The character of Nancy Drew – ghostwritten and credited to the pseudonymous Carolyn Keene – has appeared in a number of series over the years.
621 Nancy Drew books have been published as of January 2026 over thirteen series, as follows:
Series overview Nancy Drew Mystery Stories (1930–2003; 175 titles + 34 revisions; 8 revisions with different stories). The first 34 titles were 25 chapters long, before being shortened to 20 chapters in 1959) Seven special titles released between 1973 and 1985. Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: Be A Detective Mystery Stories (1984–1985; 6 titles) Nancy Drew: Girl Detective (2004–2012; 47 titles + 3 "SuperMysteries" + 1 "Ghost Stories") Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mystery (2007) (2007–2012; 6 titles) Nancy Drew Diaries* (2013-present; 27 titles + 1 special)
For young adults The Nancy Drew Files (1986–1997; 124 titles) Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Super Mystery (1989–1998; 36 titles) River Heights (1989–1992; 16 titles + 1 "Super Sizzler") Nancy Drew on Campus (1995–1998; 25 titles)
For children Nancy Drew Notebooks (1994–2005; 69 titles) Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (2006–2015; 40 titles) Nancy Drew Clue Book (2015-2024; 19 titles)
Graphic novels Nancy Drew: Girl Detective (2005–2010; 21 titles + 3 "New Case Files") Rereleased under the Nancy Drew Diaries banner, with 10 collections of two titles a book Nancy Drew Omnibus Vol. 1 (March 2021)
Comic books Published by Dynamite Entertainment. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie (March–August 2017; 6 issues) Nancy Drew (June–October 2018; 5 issues) Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom (Trade paperback: February 2019; Hardcover: January 2020) Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults! (July 2019) Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew (April–November 2020; 6 issues) Rereleased as a trade paperback in March 2021
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories (1930–2003)
+ Titles, authorship, and publication dates No. Title Pub./Rev. Publisher 1 The Secret of the Old Clock 1930/1959 Grosset & Dunlap 2 The Hidden Staircase 1930/1959 3 The Bungalow Mystery 1930/1960 4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn 1930/1961 5The Secret Of Shadow Ranch 1931/1965 6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm 1931/1961 7 The Clue in the Diary 1932/1962 8 Nancy's Mysterious Letter 1932/1968 9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles 1933/1968 10 The Password to Larkspur Lane 1933/1966 11 The Clue of the Broken Locket 1934/1965 12 The Message in the Hollow Oak 1935/1972 13 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm 1936/1974 14 The Whispering Statue 1937/1970 15 The Haunted Bridge 1937/1972 16 The Clue of the Tapping Heels 1939/1969 17 The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk 1940/1976 18 The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion 1941/1971 19 The Quest of the Missing Map 1942/1969 20 The Clue in the Jewel Box 1943/1972 21 The Secret in the Old Attic 1944/1970 22 The Clue in the Crumbling Wall 1945/1973 23 The Mystery of the Tolling Bell 1946/1973 24 The Clue in the Old Album 1947/1977 25 The Ghost of Blackwood Hall 1948/1967 26 The Clue of the Leaning Chimney 1949/1967 27 The Secret of the Wooden Lady 1950/1967 28 The Clue of the Black Keys 1951/1968 29 The Mystery at the Ski Jump 1952/1968 30 The Clue of the Velvet Mask 1953/1969 31 The Ringmaster's Secret 1953/1974 32 The Scarlet Slipper Mystery 1954/1974 33 The Witch Tree Symbol 1955/1975 34 The Hidden Window Mystery 1956/1975 35 The Haunted Showboat 1957 36 The Secret of the Golden Pavilion 1959 37 The Clue in the Old Stagecoach 1960 38 The Mystery of the Fire Dragon 1961 39 The Clue of the Dancing Puppet 1962 40 The Moonstone Castle Mystery 1963 41 The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes 1964 42 The Phantom of Pine Hill 1965 43 The Mystery of the 