The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (Nancy Drew #25)
- Carolyn Keene
1/5 stars
Picked this up on a whim from the book sale I went to, for two reasons - I haven't read a Nancy Drew book in perhaps three decades, and this original Armada publication copy was in quite a decent condition (I also hit a jackpot with a very good Three Investigators - The Vanishing Treasure, one of my favorites in the series).
So, I was reminded why I never liked Nancy Drew, even when I was in middle school and loved Three Investigators Series. First the plot that is completely illogical - grown women putting money in tree trunks to supposedly support an orphanage, people believing in seances and spirits telling them exact details of places to bury wealth and names of people to avoid. Then, the plot hole - how did the thieves know their victim's jewellery so well that they were able to create such great imitations upfront? Next - sleuthing - consisting of officials giving all information that a 18 year old asks for, lawyer father getting information for her, and her being rescued from difficult situations by father or boyfriend.
I don't think I felt this in my younger days, but now I felt that the writing was juvenile, and I am inclined to put it at the level of Enid Blyton's detective series for younger children.
The Golden Keel
- Desmond Bagley
3.5/5 stars
Desmond Bagley is one of my favorite thriller writers, the old-school straightforward action/spy thrillers being the kind I like. I also feel a partiality towards treasure hunt/chase stories, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed this one that tells a tale of Nazi gold lost during WW2.
I did expect the 'twist' that came towards the end, as well as the final outcome, yet the pace and the narration kept me engaged. The build-up of the story and the execution was done well enough. I wouldn't call it a must-read for the genre, but its quite a nice one to keep one interested to see how it unfolds.
High Stakes
- Dick Francis
3.5/5 stars
Like most of the other novels by Dick Francis, High Stakes is also a thriller set in the world of horse racing. It does involve a bit of the how the betting works, but I am glad it did not delved into much detail of jockeying or care of horses - one of his previous books I read went into these aspects too deep and bored with these, I skipped whole paragraphs to get to the main story.
The rich protagonist, Scott, gets interested in buying racehorses, even though he knows very little about racing and nothing about horses. The book opens to his realization that his trainer and adviser Leeds has been swindling him outrageously, playing on his generosity as well as lack of knowledge. From there starts a cat-and-mouse game, with Scott playing to safeguard his property and reputation, and Leeds, his ill-gotten gains and freedom.
It is a well written book, with a likeable protagonist you can sympathize with and an exciting sequence of events as he plans to protect his interests where he cannot expect to get help from the law.
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