Nancy Drew Girl Detective: En Garde #17 by Carolyn Keene

It's probably been forty years since I last read a Nancy Drew novel, but when I saw this one, I had to read it.  I fenced for a few years with my local club and wanted to see how the author handed the subject.

Nancy was attending a fencing match that her friend George is competing in, when one of the fencers is injured.  Was it an equipment failure or was it sabotage.  She is pulled into an investigation in the hopes that her friend and the other members of her club won't get injured.

For the most part, this story read just like the books from my youth.  Nancy and her friends solving mysteries in a fairly straight forward manner.  There were a few technical errors with regard to the fencing details.  Only an experienced fencer would notice them, and they did not impair my enjoyment of the story.

While this is part of a series, you don't have to read the earlier books to enjoy this one.  The author introduces the returning characters, Nancy's family and friends, and those that are part of the mystery are all new.  These books are written for a 9-12 audience, though the material is suitable for a younger, more advanced reader.

Cover image courtesy Simon and Schuster Canada.

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