Name: The Secret of the Old Clock
Author: Mildred Wirt Benson

Overview

The Secret of the Old Clock is the first Nancy Drew mystery. Mildred Wirt Benson wrote it under the shared name Carolyn Keene. In the original 1930 story, Nancy tries to find a missing will for a poor family before the wrong heirs take the money. It is a short, sunny case with a clock, a country house, and a heroine who rarely waits to be told what to do.

The appeal is Nancy herself. She is quick, daring, and often a step ahead of the adults around her. The clues are plain, the danger is mild, and the story moves with the tidy speed of a serial. It feels more like an afternoon adventure than a knotty puzzle.

Choose an edition with care. The 1930 text has a stronger, rougher period voice than the major 1959 revision. It also includes racial stereotypes that later editions removed. Readers who want the first version should seek one that says it follows the original 1930 text.

Is This Book for You?

Yes, if...

You want to meet Nancy Drew at the start, with a quick case and a clear clue trail.
You enjoy bold young detectives who act before the grown-ups catch up.
You are curious about early children's mysteries and their fast, clean plots.

No, if...

You want a modern mystery with deep suspects, twists, and a dark mood.
You need the smoother voice and updated social values of a later revision.
You dislike stories where Nancy's nerve and good luck keep the case moving.

Summary

Nancy Drew takes up the cause of the Turner sisters and little Judy, poor relatives of the late Josiah Crowley. The will on hand gives Crowley's estate to the rich, snobbish Tophams. Nancy learns that Crowley had another will and that an old family clock may hold the clue to it.

Her search takes her through Crowley family stories, the Topham home, and a summer camp near the Tophams' empty country place. Burglars steal the clock with other furniture. When Nancy goes after it, they trap her in the vacant house.

Nancy gets free and recovers the clock while the burglars are away. Inside it she finds a notebook that points to a safe-deposit box under a false name. The box holds Crowley's later will. At its reading, the Tophams lose the estate and the money goes to the relatives and friends Crowley meant to help.

Notable Quotables

“There was something about a mystery which aroused Nancy’s interest, and she was never content until it was solved.”

“She took a certain amount of pride in her detective work, and now that she felt she had struck a valuable clue, she did not wish to ask advice from her father.”

“If a will is missing, isn’t that a mystery?”

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