99 Steps 1966 44 The Clue in the Crossword Cipher 1967 45 The Spider Sapphire Mystery 1968 46 The Invisible Intruder 1969 47 The Mysterious Mannequin 1970 48 The Crooked Banister 1971 49 The Secret of Mirror Bay 1972 50 The Double Jinx Mystery 1973 51 Mystery of the Glowing Eye 1974 52 The Secret of the Forgotten City 1975 53 The Sky Phantom 1976 54 The Strange Message in the Parchment 1977 55 Mystery of Crocodile Island 1978 56 The Thirteenth Pearl 1979 57 The Triple Hoax 1979 Wanderer 58 The Flying Saucer Mystery 1980 59 The Secret in the Old Lace 1980 60 The Greek Symbol Mystery 1980 61 The Swami's Ring 1981 62 The Kachina Doll Mystery 1981 63 The Twin Dilemma 1981 64 Captive Witness 1981 65 Mystery of the Winged Lion 1982 66 Race Against Time 1982 67 The Sinister Omen 1982 68 The Elusive Heiress 1982 69 Clue in the Ancient Disguise 1982 70 The Broken Anchor 1983 71 The Silver Cobweb 1983 72 The Haunted Carousel 1983 73 Enemy Match 1984 74 The Mysterious Image 1984 75 The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery 1984 76 The Eskimo's Secret 1985 77 The Bluebeard Room 1985 78 The Phantom of Venice 1985 79 The Double Horror of Fenley Place 1987 Minstrel 80 The Case of the Disappearing Diamonds 1987 81 The Mardi Gras Mystery 1988 82 The Clue in the Camera 1988 83 The Case of the Vanishing Veil 1988 84 The Joker's Revenge 1988 85 The Secret of Shady Glen 1988 86 The Mystery of Misty Canyon 1988 87 The Case of the Rising Stars 1989 88 The Search for Cindy Austin 1989 89 The Case of the Disappearing Deejay 1989 90 The Puzzle at Pineview School 1989 91 The Girl Who Couldn't Remember 1989 92 The Ghost of Craven Cove 1989 93 The Case of the Safecracker's Secret 1990 94 The Picture-Perfect Mystery 1990 95 The Silent Suspect 1990 96 The Case of the Photo Finish 1990 97 The Mystery of Magnolia Mansion 1990 98 The Haunting of Horse Island 1990 99 The Secret at Seven Rocks 1991 100 A Secret in Time 1991 101 The Mystery of the Missing Millionairess 1991 102 The Secret in the Dark 1991 103 The Stranger in the Shadows 1991 104 The Mystery of the Jade Tiger 1991 105 The Clue in the Antique Trunk1992 106 The Case of the Artful Crime 1992 107 The Legend of Miner's Creek 1992 108 The Secret of the Tibetan Treasure 1992 109 The Mystery of the Masked Rider 1992 110 The Nutcracker Ballet Mystery 1992 111 The Secret at Solaire 1993 112 Crime in the Queen's Court 1993 113 The Secret Lost at Sea 1993 114 The Search for the Silver Persian 1993 115 The Suspect in the Smoke 1993 116 The Case of the Twin Teddy Bears 1993 117 Mystery on the Menu 1994 118 Trouble At Lake Tahoe 1994 119 The Mystery of the Missing Mascot 1994 120 The Case of the Floating Crime 1994 121 The Fortune Teller's Secret 1994 122 The Message in the Haunted Mansion 1994 123 The Clue on the Silver Screen 1995 124 The Secret of the Scarlet Hand 1995 125 The Teen Model Mystery 1995 126 The Riddle in the Rare Book 1995 127 The Case of the Dangerous Solution 1995 128 The Treasure in the Royal Tower 1995 129 The Baby-Sitter Burglaries 1996 130 The Sign of the Falcon 1996 131 The Hidden Inheritance 1996 132 The Fox Hunt Mystery 1996 133 The Mystery at the Crystal Palace 1996 134 The Secret of the Forgotten Cave 1996 135 The Riddle of the Ruby Gazelle 1997 136 The Wedding Day Mystery 1997 137 In Search of the Black Rose 1997 138 The Legend of the Lost Gold 1997 139 The Secret of Candlelight Inn 1997 140 The Door-to-Door Deception 1997 141 The Wild Cat Crime 1998 142 The Case of Capital Intrigue 1998 143 Mystery on Maui 1998 144 The E-mail Mystery 1998 145 The Missing Horse Mystery 1998 146 The Ghost of the Lantern Lady 1998 147 The Case of the Captured Queen 1999 148 On the Trail of Trouble 1999 149 The Clue of the Gold Doubloons 1999 150 Mystery at Moorsea Manor 1999 151 The Chocolate-Covered Contest 1999 152 The Key in the Satin Pocket 2000 153 Whispers In the Fog 2000 154 The Legend of the Emerald Lady 2000 155 The Mystery in Tornado Alley 2000 156 The Secret in the Stars 2000 157 