Cece is up to her eyeballs in all things Nancy Drew. Her latest biography will detail the birth of Nancy at the hands of the Stratemeyer Syndicate writing mill (also responsible for The Hardy Boys and the Bobbsey Twins), and the creation of “Carolyn Keene” the pseudonym that cloaked the identity of the actual writers who wrote the books. But her biography needs some added punch, which is how she finds herself meeting Edgar Edwards, a local eccentric who collects just about everything – including the original, first editions of the Nancy Drew books.

While visiting his home, he shows Cece something truly remarkable. A scandalous portrait of Grace Horton, the woman who modeled for those early Nancy Drew covers. When Edgar is murdered, Cece can’t help but think that Nancy Drew has something to do with it. But who is involved? Another Nancy collector? Edgar’s male companion? Edgar’s male servant? Or could it be her best friend Bridget’s boy toy of the month? Whoever it is, they have Cece in their sights. She’ll need to take a page from her childhood idol to unravel this mess.

Not A Girl Detective has instant built in appeal for female mystery fans. How many of us cut our teeth on Nancy Drew in one of her many incarnations? In fact, the series is still around today, in graphic novel format. Cece has a lot in common with Nancy, her spunk, her great taste in clothes (Cece is a slave to vintage fashion), and her ability to stick her nose in where it doesn’t belong. In fact, Cece even has two best friends who play a larger role in this latest adventure – the free-spirited Lael and the clotheshorse Bridget.

The story here is very good, and the mystery itself is rather imaginative. The scandalous painting favors prominently, but the pieces don’t start to add up until the latter half of the book. Cece has a lot to work with and it takes time for her to put it all together.

The writing is unfortunately not as crisp as in Kandel’s debut. The transition between several chapters feels choppy, and there are scenes (most involving Bridget and Lael) that probably could have been left on the cutting room floor. It’s not until the dead body turns up, and Cece begins to feel threatened, that the writing and the mystery take on a more fluid pace.

Still, this is a charming series to date, and one that should appeal to a wide variety of readers. Cece is a role model for women everywhere that life doesn’t end at forty, and her burgeoning romance with a hunky police detective is sure to add some spice to future installments.

--Wendy Crutcher