A few notes/observations: If the "prime suspect" was Ned, why isn't he listed on the suspect list at the beginning of the book? And why didn't Nancy follow clues from the get-go, instead of stubbornly tracking suspects that obviously weren't going to talk to her?

However! The climax/ending was AWESOME!! Such an unexpected twist! Usually when bad things happen to Nancy during a case, it's obviously the culprit trying to warn her away. Not this time, though. Both the culprit AND the reasons were a complete surprise, happily restoring my faith in Nancy Drew books (the last few I read were pretty stupid). ( )