# The Nancy Drew Files

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Fiction series by Simon & Schuster

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*Secrets Can Kill*, the first book in the *Nancy Drew Files* series

***The Nancy Drew Files***, or the *Nancy Drew Case Files*, is a detective fiction series started in 1986 and released by Simon & Schuster,[1] New York. It is a spin-off of the original series of novels featuring [Nancy Drew](/source/Nancy_Drew), with a greater emphasis on adventure, malice and romance. All the books have been written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. This series has been targeted at readers who are age eleven and up. With a new book released almost every month, 124 titles were released in 11 years. More than 17 million copies are in print and the books have appeared on the bestseller lists of *[Publishers Weekly](/source/Publishers_Weekly)*, B. Dalton, and Waldenbooks. In 2014, Simon & Schuster started releasing this series in eBook format.

## Series background

*The Nancy Drew Files* is a spin-off from the [Nancy Drew](/source/Nancy_Drew) series. The stories follow teenage detective Nancy Drew. Her father, [Carson Drew](/source/Carson_Drew), is a successful attorney and a widower. Their house is taken care of by their full-time housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. Nancy's companions are usually her friends Bess Marvin and [George Fayne](/source/George_Fayne), no matter whether she is sleuthing or shopping. Her boyfriend, [Ned Nickerson](/source/Ned_Nickerson) also helps her with investigations. Contrary to their stable relationship in the original *Nancy Drew* series, Nancy and Ned's relationship is given more depth, and the two are portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional couple. They break-up and reconcile multiple times throughout the series. But in the last book of this series, it is shown that they kept dating each other.

### Notable books

- *Secrets Can Kill* (#1), *Stay Tuned for Danger* (#17), *Death by Design* (#30), and *The Final Scene* (#38) were all adapted into the popular [Nancy Drew video game series](/source/List_of_Nancy_Drew_video_games#Her_Interactive) by Her Interactive.

- *Two Points to Murder* (#8) features the first break-up between Nancy and Ned.

- *Till Death Do Us Part* (#24) sees Ned Nickerson proposing to Nancy, although she turns him down.

- *The Suspect Next Door* (#39) launched a spin-off of *The Nancy Drew Files* series, titled *[River Heights](/source/River_Heights_(Nancy_Drew))*. However, that series was a romance series, with occasional cameos by Nancy.

- *Out Of Bounds* (#45) has Nancy recalling the events of *Dangerous Games* from the *[Nancy Drew And Hardy Boys SuperMystery](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nancy_Drew_And_Hardy_Boys_SuperMystery&action=edit&redlink=1)'*88 series and she specifically mentions that Hardy Boys playing a role in that case.

- *Dangerous Relations* (#82) is a re-telling of *[The Ringmaster's Secret](/source/The_Ringmaster's_Secret)* from the original Nancy Drew series.

- All books from #112 (*For Love or Money*) to #119 (*Against the Rules*) feature stills from the 1995 television adaption as the covers.

### Development

*The Nancy Drew Files* is the first spin-off from the [Nancy Drew Mystery Stories](/source/Nancy_Drew_Mystery_Stories). The series was developed by the [Stratemeyer Syndicate](/source/Stratemeyer_Syndicate), in its final year. The series was first introduced in two books from the *Nancy Drew Mystery Stories*, #77: *The Bluebeard Room*, and #78: *The Phantom of Venice*. These two books were much more modern and serious, while also featuring romance. These two books were the final books overseen by the Syndicate, prior to its sale to [Simon & Schuster](/source/Simon_%26_Schuster) in 1986. The publishers soon launched *The Nancy Drew Files* concurrent to the original series, to aim for more mature readers.

The series is known as the most successful spin-off of the original book series, and also inspired a similar spin-off for [The Hardy Boys](/source/The_Hardy_Boys). In 1995, the series reduced its release rate in half, by beginning to release a book every other month, instead of every month. Finally, the series was cancelled in 1997, in a mass cancellation of all mature-themed *Nancy Drew* and *The Hardy Boys* spin-offs.

### Television adaptation

The 1995 television adaption, *Nancy Drew*, was based on *The Nancy Drew Files*. The adaption had very little to do with *The Nancy Drew Files* series, other than its modern and trendy setting, more mature themes, and Nancy and Ned's relationship issues. The series featured a college-aged Nancy, who moved to [New York City](/source/New_York_City), to attend college and live with Bess (who was an advice columnist) and George (a mail carrier and an amateur filmmaker). The series was produced by Canadian production company [Nelvana](/source/Nelvana), and filmed in [Toronto](/source/Toronto) (with an arc in [Paris](/source/Paris)).

