User:NDfan173/List of Nancy Drew characters

This is a list of characters from the various series of detective novels featuring the character of Nancy Drew. Over its eight decades of publishing, various series have retained some of the same core characters, while various series have their own recurring characters.

The Nancy Drew series has often crossed paths with characters from the various The Hardy Boys series. For a list of characters from their series, see the List of The Hardy Boys characters.

Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is the protagonist of the various books series featuring the character. Nancy is a teenage amateur detective, who can solve any case, catch any bad guy, and find any treasure. She solves her cases in her hometown of River Heights, and beyond, with the help of her best friends, cousins Bess and George; boyfriend Ned Nickerson; father Carson Drew, a widowed criminal lawyer; and family housekeeper Hannah Gruen. Created by book packager Edward Stratemeyer, the character debuted in 1930, appearing in The Secret of the Old Clock. Since then, the character has appeared in over 500 books, several films and television series, and a series of popular computer games. As new stories continue to be published, the character has been updated to reflect contemporary fashions and values, which have seen mixed results.

Character Background
The character of Nancy can vary from series to series, and this can include her character background. But throughout all series, Nancy remains a teenager that solves mysteries, both in her small, Midwestern hometown of River Heights, and in various places around the world.

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
Nancy was born and raised in River Heights (state unnamed) to her parents, criminal attorney Carson Drew and his late wife (who is never named). At the age of three, her mother died from a short, unnamed illness. To fill her absence, Carson hired housekeeper Hannah Gruen to keep the house and raise Nancy. Books written/revised after 1959 portray Hannah as a surrogate mother to Nancy, while Hannah was previously nothing more than a housekeeper.

Nancy is an 18-year-old (16 in original stories) amateur detective, solving cases with best friends, first cousins Bess Marvin and George Fayne; boyfriend Ned Nickerson; and her father. Nancy solves cases in her hometown of River Heights - where she is well-known for her talents as a detective - and around the world. As her family is well-off, Nancy is able to travel to faraway locations, such as France, Nairobi , and Japan. Her money also entails her to have her own blue roadster - an iconic symbol of the series - and to use her father's name to get herself out of sticky situations.

Nancy's maternal side comes from Scotland, with her mother's maiden name being Austin. Nancy's great-grandmother, Lady Douglas, still lives in Scotland, and Nancy goes to visit her in The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes.

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
In the original, unrevised stories, Nancy is portrayed as a teenager who seems independent (for the era), confident, determined, and outspoken. Due to her high status, Nancy often participates in various social and volunteer positions, and is active in the community. Nancy is also allowed to have the freedom of as much money and freedom she wants. Nancy notably had more traditionally masculine interests, such as law, mechanics, and chemistry.

When the series was revised, Nancy's more "imperfect" traits were eliminated. For stories revised/written after 1959, Nancy is more polite, respectful, and agreeable. She shows more respect towards authority figures, and she shows more empathy to the victims in her mysteries. Nancy's more masculine traits are also toned down, and her feminine traits receive more attention by the writers. However, her traits of independence and confidence were retained, and relatively unchanged. Nancy is also seen in more social situations, such as country club dances and football games. By the mid-1960s, Nancy and George have learned judo, to protect themselves in dangerous situations.

When the series switched publishers to Simon & Schuster, Nancy's traits remained the same as those in the Grosset & Dunlap revised books. When the series was sold to the publisher, the formal situations were greatly reduced, and Nancy was seen in more casual settings, such as hanging out with her friends, or spending time with her family. Although she never had a steady job, Nancy was also seen doing more volunteer or employment-related work, which often tied into her mysteries.

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective
Both the Nancy Drew, Girl Detective and Nancy Drew Diaries series created a "new" Nancy Drew, who was similar in many ways to that of the "original" Nancy, but also different. In these stories, the reader is now able to hear Nancy's thoughts through first-person narrative, as compared to the third-person narrative of the original series.

