Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Hit and Run Holiday

Here's the cover. Personally I think Nancy could be wearing a better {cough} swimsuit. I'm not sure how her sunglasses are staying on her head, given that they look like they're about to fall off. And there's Dirk in the background, looking all smooth and too-good-to-be-true. Somehow I imagined him looking different. But whatever. And there's Nancy again in the background, freaking out because she's been tied to the edge of the dock and the tide's rising.
  Anyway here's the case:

 A friend's near-murder plunges Nancy into a dark tangle of clues on Florida's sunny beaches.....
  
Sun, surf and boys are all Nancy, Bess and George have on their minds when they cruise into Ft. Lauderdale for a week of fun. But that changes abruptly when their friend Kim, who's been in town for a week already, is struck by a hit-and-run driver - and not by accident.

   As Kim lies close to death, Nancy sets out to find the driver. Her only clue is the name "Rosita" - Kim's last word before losing consciousness. Nancy combs the beaches for a face to match the name, but all she finds are handsome guys eager for romance and a jumble of clues that lead nowhere. Suddenly, the would-be killer strikes again. But this time it is Nancy who is wanted dead.

 It's remarkably true to the story. Actually Kim doesn't fall into a coma right after she's hit - that happens a little later. But don't worry, I'm not going to actually tell you who the culprit is. I've had that happen before when I was reading reviews to some of the books and I hated it. So don't worry, no spoilers here.
 Okay, the details:

The suspects are:
Ricardo: the lifeguard with a mean streak who knows Kim. He was at the scene of the accident, but he's not telling Nancy anything.
Rosita: Nancy found her photo in Kim's room, but the girl seems to have disappeared.
Dirk Bowman - the blond young man Bess met at the beach becomes very interested in Nancy and her case - maybe too interested.

The complications: Kim is near death, and Nancy's top suspect has just been murdered. Nancy, George and Bess set out to trap the killer on a midnight sail - a cruise that turns out to be a party to nowhere.
Contact: Nancy is called by Kim's mother, who is worried about her daughter because Kim has decided to stay an extra week in Ft. Lauderdale. Nancy doesn't think much of it - but the case turns out to be much more dangerous than she imagined.

You know, I always feel sorry for Bess and George. On almost every one of Nancy's cases in the Files, they get dragged into it. They either have to stake out a suspect's house or go running around with Nancy trying to catch some dangerous criminal. If I were their parents I don't think I'd be letting them hang out with her anymore. You know what I mean?
I also find it strange that Nancy never seems to carry a cell-phone. Like ever. In the older version I'll let that pass since it is, you know, the older version, but the Files are newer. And let's face it, a cell-phone would be a very handy device for some of the situations Nancy gets herself into. But no, she never carries a cell-phone. Or any kind of phone. Anyone else think this is a little strange? And how come her father never knows what's happening with her? She could be dead and he wouldn't know until about three weeks later. Maybe longer. Hmmm....
Anyway, all in all a very good book. An excellent book, in fact. Five stars. I read it in a day.
 






















No comments:

Post a Comment