The series' stars — Tracy Ryan, Jhene Erwin, and Joy Tanner — were featured on the covers of the books, which were promotional stills of the television series. The promotion began on the 112th book, *For Love or Money*, and continued until book 119, *Against The Rules*. Ironically, *For Love or Money* was released the month the last episode of the series aired. By the time the books stopped the promotion, the television series had been cancelled for over a year (and in another twist of irony, *The Nancy Drew Files* would also be cancelled that same year).

## List of books in the series

The series featured 124 books (plus a promotional packet, distributed to promote the series ahead of its launch), all of which were edited by Anne Greenberg. Four additional titles of *The Nancy Drew Files* were planned, three of them rewritten as entries for the original series.[2]

Titles, authorship, and publication dates # Title Pub. Manuscript 1 Secrets Can Kill June 1986 2 Deadly Intent June 1986 3 Murder on Ice September 1986 4 Smile and Say Murder October 1986 5 Hit and Run Holiday November 1986 6 White Water Terror December 1986 Susan Wittig Albert[3] 7 Deadly Doubles January 1987 8 Two Points to Murder February 1987 9 False Moves March 1987 10 Buried Secrets April 1987 11 Heart of Danger May 1987 Susan Wittig Albert[3] 12 Fatal Ransom June 1987 13 Wings of Fear July 1987 14 This Side of Evil August 1987 Susan Wittig Albert & Bill Albert[3] 15 Trial by Fire September 1987 Chassie West[4] 16 Never Say Die October 1987 17 Stay Tuned for Danger November 1987 18 Circle of Evil December 1987 19 Sisters in Crime January 1988 20 Very Deadly Yours February 1988 21 Recipe for Murder March 1988 22 Fatal Attraction April 1988 Susan Wittig Albert & Bill Albert[3] 23 Sinister Paradise May 1988 24 Till Death Do Us Part June 1988 25 Rich and Dangerous July 1988 26 Playing with Fire August 1988 Susan Wittig Albert & Bill Albert[3] 27 Most Likely to Die September 1988 28 The Black Widow October 1988 29 Pure Poison November 1988 30 Death by Design December 1988 31 Trouble in Tahiti January 1989 32 High Marks for Malice February 1989 Chassie West[4] 33 Danger in Disguise March 1989 34 Vanishing Act April 1989 35 Bad Medicine May 1989 36 Over the Edge June 1989 37 Last Dance July 1989 38 The Final Scene August 1989 39 The Suspect Next Door September 1989 40 Shadow of a Doubt October 1989 Deborah Gaines[2] 41 Something to Hide November 1989 42 The Wrong Chemistry December 1989 43 False Impressions January 1990 44 Scent of Danger February 1990 Deborah Gaines[2] 45 Out of Bounds March 1990 46 Win, Place, or Die April 1990 47 Flirting with Danger May 1990 48 A Date with Deception[note 1] June 1990 49 Portrait in Crime[note 1] July 1990 50 Deep Secrets[note 1] August 1990 51 A Model Crime September 1990 52 Danger for Hire October 1990 53 Trail of Lies November 1990 54 Cold as Ice December 1990 55 Don't Look Twice January 1991 56 Make No Mistake February 1991 57 Into Thin Air March 1991 58 Hot Pursuit April 1991 59 High Risk May 1991 60 Poison Pen June 1991 61 Sweet Revenge July 1991 62 Easy Marks August 1991 63 Mixed Signals September 1991 64 The Wrong Track October 1991 65 Final Notes November 1991 66 Tall, Dark, and Deadly December 1991 67 Nobody's Business January 1992 68 Crosscurrents February 1992 Rosalind Noonan[5] 69 Running Scared March 1992 70 Cutting Edge April 1992 71 Hot Tracks May 1992 72 Swiss Secrets[note 2] June 1992 73 Rendezvous in Rome[note 2] July 1992 74 Greek Odyssey[note 2] August 1992 75 A Talent for Murder September 1992 76 The Perfect Plot October 1992 77 Danger on Parade November 1992 78 Update on Crime December 1992 79 No Laughing Matter January 1993 80 Power of Suggestion February 1993 81 Making Waves March 1993 82 Dangerous Relations April 1993 83 Diamond Deceit May 1993 84 Choosing Sides June 1993 85 Sea of Suspicion July 1993 86 Let's Talk Terror August 1993 87 Moving Target September 1993 88 False Pretenses October 1993 89 Designs in Crime November 1993 90 Stage Fright December 1993 Louise Ladd[6] 91 If Looks Could Kill January 1994 92 My Deadly Valentine February 1994 93 Hotline to Danger March 1994 94 Illusions of Evil April 1994 95 An Instinct for Trouble May 1994 96 The Runaway Bride June 1994 97 Squeeze Play July 1994 98 Island of Secrets August 1994 Louise Ladd[6] 99 The Cheating Heart September 1994 100 Dance Till You Die October 1994 101 The Picture of Guilt November 1994 102 Counterfeit Christmas December 1994 103 Heart of Ice January 1995 104 Kiss and Tell February 1995 105 Stolen Affections March 1995 106 Flying Too High April 1995 107 Anything for Love May 1995 108 Captive Heart June 1995 109 Love Notes July 1995 110 Hidden Meanings August 1995 111 The Stolen Kiss October 1995 112 For Love or Money December 1995 113 Wicked Ways February 1996 114 Rehearsing for Romance April 1996 115 Running into Trouble June 1996 116 Under His Spell August 1996 117 Skipping a Beat October 1996 118 Betrayed by Love December 1996 119 Against the Rules February 1997 120 Dangerous Loves April 1997 121 Natural Enemies June 1997 122 Strange Memories August 1997 123 Wicked for the Weekend October 1997 124 Crime at the Chat Café December 1997

## See also

- [Novels portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Novels)
- [Children and Young Adult Literature portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Children_and_Young_Adult_Literature)

- [Nancy Drew](/source/Nancy_Drew)

- *[Nancy Drew on Campus](/source/Nancy_Drew_on_Campus)*

- [List of *Nancy Drew* books](/source/List_of_Nancy_Drew_books)

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-first_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-first_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-first_5-2) Part of the "A Summer of Love" Trilogy.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-second_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-second_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-second_7-2) Part of the "Passport To Romance" Trilogy.

## References and sources

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** *Rediscovering Nancy Drew*. Dyer, Carolyn Stewart., Romalov, Nancy Tillman, 1946-. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. 1995. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780877455011](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780877455011). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [44960894](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/44960894).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: others ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_others))

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FilesAuthorship_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FilesAuthorship_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FilesAuthorship_2-2) ["Bigfootman's Review Blog: A Nancy Drew Files Mystery Solved?"](http://bigfootmanshardyboysandnancydrew.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-nancy-drew-files-mystery-solved.html). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WittigAlbert_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WittigAlbert_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-WittigAlbert_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-WittigAlbert_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-WittigAlbert_3-4) ["Susan Wittig Albert"](http://www.susanalbert.com/books/). *www.susanalbert.com*. Retrieved 16 March 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-West_author_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-West_author_4-1) Field, Mike (August 21, 1995). ["The Mysterious Life of Chassie West"](https://pages.jh.edu/gazette/julsep95/aug2195/21chass.html). *Johns Hopkins University Gazette*. Retrieved May 26, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Nancy Drew sleuths in Baltimore"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-04-22-1992113021-story.html), *Baltimore Sun*, April 22, 1992. Retrieved 20 August 2021

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-LouiseLadd_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-LouiseLadd_8-1) Rochman, Joanne Greco (March 19, 2012). ["Nancy Drew Is Alive And Well at 82: Interview With CT Writer Louise Ladd"](https://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2012/03/19/nancy-drew-is-alive-and-well-at-82-interview-with-ct-writer-louise-ladd/). *CBS Connecticut*. CBS Broadcasting Inc.

