Nancy Drew The New Case Files #1: Nancy Drew Vampire Slayer

By: Stefan Petrucha
Illustrated by: Sho Murase
Publisher: Papercutz
Publicaiton Date: September 2010
ISBN: 978-1597072137
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: December 2010

Nancy Drew is at it again! In the latest installment of ‘The New Case Files’ graphic novel series, Nancy Drew is using her detective skills to help a new friend who has recently moved to town.

Nancy first meets Gregor Coffson in, of all places, a cemetery. He has pale skin, is oddly dressed and lives in a creepy old house. Nancy’s best friends Bess and George think that Gregor is a vampire but the girl detective suspects there must be more to the story. When Gregor learns of Nancy’s super-sleuth abilities, he is keen to enlist her help. But he is hesitant to confide in his new friend. What does he want?

Eager to solve the mystery, Nancy spends a lot of time with Gregor to gain his confidence, and in the process, unintentionally hurts the feelings of her boyfriend Ned. At the same time, vixen Deirdre Shannon has eyes for Ned and sees this as the perfect time to wiggle her way between Ned and Nancy. She uses her charms to try and gain his affections as Nancy continues to probe into the life of Gregor.

Meanwhile, Bess and George decide to do some detective work of their own to see if Gregor really is a vampire and boy do they get themselves into a pickle! Will Deirdre steal Ned away and more importantly; will Nancy be able to solve the mystery of Gregor? Is he a vampire?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this graphic novel. There was a lot happening, with the handsome stranger seeking Nancy’s help, and Nancy’s two best friends going off on their own to solve the vampire mystery. What I particularly liked was that this tale did not have the usual, predictable ending - it won’t be easy to solve this mystery before Nancy does! Note that this is part one of a two part story, so watch out for a big surprise at the end that leads perfectly into the second book.

Quill says: Perfect for the Nancy Drew fan as well as any youngster who likes a good mystery!