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Password to Larkspur Lane (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories Number 10) by Carolyn Keene
Reader Reviews 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: The most poetic title in the Drew series., April 25, 2003 Reviewer: A reader from US "Password" and "Larkspur Lane" -- these terms echo each other as much as "Lenore" and "Nevermore" do in Poe's "The Raven." It is fitting, then, that this is one of the better Keene books in the Nancy canon. I am reviewing my childhood reading, made possible by Applewood reissues and the continued availability of the Grosset & Dunlap revised titles. It is a truism that the early books (despite their out-of-fashion references and language, and their social stereotypes) are always better than the revisions, and it's often true that the originals are more satisfying, stylish stories. I enjoy the mysteries screeching to a halt while the girls indulge in their noon "luncheon." However, in this title I have to go with the revision. It's a masterful rewrite, condensing and reorganizing the early story while cutting out a lot of leisurely pacing that slows the story down. Perhaps Nancy's greatest strength as a detective is her unwillingness to give up; when she has no clues or prospects of any in this novel, she drives the roads outside of her midwest town until she finds one (a crude sign on a tree with "L. L." posted on it). Can't get into a prison-like old folks' home? Impersonate an elderly lady. Get thrown into a deep cistern? Use the pieces of a ladder thrown in after you to claw your way up the wall. The criminals are getting away in a small plane? Let the gas out of it before they can take off. Meanwhile she still has time to win first prize in a flower arranging competition. Nancy is simply too much, and knowing her has been one of the delights of my life.
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