I’ve been hot and cold with the current Nancy Drew Diaries series. Some books are great, some are just okay. Sometimes Nancy’s behavior has me scratching my head, other times she acts like the Nancy Drew I grew up with. The question is, for The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn (Amazon), which Nancy Drew was going to show up?

“Nancy and her friends find themselves at a haunted inn with a mystery to solve in this thirteenth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.

When Nancy and Bess accompany George to a cousin’s wedding in historic Charleston, South Carolina, they end up staying at an old inn near the family’s home with the rest of the guests. But when they begin hearing strange noises and witnessing unexplained phenomena at night—they soon discover that it’s one of Charleston’s most haunted hotels! When the wedding rings disappear during one of these spooky evenings, Nancy knows she’s got to get to the bottom of this ghostly mystery…before there isn’t a happily ever after.”

I just have once again comment on the cover art for the Diaries books. The artist makes Nancy look a lot younger than her supposed 18-years. She looks like a 14-year old trying on her older sister’s clothes, but weirdly enough, she’s got Mary Janes on her feet. I can’t remember the last time I saw Mary Janes on anyone but my oldest daughter who went to a private school, and the last time she wore then she was about ten. But saying that, this is one of the better covers the artist has done. It definitely gives off a spooky vibe despite the way Nancy is drawn.

In this volume, Nancy, Bess and George are headed to South Carolina for a wedding of a cousin of Bess (the other side of the family from Bess and George’s connection). They’re staying at The Grey Fox Inn, which is reportedly haunted by a Civil War soldier. Bess’ cousin Charlotte is marrying a local celebrity, a news anchor named Parker who comes from a very well-to-do family. His family doesn’t seem to think that the bookish, shy Charlotte is worthy enough to marry their son, and have called a lot of the shots of the wedding, which doesn’t make Charlotte’s parents all that happy since they’re doing the traditional thing and paying for most of the wedding.

Strange things start happening, like the ghostly appearances in several guests rooms, including Nancy’s, and stuff starts going wrong with the wedding prep. You guessed it–sabotage. I am so tired of Nancy having to investigate sabotage, because that’s the basic plot of almost all the books in this series. Seriously, can’t Nancy investigate something else, like a missing treasure, a lost will, or a missing relative that needs to be found? Sure, Nancy does get to investigate the old inn and finds a secret passageway, but otherwise she’s trying to track down who is sabotaging Charlotte and Parker’s wedding.

As in most of the other Diaries books, Nancy’s prime suspects for most of the book turn out to be wrong until a vital clue is revealed at the end. This time Nancy does figure out who the bad guy is, as opposed to many of the books, where she’s clueless until the person reveals themselves to be the culprit.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m busting on the Nancy Drew Diaries series all the time. There’s some things to like about the newer series, including bringing Nancy into the 21st century with cell phones and wifi connections. Nancy has always enjoyed relative freedom from adult supervision, and that continues with this series. It must give the girls who read these books the chance to look forward to when they’re older, and this book doesn’t have Nancy filled with self-doubt like she is in some other volumes. I’d rate The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn as one of the better Nancy Drew Diaries. But enough with the sabotage!

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.

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