The Thrill of a Thriller…by Margaret Bonass- Madden

I can almost pinpoint the day that I fell in love with thrillers. It was a Saturday afternoon and I had just purchased my first Nancy Drew book. I was about ten years old and had outgrown Enid Blyton. My mother had driven me to the nearest book shop and after much deliberation, it was decided that I was old enough to try a mystery book. Well, I think my mother was sorry she agreed to this, as I became addicted and demanded the full collection. Checking online for the purposes of this article, I discovered that there were actually 175 titles. The first one, The Secret of the Old Clock, was published in 1930 and was followed by 63 more hardbacks. Then the rights were sold on, and the remaining books were published as paperbacks, written by a variety of authors. It is these versions that I collected and I can still remember the covers, the excitement of getting the next in the series, and the satisfaction when I could solve the mystery before the end of the book.
Nancy Drew was often paired up with The Hardy Boys on bookshelves and I have no doubt that there are many crime thriller readers today who were weaned on the antics of these mystery solvers. While I can’t really remember the plot lines of each book, I do remember being sucked in from the very first chapter and turning the pages with tremendous speed. Nancy seemed so grown-up and glamorous and appeared to gravitate towards excitement. For a pre-teen in Ireland, this was a long way from my world and yet I felt a bond. A bond of sisterhood. A mystery solving bond. I was convinced that I had the skills to become a famous sleuth and that I too could crack the codes of unsolved crimes, all while wearing a well cut dress with appropriate footwear.
It seems I am not alone in my remembrance of the Nancy Drew books – a bit of online sleuthing uncovered a veritable hoard of fans.




The common thread seems to be that we all admired Nancy for her assertiveness and strong will. It showed us girls that we could be whoever we wanted to be, breaking the traditional mould of housewife and mother. We could even take on the bad guys and win!

It seems that the next generation are going to be introduced, via us mystery loving mothers. I have recently purchased the original hardback
version of The Secret of the Old Clock for my 11 year old daughter Mia, and Wexford based author, Carmel Harrington has every intention of bring the Nancy Drew titles into her household soon “I think it’s quite possible that I’ve read ALL fifty odd of the Nancy Drew books, as a young child. And I’m quite sure that these mysteries are to blame for my including suspense as subplots in my writing now! I spent many a night reading about Nancy’s adventures, when I should have been fast asleep. I loved getting lost in her world and was by her side every step of the way, as she tried to unjumble clues and interview suspects. All in her brave quest for justice and truth! In truth, when I read those books, I WAS Nancy Drew! I can’t wait to share these books with my own daughter in a few years.”

So, I am not the only one to have fallen under the spell of Nancy Drew. Fast forward many years, and I am still reading mysteries, although the more grown up term is thriller. I have a love of crime thrillers and, even to this day, try to solve the crime before the protagonist. I am often heard mumbling that I could have been a sharp and alert Detective, or a skilled and articulate investigator. Sometimes I even think I could commit the perfect crime. (This one is quiet worrying). These are very sweeping statements, indeed. But after reading 175 Nancy Drew titles, who wouldn’t feel they were ready for the real world?
(c) Margaret Bonass-Madden
Margaret Bonass-Madden is a foster mother, and book-blogger who is currently returning to full time education. Read all about her favourite books here.
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