Nancy Clue and the Hardly Boys in a Ghost in the Closet

Having just finished reading this I can honestly say I don't know if I've ever laughed this much reading a book. When Nancy and Frank are in the cave with her belted pads on their heads, I roared with laughter, and this was moments after I'd gotten in a conflict with someone at my job and I had a migraine at the time. Just the image of Cherry about to get electroshock treatment while still wearing her nursing cap- I'm chuckling just thinking of the image! And what must've happened to the party after they had the "vitamins" in the punch!! Take it from another Friend of the Insane, this book is a classic! Golly, I couldn't put it down and was wont to display ungentlemanly fits of unrestrained laughter!

Handsome, young detectives Frank and Joe Hardly travel home to Lake Merrimen, Illinois to find that their parents, world-reknowned detective Fennel Hardly and his loving wife, Mrs. Hardly, have been kidnapped and rumors are spreading about Mr. Hardly's being a Russian spy.Meanwhile, Nancy Clue, girl detective and snappy dresser, ventures with her friends to the Lake Merrimen Auditorium to view the annual dog show. But something's amiss as she and her friends follow a scream only to discover that all the toy poodles have been dognapped!Could the two incidents have anything in common? What is the terrible secret that Fennel Hardly keeps locked in his closet? Will Nancy ever win back her true love -- Cherry Aimless, Registered Nurse -- from the handsome, streetwise San Francisco girl detective Jackie Johnson?Join Nancy and her friends as they dive into this hilarious, gay/lesbian spoof of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries. Mabel Maney has constructed a fabulous world full of sharp characters -- each with a very keen fashion sense -- and thrown in many a surprising twist that kept me enthralled with the events of the mystery. Her style is very descriptive and conjures up the 1950s mindset. I could not help but smile as I was reading. A great read for everyone!

If you were ever a fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, the book will capture your heart. The gay humor will keep a smile on your face all the while. Mabel Maney captures the essence of the original series and gives it a hilarious twist in this light-hearted story of international espionage, mistaken identity, love, and of course, FAAbulous style. The mystery itself is as authentic as Carolyn Keene's originals. The story line is classic, and, golly, the fashions are keen! The innocent words and phrases of earlier decades become rib-tickling double-entendres in the unorthodox utopia of River Depth, Illinois and 'nearby' Feyport. The only thing missing is the classic pen-and-ink drawings that illustrated the original books. The parody can be a little heavy at times, but not enough to deter you from enjoying this refreshing, fun book. Cancel your appointments, find a cozy corner and escape to a place where you can cherish childhood memories in ways you never dreamed of...

Mable Maney captures the breathlessness and aw-shucks rhythm of 1940s teen detective novels -- with a skewed slant that some of us wished could have been written in our own teen literature. Although I had not read the two preceding Nancy Clue novels, I had no problem falling in with Nancy and her career-fixated girlfriend, Cherry Aimless, R.N. And, with the introduction of the Hardly Boys, this book is equally a treat for gay guys as well as gals. All the characters act and are drawn as 1940's and 50's stereotypes, wonderfully un-P.C. for today's mainstream taste. Some of their adventures and internal dialogues are laugh-out-loud funny, others are as wincingly camp as any "Brady Bunch" episode. Imagine discovering a lost episode of "Leave it to Beaver" where Eddie develops a crush on Wally and you get the general idea. A small example of the cleverness of this spoof are the illustrations, shown at the start of each chapter...which, just like in th! e real novels, are totally unrelated to the story. Altogether a fun read!

This hoot of a book works wonders--it's been known to cure migraines, lift depressions, and spur readers on to culinary triumphs like Salisbury Steak. The formula: 1 part Nancy Drew, 1 part Women's Barracks, and a sly dash of ever-so-gay humor. Maney's spot-on recreation of the original series' diction is half the fun. In-jokes abound: butch-femme couple Midge and Velma are my favorites, although Uncle Nelly Hardly is a close second. Maney is a genius, and these books are destined to hold pride of place in every gay and lesbian book collection.