The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, #4)

by Carolyn Keene

1930 Version: 3 stars
The 1930's versions have better pacing. They're not so abrupt, they lead into the story building it up before going anywhere. I really like the relationship between Nancy and Carson. They both respect each other but I like that Carson listens and values Nancy's opinion to the point of actually letting her take the lead in a meeting. She's like the puppet master directing the plays. And the race to capture the culprit at the end! Wicked! Nancy is badass running the suspect down. I enjoyed how everything was tied up neatly. It's a very different book to the 1961 version. It's nowhere near as action packed. The story happens a lot more logically - it's more of a detective story, the 1961 version takes on more of an action vibe - think Young James Bond or Cherub.

1961 Version: 3 stars
Like the previous one this also had a lot of action - bombs and body doubles. Bit choppy with the plot, didn't feel like the narrative flowed very well. Still it was entertaining if nothing earth shattering. After reading the earlier version, these are very different versions. The previous books were recognisably the same story, this was not the case with this book. The earlier version was a lot more sedate - it was a typical detective story. The later version takes on more of a spy/action type feel - like Young James Bond or Cherub. There's a lot that happens in this version, whereas not much happens in the original as such.