Nancy is still an intelligent, respectful young woman, who still loves to solve mysteries. However, Nancy is also portrayed as absent-minded, forgetting to do simple or daily tasks (e.g., filling her car with gas, forgetting an appointment, etc.). Nancy can also be portrayed as ditsy and spoiled in some stories, although these are rare. The first-person narration also allows Nancy's emotions to be seen to the reader for the first time; she openly admits to having difficulties coming to terms with her mother's death, feels guilt when she does something behind the back of her friends , and is empathetic towards people who are victims genuinely in need of help.

Nancy Drew Diaries
The Nancy Drew Diaries series still uses a first-person narration, but now portrays Nancy in a more juvenile voice, compared to a more mature voice in the series before. The series has published 17 books so far (as of October 2018), but inconsistent writing quality and styles have made it much more difficult to know the exact personalities of the characters.

What is known, however, is that Nancy still has a wide reputation of solving mysteries. But now, Nancy solving mysteries is now portrayed as an obsession, and in some books, is often the target of teasing from her friends. Other books portray Nancy as somewhat of an anti-hero, who does not wish to solve mysteries, but ends up doing so anyway. Nancy's intelligence also varies from book to book. In some, Nancy is an intelligent young woman, and solves the mystery based on her own investigation. Other installments have Nancy as a ditsy, clueless girl, who "accidentally" solves the mystery due either to sheer luck, coincidence, or the solution of another character.

George Fayne
Georgia "George" Fayne is one of Nancy's best friends, alongside her cousin Bess Marvin. George is frequently seen with her friend and cousin, and ready to jump in to any mystery that comes their way. Contrary to her cousin, she is known as a tomboy, excelling in athletics and, in more modern stories, is into electronics.

Personality
In the pre-revision stories, George is outspoken, clumsy, and often less-than-proper in her demeanor and mannerisms. However, she is more clearly feminine than in later stories; she wears her hair as short as the current styles permit; she wears dresses and skirts, which were tailored to be simpler than Nancy and Bess' outfits; and when when criticizing Bess for shopping habits, she is reminded she purchased several dresses, stockings, and a hat herself, and shows concern for keeping her new silver pumps free of scuffs from clumsy dancing partners in one story. She is also depicted as being less talented in the arts than her friends, and not as yet into sports.

In revised stories, George is now an athletic tomboy with a dry wit. She is often the first to volunteer to accompany Nancy on her mysteries, and has a clear adventurous streak. Though still prone to clumsy or danger-prone behavior, it is now instead due to a blind determination and tunnel vision; charging ahead, she often falls into holes, water, or ponds, or turns an ankle, sidelining her at times, forcing more active participation from Bess in aiding Nancy. Though she is often portrayed as a stoic girl, she can sometimes be intimidated. In The Clue of the Velvet Mask shows a psychologically battered George, who was kidnapped, drugged, and assaulted by a gang of ruthless, dangerous criminals, while posing as Nancy; George overcomes her mania in time to step forward and save her friends in the psychological moment. By the mid-1960s, Nancy and George have learned judo, to protect themselves in dangerous situations. She also dates Emerson student Burt Eddleton, a friend of Nancy's boyfriend Ned Nickerson.

When the series switched to Simon & Schuster, George remains most the same traits and personality; the only main change is that she becomes less of a tomboy, though is still as athletic. She also does not date Burt Eddleton, after he gradually disappears from the series' continuity. After the sale of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, George becomes more responsible by holding several part-time jobs. She is the only one of the three girls to work independently, while Nancy and Bess mainly secure temporary jobs in investigations. Her jobs, combined with athletic commitments, are often the reason she is absent in some books.

Name
George's actual name has been a source of controversy among fans and collectors of the series. In the original text The Secret at Shadow Ranch, George states that her birth name is actually George, and that she and several cousins were named after her grandfather. By The Clue in the Old Stagecoach, her full name is revealed to be Georgia, though nobody calls her this. Since then, her full name has always been Georgia, and it is explained she hates this name. The reasoning for this error is that Harriet Adams had taken over the series full time by The Clue in the Old Stagecoach, and was able to write the series the way she wanted; the revised edition of The Secret of Shadow Ranch, which was written five years later, removed this reference.

