Reading the Nancy Drew series with my daughter has proved to be an enlightening experience. We agree on a few things about the series. The suspension of time is a bit aggravating. The mysteries take place supposedly in sequence with no regard for what time of year it was in the prior story, and with no progression of Nancy’s age beyond eighteen. It also would be a bit of a drag at times to be her friend or boyfriend (or “special friend” as Ned Nickerson is occasionally referred to) simply because any chance at fun gets thrown out the window with Nancy’s single-minded pursuit of the mystery at hand.

My thirteen year old daughter likes the stories better than I do. From an adult’s perspective, the stories in general can definitely be better. One of the better ones I have read in the series is The Clue of the Leaning Chimney.

Dick Milton is a cousin of Nancy’s friend Bess Marvin. All of them live in the town of River Heights where Dick owns a pottery shop. Bess brings Nancy by the shop to try to get her interested in taking a class with Bess. When they arrive, Bess discovers the theft of a valuable vase from a display case. The vase was on loan to Dick from a friend, Mr. Soong.

Nancy searches for the thief and ends up wrapped up in another two mysteries. Dick is looking for a valuable pit of china clay, located somewhere nearby. In addition, Mr. Soong had two friends from China who were touring the country and disappeared before they arrived at his home – five years before. Fearing reprisals from immigration authorities, Mr. Soong has been reluctant to involve law enforcement, but he has contacted Nancy’s father, noted attorney Carson Drew, to help out on that case.

The Clue of the Leaning Chimney is a pretty good book in the series. When I saw that it was going to have characters who were Asian, I was a bit worried, mostly due to the period these books were originally written, there have been others in the series that have had a few negative stereotypes. Fortunately, that isn’t the case. Either through the extensive rewrite, the book went from its original publication in 1949, or just a better tone in general, the absence of unflattering stereotypes is quite refreshing.

The mystery itself is pretty good. From an adult standpoint, it’s pretty predictable where it’s going to go. Overall, though, the clues come out at a satisfying pace, and there are a number of good ones out there. It held my attention, rather than feeling like the situations were contrived and only believable to the targeted age range.

The action is good. Nancy faces a few tough situations and is always brave in the face of danger, using her head to get herself out of tight situations. No matter the dated feel of a few other things that occur, this one lesson is a good example to the age group. It teaches them to use their head and be thoughtful. There are a few moments where Nancy behaves a bit recklessly and it could have bad results, but Nancy always seems to come through in the end.

Nancy’s dog Togo is making more and more appearances as the series wears on, and in some ways, it’s nice to have this diversion. Bess and George are mostly relegated to being side-kicks who are one-trick ponies. Bess worries and has to be cajoled into going along with the investigation. George is a tom-boy who’s quite willing to plunge ahead under Nancy’s direction. There’s no doubt that Nancy is the leader of the trio, and this does extend to her relationship with Ned.

I feel sorry for Ned in a way. It seems that every time he and Nancy are together, Nancy is intent on a mystery. Their dates are often interrupted in pursuit of a mystery. The same is true here. Nancy even picks up a clue at a wedding they are attending. This leads Nancy to get both her and Ned stranded in their wedding clothes far away from help. The image of Nancy in high heels and a dress and Ned in a tux emerging from the woods was pretty good though.

The new characters introduced in this story are good as well. They aren’t all just cardboard and one-dimensional. Dick actually has a family with whom Nancy interacts, rather than just being in the story when it’s convenient to the mystery. Mr. Soong doesn’t make too many appearances, but when he does it’s meaningful. I liked the character of former geology professor Miles Monroe. He’s a bit eccentric and doesn’t talk as elegantly as other characters Nancy has run into.

Of the books I have read in the series, I think The Clue of the Leaning Chimney is one of the best, if not the best. The story is good and well-paced. There are moments that are forced but are forgivable. Even the ending isn’t just wrapped up in a page or two but takes a few chapters to iron out. My daughter also enjoyed it a lot and agreed that it worked better and didn’t seem as dated as some of the other books in the series. I recommend this highly for young and old readers alike.

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