Koffee & Kpop

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#5, The Secret of Shadow Ranch

Where the hell is Helen? We’ve seemingly abandoned our best friend Helen in favor of cousins Bess (“pretty, slightly plump blonde”) and George (“attractive tomboyish girl with short dark hair”).

Not only that, but we’ve left River Heights, the quaint Midwestern hometown of Nancy Drew, for greener pastures–Phoenix, Arizona. I enjoyed the slight southern flavor that this book had, from the food (Nancy Drew eats tacos!!) to the characters’ turns of phrases.

From the Wikipedia page, this book has: “an ancient Indian dwelling, a prisoner, a chest of gold hearts, a gang of thieves, and a lot of danger.” I found the phantom horse trick to be rather ridiculous and didn’t enjoy this book much at all.

There is a slur for Indigenous women used repeatedly throughout the book. In addition, the dog’s name is Chief, short for Apache Chief.

Phrase of the Book

“Great jumpin’ steers!”

“I sure do cotton to chocolate cake.”

Foods Mentioned

• “soft drinks”
• “double chocolate sundae with walnuts” (“This mystery has me so upset… that my appetite is gone” – Bess)
• “big platter of steaming meat”
• “hearty meal of roast beef, beans, corn fritters, and salad… two large delicious apple pies”
• (at a “Spanish restaurant”) “tacos and spicy chili… iced fresh fruit”
• “cool sodas from a passing vendor”
• “biscuits”
• “thick creamy swirls of dark chocolate and studded the top with whole walnuts”
• “graham crackers and milk”
• “big bowl of stew… magnificent lemon meringue pie”
• “the fragrance of steaming meat was irresistible… spicy relish and potato salad”
• “ice cream and Nancy’s chocolate cake”
• “big ice-cold watermelon”

Outfits

Nancy:

• “olive-green knit with matching shoes. Beige accessories and knitting bag”
• “yellow blouse and skirt with a matching slipover”
• “powder-blue sweater and skirt”
• “turquoise-blue model with silver rickrack trimming”
• “brushed her titian hair until it gleamed, then put on a pair of small silver earrings and added a touch of lipstick”

Bess:

• “pale-blue cotton which showed off her deep suntan to advantage”
• “yellow sweater and skirt”
• “yellow skirt and black bodice”

George:

• “brown linen purse that matched her dress”
• “smart dark-green linen dress”
• “bold red which set off her short dark hair”

Other characters:

• “old-fashioned nightgown, and her head bristled with curlers”
• “vivid red beaded dress”
• “pumpkin-colored costume trimmed in black”
• “fringed buckskin jackets and some of the women wore long pioneer dresses with sunbonnets. Others wore graceful [slur] dresses.”