The Nancy Drew series' greatest strength is its use of varied and exotic settings. Because of the limited possibilities for unusual criminal activity in a town the size of River Heights, Nancy ends up on cases in places like New York, Brazil, Austria, and Greece. Even when the locale is a small town in the United States, the characters are likely to be involved in scientific experimentation or in some unusual occupation such as china-making. In each case the narrative provides enough background information to make the setting or the occupation interesting.

Although conventional, the plots are exciting and filled with fast-paced action. In the opening pages of the book, the problem is described, and Nancy's client is introduced. Tension builds as Nancy follows the successive clues to discover the identity of the criminals or the location of a missing item. At the book's conclusion the...