew #1}
Author: Carolyn Keene
Pages: 180
Year: 1998 {1959 Version}

When a young girl, Judy, is almost hit by a large moving van and falls off a bridge in her attempt to avoid being hit, eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew quickly rescues the girl and takes her to the home she shares with her great aunts, Mary and Edna Turner. The two elderly ladies share with Nancy that they don’t have a lot of money, especially since their promised inheritance from Josiah Crowley fell through and was, instead, willed to the already rich Topham family. While searching for a possible second will, Nancy discovers five other people claiming Josiah Crowley was close to them and promised them money after his death. As Nancy interviews the other five, she becomes more and more insistent upon solving the case.

My biggest complaint with The Secret of the Old Clock is the title leaves no secret as to where the second will was left. If I follow the publication date, I received this book, and the following five novels, when I was 9. I can only recall reading the first two. Now whether that was because I found the books too hard or too boring I do not know. But at seventeen, I found The Secret of the Old Clock to be surprisingly simple. The “mystery” might better fit the description of an adventure. Still, it was both short and straightforward, perfect for a children’s book.

Rating: 3