Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

Just a Wisconsin woman with a passion for books and bargains. As an affiliate with several websites, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Menu Skip to content
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About
  • Book Submissions
February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

The Sign in the Smoke (Nancy Drew Diaries #12) by Carolyn Keene

I was beginning to give up on the Nancy Drew Diaries. The books I’d read previously all centered around sabotage as the plot device, and I felt that was getting a little old. I wanted the publishers to shake things up a bit. The Sign in the Smoke (Amazon) was a step in the right direction.

“When Bess asks Nancy and George to be counselors at her old camp, they’re a little wary. After all, running around after a bunch of little kids doesn’t exactly sound like fun! But Bess promises that the girls will get to enjoy nature, relax by the lake, and play some sports. Plus, it will give Nancy a much-needed break from solving mysteries.

But trouble always finds Nancy Drew! After hearing the disturbing tale about a camper who had drowned in the lake years ago, Nancy dismisses it as a ghost story. But then something pulls her under water during a swim lesson—something eerily human, with long, silvery hair. And the next night her entire cabin’s sleeping bags disappear—only to show up at the lake, soaked.

Now Nancy isn’t so sure if she believes in ghosts! All she knows is she has to do everything within her power to make sure her campers—and her friends—are safe. Which means she’d better get to the bottom of what’s happening at Camp Cedarbark.”

There’s something about the Nancy Drew Diaries that I don’t like. Maybe it is because they are written in the first person, maybe it’s because the publishers want Nancy to be more relatable, but I don’t like that she always seems to be filled with self-doubt. She’s not sure how good of camp counselor she can be, since she never went to camp as a kid. (Seriously, Nancy proclaiming herself to be a bookworm and not interested in the outdoors is very un-Nancy-like). No longer is Nancy an expert swimmer, but someone who has trouble treading water for two minutes.

Also, what’s up with Nancy not wanting to solve a mystery? Sure, I can see someone needing a break, but when mysterious stuff starts to happen at camp, I’m sure her detective radar automatically turned on. But at first, she refuses to acknowledge it, willfully ignores the clues, even though people could get hurt by the strange happenings. Once Nancy succumbs to the pressure to investigate, she totally gets it wrong and picks the wrong suspect. She’s blind-sided by the real culprit, although I don’t blame her because I went through this book twice, and the guilty party was barely mentioned. Then, Nancy kind of freaks out when confronted by the bad guy and has to be saved by a 10-year old girl.

However, there were things to like about this book. Themes like inclusion, and being good friends. There’s a girl in Nancy’s camp group, Harper, who doesn’t seem to gel with the other girls and keeps to herself with her books during free time. Nancy finds a way to get Harper to open up and gets the other girls to take notice and include her in their little group.

I’m still on the fence about the Nancy Drew Diaries as a whole. They have some of the features that has made Nancy an inspiration to girls since she debuted 90 years ago. But some of the changes to her character feel out-of-place and just make her seem like a regular girl, but not someone you’d look up to. She’s just a teen who solves mysteries in her spare time.

The Sign in the Smoke was my 12th Audiobook of the year towards my 2021 Audiobook Challenge.

For my Nancy Drew book reviews, click here.

For more information about my favorite sleuth, check out Jenn Fisher’s Unofficial Nancy Drew website, which has a wealth of information.

For more information on girls’ series books, Jennifer White has a fabulous website that you can visit by clicking here.

For more of my book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Or subscribe below and never miss a review.

Join our Facebook page Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews or join our book group here.

This post contains affiliate links.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

  • Nancy Drew
  • Carolyn Keene
  • Nancy Drew
  • Nancy Drew 90th Anniversary
  • Nancy Drew Diaries
  • Nancy Drew Mysteries
  • Series Books
  • Teen Detective
  • Teen Sleuth
  • The Sign in the Smoke

Published by Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

Just a Wisconsin woman with a passion for books and bargains. As an affiliate with several websites, I may earn money on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. View all posts by Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

Post navigation

Previous #BookBloggerHop: What book series would you like to see adapted as a television series?
Next Saturday Kindle Deals

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews on WordPress.com

Support Your Favorite Bloggers

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Categories

Shop Used Books at AbeBooks

AbeBooks.com. Thousands of booksellers - millions of books.

Better World Books Affiliate

BetterWorldBooks.com Bargain Bin

Booksamillion Affiliate

Find all your favorite books at booksamillion.com.

Biblio Books Affiliate

The Book Review Directory

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews has read 50 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide
50 of 100 (50%)
view books

Goodreads

Instagram

What am I reading, What did I read, what am I going to read? I'm reading a book from NetGalley, a book by a local author, and of course, Nancy Drew. Check out my answers and let me know yours. #mikebond #micheleolsen #beingethelinaworldthatloveslucy #micheleolson #america #nancydrew #wwwwednesday #books #reading #bargainsleuth #bookstagram #booksta #bookstagrammer #booktag #audiobook #ebook #NetGalley #ARCbooks
The Book Snob Tag. Are you a book snob? I'm not sure. Read my answers and let's have a discussion. #TheBookSnobTag #booktag #reading #ebooks #audiobooks #nancydrew #hardyboys #maryrussell #elizabethpeters #agathachristie #bookreviews #bargainsleuth #booktags #bookstagram
The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna by C.W. Gortner is the story of the mother of the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II. It was a fascinating read. Gortner really knows how to write historical fiction! Click the link in my bio to read my review: #russianrevolution #stpetersburg #czarnicholasii #theromanovempress #cwgortner #bookreview #bargainsleuth #ebook #booksta #bookstagram
#BookBloggerHop: Do you read a book based on the cover? Click the link in my bio to find out my answer! @coffeeramblings @coffeeaddictedwriter #blogging #bookcovers #books #readingbooks #coverappeal #bookreviews #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #reading #dontjudgeabookbyitscover #bargainsleuth #ebooks #audiobooks #reading #booktags
Saturday Kindle and Audiobook Deals. Here's today's list of deals, including an audiobook that I highly recommend! #nataliewood #fernmichaels #judedeveraux #cozymysteris #sciencefiction #contemporaryromance #newberymedal #payingforcollege #bargainsleuth #simonandschuster #harpercollins #truecrime
#BookBloggerHop: Do you think you will ever get tired of blogging? I've been doing it off and on since 2010. My thoughts can be found by clicking the link in my bio. #coffeeramblings @coffeeaddictedwriter @coffeeramblings #books #bookblogging #blogging #bookblogs #bargainsleuth #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

NetGalley Member

Professional Reader 80% Reviews Published 25 Book Reviews

Recent Comments

Sharon E. Cathcart on The Romanov Empress: A Novel o…
Stephanie Lichtenaue… on WWW Wednesday April 7
Julie Anna's Books on WWW Wednesday April 7
stephaniesbookreview… on The Book Snob Tag
Saturday Book Sales:… on Weekend Kindle eBook Sales

American History Biography Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Historical Fiction Hollywood Kennedys Kindle Deals Middle Grade Music Mystery Nancy Drew Non-Fiction Presidents Romance Royal Family Science Fiction Thriller WWW Wednesday Young Adult

Recent Posts

  • Saturday Kindle and Audiobook Deals
  • #BookBloggerHop: Do you read a book based on the cover?
  • The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna by C.W. Gortner
  • WWW Wednesday April 7
  • The Kennedy Debutante: A Novel by Kerri Maher
Flag Counter

Blog Stats

  • 10,705 hits

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: