Nancy Drew 02: the Hidden Staircase by

Nancy Drew 02: the Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew, #2)

Nancy Drew and The Hidden Staircase hits the big screen in March of 2019! Read the classic book that inspired the movie!

After receiving a call from her friend Helen Corning, Nancy agrees to help solve a baffling mystery. Helen's Aunt Rosemary has been living with her mother at the old family mansion, and they have noticed many strange things. They have heard music, thumps, and creaking noises at night, and seen eerie shadows on the walls. Could the house be haunted?

Just as soon as she hangs up the phone, a strange man visits Nancy's house to warn her and her father that they are in danger because of a case he is working on buying property for a railroad company. This warning leads Nancy and  her father Carson to search for the missing Willie Wharton, a landowner, who can prove he signed away his land to the railroad and save the railroad from a lawsuit. Will Nancy be able to find the missing landowner and discover how these mysteries are related?

Reviewed by Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews on

3 of 5 stars

Share
Nancy's best friend Helen has a mystery that needs solving, her aunt's believe their house is haunted and on top of that a persistent man is trying to buy their home offering a low-ball number. It's up to Nancy to solve the case.

Is it just me or does Nancy get overly excited when learning about a new mystery which usually comes around containing other people's misfortune? She is described as becoming giddy, sitting on the edge of her seat her eyes becoming wider and wider. Yes, she would make the perfect girl scout sell hundreds of Thin Mints, but sometimes she is almost too keen to solve a mystery and isn't very becoming. Maybe I'm being too hard on Miss Drew as she is still a wonderful role model for girls.

Now on to the book, The Hidden Staircase was not my favorite Nancy Drew Mystery; I didn't think the plot was as strong as others in the series such as The Clue In The Old Album and half of the book consisted of one or another female characters fainting. Despite her faults I still love Nancy but wasn't crazy about The Hidden Staircase.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 January, 2011: Finished reading
  • 30 January, 2011: Reviewed