The Music Festival Mystery 2000 158 The Curse of the Black Cat 2001 159 The Secret of the Fiery Chamber 2001 160 The Clue on the Crystal Dove 2001 Aladdin 161 Lost in the Everglades 2001 162 The Case of the Lost Song 2001 163 The Clues Challenge 2001 164 The Mystery of the Mother Wolf 2002 165 The Crime Lab Case 2002 166 The Case of the Creative Crime 2002 167 Mystery By Moonlight 2002 168 The Bike Tour Mystery 2002 169 The Mistletoe Mystery 2002 170 No Strings Attached 2003 171 Intrigue at the Grand Opera 2003 172 The Riding Club Crime 2003 173 Danger on the Great Lakes 2003 174 A Taste of Danger 2003 175 Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland 2003
Specials The Nancy Drew Cookbook: Clues to Good Cooking (1973) Nancy Drew Picture Book: Mystery of the Lost Dogs (1977) Nancy Drew Picture Book: The Secret of the Twin Puppets (1977) The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book: Clues to Good Sleuthing (1979) Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Super Sleuths (1981) Nancy Drew Ghost Stories (1983) Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Super Sleuths #2 (1984) Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Campfire Stories (1984) Nancy Drew Ghost Stories #2 (1985) Case of the Curious Collection (2023)
The first four works were published by Grosset & Dunlap. The Nancy Drew Cookbook contained recipes and short stories. Both titles under the Nancy Drew Picture Book banner were illustrated picture books aimed at younger readers. The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book contained short stories that involved Nancy teaching a group of younger girls how she solves her mysteries, and gives lessons to the reader on the techniques used.
The first Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Super Sleuths book was published in 1981, after switching over to Simon & Schuster. The book contained seven short stories in which Nancy Drew crosses over to solve mysteries with The Hardy Boys; both the Carolyn Keene pseudonym and The Hardy Boys' Franklin W. Dixon pseudonym are used. The story was so popular, that it spawned a sequel, a spin-off series, and a Campfire Stories companion.
In 1983, Nancy Drew Ghost Stories was published, also containing seven short stories. It, too, spawned a sequel in 1985. Unlike other specials, though, the first volume was reprinted by the later Minstrel and Aladdin imprints.
Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Be a Detective Mystery Stories (1984–1985) These titles feature a level of reader-interaction in a manner similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books. The series was published by Wanderer.
Two more volumes, Jungle of Evil and Ticket to Intrigue, were planned and advertised, but were unpublished after the sale of the Stratemeyer Syndicate to Simon & Schuster.
+ Titles and publication dates Title Pub. 1 The Secret of the Knight’s Sword 1984 2 Danger on Ice 3 The Feathered Serpent 4 Secret Cargo 5 The Alaskan Mystery 1985 6 The Missing Money Mystery
Nancy Drew Notebooks (1994–2005)
The Nancy Drew Notebooks were aimed at younger readers and featured a Nancy who was still in grade school. The series was published from 1994 to 2005.
The Nancy Drew Files (1986–1997)
In 1986, Simon & Schuster, Inc. began publishing a spin-off series, The Nancy Drew Files, running concurrently with the main Nancy Drew Mystery Stories line. The Nancy Drew Files were aimed at an older, teenage audience, and is similar in style, target audience, and sensibilities with The Hardy Boys Casefiles.
Starting in January 2014, Simon & Schuster began releasing this series as eBooks.
Nancy Drew Files Volume I and Nancy Drew Files Volume II were published September 24, 2019 under the Simon Pulse imprint. These are reprints of the first six titles in the series, books 1, 2, and 3 in volume I and books 4, 5 and 6 in volume II. Cover art by Fernanda Suarez.
Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Super Mystery (1988–1998)