v t e Nancy Drew Stratemeyer Syndicate Carolyn Keene Edward Stratemeyer Characters Nancy Drew George Fayne Ned Nickerson Writers Mildred Benson Walter Karig Harriet Adams Susan Wittig Albert George Edward Stanley James D. Lawrence See also The Hardy Boys Tom Swift TV series The Dana Girls Books Nancy Drew Mystery Stories The Secret of the Old Clock (1930) The Hidden Staircase (1930) The Bungalow Mystery (1930) The Mystery at Lilac Inn (1930) The Secret at Shadow Ranch (1931) The Secret of Red Gate Farm (1931) The Clue in the Diary (1932) Nancy's Mysterious Letter (1932) The Sign of the Twisted Candles (1933) The Password to Larkspur Lane (1933) The Clue of the Broken Locket (1934) The Message in the Hollow Oak (1935) The Mystery of the Ivory Charm (1936) The Whispering Statue (1937) The Haunted Bridge (1937) The Clue of the Tapping Heels (1939) The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk (1940) The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion (1941) The Quest of the Missing Map (1942) The Clue in the Jewel Box (1943) The Secret in the Old Attic (1944) The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (1945) The Mystery of the Tolling Bell (1946) The Clue in the Old Album (1947) The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (1948) The Clue of the Leaning Chimney (1949) The Secret of the Wooden Lady (1950) The Clue of the Black Keys (1951) The Mystery at the Ski Jump (1952) The Clue of the Velvet Mask (1953) The Ringmaster's Secret (1953) The Scarlet Slipper Mystery (1954) The Witch Tree Symbol (1955) The Hidden Window Mystery (1956) The Haunted Showboat (1957) The Secret of the Golden Pavilion (1959) The Clue in the Old Stagecoach (1960) The Mystery of the Fire Dragon (1961) The Clue of the Dancing Puppet (1962) The Moonstone Castle Mystery (1963) The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (1964) The Phantom of Pine Hill (1965) The Mystery of the 99 Steps (1966) The Clue in the Crossword Cipher (1967) The Spider Sapphire Mystery (1968) The Invisible Intruder (1969) The Mysterious Mannequin (1970) The Crooked Banister (1971) The Secret of Mirror Bay (1972) The Double Jinx Mystery (1973) Mystery of the Glowing Eye (1974) The Secret of the Forgotten City (1975) The Sky Phantom (1976) The Strange Message in the Parchment (1977) Mystery of Crocodile Island (1978) The Thirteenth Pearl (1979) The Triple Hoax (1979) The Flying Saucer Mystery (1980) The Secret in the Old Lace (1980) The Greek Symbol Mystery (1980) The Swami's Ring (1981) The Kachina Doll Mystery (1981) The Twin Dilemma (1981) Captive Witness (1981) Race Against Time (1982) The Broken Anchor (1983) The Mardi Gras Mystery (1988) The Case of the Rising Stars (1988) The Mystery of the Masked Rider (1992) The Treasure in the Royal Tower (1995) The Wedding Day Mystery (1997) The E-mail Mystery (1998) Whispers in the Fog (2000) The Legend of the Emerald Lady (2000) Mystery By Moonlight (2002) The Bike Tour Mystery (2002) The Mistletoe Mystery (2002) No Strings Attached (2003) The Riding Club Crime (2003) Danger on the Great Lakes (2003) Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland (2003) Other series The Nancy Drew Files (1986-97) Nancy Drew Notebooks (1993-2005) Nancy Drew on Campus (1995-98) Nancy Drew: Girl Detective (2004-12) Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (2006-15) Nancy Drew Diaries (2013-present) Nancy Drew Clue Book (2015-present) Hardy Boys crossovers Be a Detective Mystery Stories (1984-85) Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Supermystery (1988-98) Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mystery (2007-12) Other media Video games Secrets Can Kill (1998) (Remastered, 2010) Stay Tuned for Danger (1999) Message in a Haunted Mansion (2000) Treasure in the Royal Tower (2001) The Final Scene (2001) Secret of the Scarlet Hand (2002) Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002) The Haunted Carousel (2003) Danger on Deception Island (2003) The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004) Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004) Secret of the Old Clock (2005) Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005) Danger by Design (2006) The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006) The White Wolf of Icicle Creek (2007) Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007) The Phantom of Venice (2008) The Haunting of Castle Malloy (2008) Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses (2008) Ransom of the Seven Ships (2009) Dossier: Resorting to Danger (2009) Warnings at Waverly Academy (2009) Trail of the Twister (2010) Shadow at the Water's Edge (2010) The Captive Curse (2011) Alibi in Ashes (2011) Tomb of the Lost Queen (2012) The Deadly Device (2012) Ghost of Thornton Hall (2013) The Silent Spy (2013) The Shattered Medallion (2014) Labyrinth of Lies (2014) Sea of Darkness (2015) Midnight in Salem (2019) Mystery of the Seven Keys (2024) Film and television Nancy Drew: Detective (1938 film) Nancy Drew: Reporter (1939 film) Nancy Drew: Trouble Shooter (1939 film) Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939 film) The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977 TV series) Nancy Drew (1995 TV series) Nancy Drew (2002 TV movie) Nancy Drew (2007 film) Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019 film) Nancy Drew (2019 TV series)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Nancy Drew Files](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nancy_Drew_Files) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nancy_Drew_Files?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.