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Первая публикация: 1 мая 1930

The Bungalow Mystery is the third volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was the last of three books in the "breeder set" trilogy, released in 1930, to test-market the series. It was the final volume edited by Edward Stratemeyer before his death.

Plot summary - 1930 edition

Nancy Drew and her friend Helen are rescued from a boat wreck by Laura Pendleton during a sudden and severe storm. The girls from River Heights befriend the orphaned Laura, who has come to the area to meet her new guardian, Jacob Aborn.

The new guardian proves to be unfriendly and uncouth, which seems very strange considering that Laura's mother was wealthy and rich. The once-wealthy Laura is informed that she is now penniless, and Aborn takes her to his bungalow on the lake. Nancy is startled to hear from Laura shortly after returning home - Aborn is evil, and life is intolerable—he keeps no servants, and expects Laura to perform household chores! (Evoking sympathy from Nancy but probably not from Depression era readers). There are strange happenings in which she (Laura) is locked into her room. Laura flees, seeking asylum at the Drew residence. Nancy drives out to the lake and sneaks into the house, where she spies Aborn taking securities from a wall safe. She follows him to an abandoned bungalow in the woods and once inside, finds a man who looks just like Aborn chained up in the basement. He says that he is the real Aborn and the criminal is Gabiel Dowd an imposter, who has taken Aborn's place to defraud Laura. Too late, Nancy whirls to face Dowd, who knocks her out!

Nancy wakens to find herself being bound by Dowd, but uses an escape artist trick to free herself after he exits. She summons authorities and her father, who quickly arrive to help investigate. Dowd is pursued, and crashes his auto. Nancy investigates the burning car in time to remove suitcases containing Laura's stocks and bonds - she is still wealthy! This volume contains only the one main plot, with no subplot mystery to investigate, and as such, is unique in the original versions of Nancy Drew mysteries, which usually contain at least one subplot or secondary mystery, and a subplot involving a personal matter for Nancy or one of her friends. It is also rather unique in that the mystery develops and is solved in only a few days.

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