You’ll find little discussion of intrigue is this month’s Nancy Drew Review as fred
flare’s Keith and Lulu find themselves stuck on another mysterious topic: boys.

Keith: Well, The Clue in the Diary is a delight.

Lulu: The cutest episode yet. I can sum it up in two words: Ned Nickerson.

K: Yes, this is the book where Nancy’s sweetheart-to-be comes into
the picture.

L: And I like how they introduce him, too. They don’t just plop him in the
series like they did with George and Bess. They really take their time bringing
him into the story. It all starts when Nancy and the girls are driving home from
a carnival and witness the explosion of a beautiful country mansion. They
immediately pull in the driveway and run up to the site to offer assistance to
anyone in need.

K: Being first on the scene has some disadvantages, though. Broken glass
and flying embers threaten the convertible so Nancy rushes back to it, only to
discover a strange young man climbing into her car.

L: That’s Ned Nickerson.

K: At first we think perhaps this mysterious character is trying to steal the
convertible. His motives seem unclear, even as he explains he was just moving
it away from danger. Nancy gazes into his friendly eyes, surveys his dark, curly
hair and clean Joe College look – complete with fraternity pin – and thinks to
herself, "He looks like a nice person – and yet, appearances can be deceiving."

L: You can tell that he really is one of the good guys two pages later when
we see him directing traffic away from the fire scene as Nancy and the girls
head home. "I did misjudge him," she chides herself, "How silly of me!" Bess
and George pick up right away on Nancy and Ned’s mutual attraction and
continually tease her throughout the book. "You’ve made a hit alright!"
Bess declares.

K: Nancy retorts, "The only thing that was hit is the back of my car." She
and the girls got in a minor fender bender with all the commotion, but guess
who comes to the rescue?..

Lulu: That’s Ned Nickerson!

K: Right. With a strong, deft twist he rips off their loose bumper, places it
in the trunk, escorts the ladies to the nearest service garage and even treats
them to ice cream sodas while they wait!

L: He’s for us!

K: Nancy tries, at first, to maintain a professional relationship as they
discuss the details of the explosion and both arrive at a similar conclusion.
" You know," he whispers, "I have a sneaking suspicion it didn’t start by
accident." He’s quite the detective himself!

L: Yes, she tries to be all business and even schedules a meeting to review
some clues, but you can see what’s really on her mind when she asks Hannah
to bake a cake and even invites her father to meet him.

K: And she turns it out with her cutest look yet!

L: A flowered dress and high heels…

K: To my knowledge, this is the very first time we’ve ever seen Nancy wear
something patterned.

L: Oh, I think that’s true. This will be a super fun trend to watch as she has
more dates with Ned. Her looks are much more out-there when romance is on
her mind. Later, at a fraternity dinner dance, she wears a pale green chiffon
dress and gold evening shoes. I bet those shoes are to-die-for!

K: Can I tell you something else I love about Ned? On page 93, Nancy says
to him, "You may find yourself being called upon to do all kinds of outlandish
sleuthing jobs" and he replies simply, "I’m at your service." Later, on page 135
she actually calls on him to perform one such job and what does he say? "At
your service." Oh, Lutricia, he’s such a dream date!

L: Let’s make ourselves t-shirts that read "We LOVE Ned Nickerson!"

K: I’d wear mine every day. Do you think Chris would mind?

L: Not at all.

K: I love love LOVE how at the end of the mystery, which I guess we don’t
have time to discuss here, he says to Nancy, "I have a notion to start a diary
of my own… if I can fill most of the pages with entries of dates with you."

L: Our good ol’ Nancy brings it back to business, though. "I enjoyed your
help in solving the mystery," she says. "Maybe we’ll soon find another one we
can work on together."

K: Let’s hope so!!!! Tune in next time for Nancy’s Mysterious Letter.

L: We love Ned Nickerson!!!!