Ned Nickerson
Ned Nickerson is Nancy's boyfriend ("special friend" or ex-boyfriend in some cases), who frequently accompanies his girlfriend on her cases. Ned is generally a college student at Emerson University in Mapleton, nearby Nancy's hometown of River Heights.

Character background
Ned was born in Mapleton to James and Edith Nickerson, with whom he lives when not at school. Ned is a sophomore at Emerson University, and is the quarterback of the football team. In addition, he plays on the baseball and basketball teams. Ned frequently sells insurance during the summer, although he has also taken a variety of other jobs.

Personality
In the pre-revision stories, Ned is first mentioned in The Secret at Shadow Ranch as being in Europe. However, this is written off by many as a continuity error. He is not formally introduced until two books later, The Clue in the Diary, when Nancy and the girls mistake him for a car thief. Nancy initially despises him, but by the end of the story, Ned proves himself to be trustworthy and a becomes a friend of Nancy. He is a patient, intelligent young man, who not only supports Nancy's detective career, but is happy to help whenever and whatever way he can. Although not around as often as Bess and George, Ned often assists Nancy on her cases; when he is around, he often saves Nancy from dangerous situations. He

In the revised stories, Ned remains unchanged. He is still introduced in The Clue in the Diary, though his mention in The Secret at/of Shadow Ranch is removed in the revision. As Nancy begins to travel around both the country and the globe, Ned (and his friends, Dave Evans and Burt Eddleton) often accompanies Nancy, sometimes as an educational trip.

For both the pre-revised and revised books, Ned is described as Nancy's "special friend"; though the two attend dances and group dates, there is no specified commitment between the two. Ned mentions his desire to one day marry Nancy in both The Clue in the Old Album and The Scarlet Slipper Mystery. In the original version of The Secret in the Old Attic, a subplot revolves around Nancy being jealous of Ned inviting Diane Dight as his date to a function, instead of asking her. This is one of the few stories that explores Nancy's emotions and feelings toward Ned; in the climax of the story, Ned rescues Nancy, being in a damsel in distress setting, from black widow spiders in the haunted attic of an old mansion in disrepair. Nancy uncovers a plot by Diane and her admirer to split up the couple, so they can individually pursue Ned and Nancy, respectively.

When the series switched publishers, Ned once again remains unchanged. However, he is now officially given the term of being Nancy's boyfriend.

Carson Drew
Carson Drew is Nancy's father. An idealized figure, he is a handsome widower, who is a former district attorney working in private practice. He is a progressive parent, encouraging Nancy's independence and self-reliance. He often enlists the help of his daughter for his cases, and often uses his professional connections and privileges to help Nancy solve her cases. He often proffers professional as well as fatherly guidance. Throughout the book series he leaves Nancy to her sleuthing while he travels on business. On numerous occasions, Nancy has had to save her father from danger, including several kidnappings. Mr. Drew is always proud of Nancy when she has solved and finished a case.

In films
In the films of the 1930s, Carson Drew is played by John Litel. In the films he is a far more patrician and authoritarian figure than in the books. In the 2007 film he was played by Tate Donovan.

Hannah Gruen
Hannah Gruen is the Drew family housekeeper.

Helen Corning
Helen Corning is initially introduced as Nancy's best friend, before being replaced by Bess Marvin and George Fayne.

In the original stories, Helen is introduced as Nancy's older friend and companion, who is a bit of a gossip. She first appears in The Secret of the Old Clock, where she gives Nancy charity tickets to give to the Tophams, and gain information of the clock alleged to hold the lost will of local eccentric Josiah Crowley. She later hosts Nancy at a summer camp, where Nancy investigates the Topham's summer home nearby the camp. Helen next appears in The Bungalow Mystery, where, due to her not being able to swim, she and Nancy are rescued by the story's victim Laura Pendleton. In both The Mystery at Lilac Inn and Nancy's Mysterious Letter, Helen has a minor role in a couple of scenes, and is mentioned as being in Europe in The Sign of the Twisted Candles. Helen's biggest appearance is in The Password to Larkspur Lane, where she invites Nancy to Sylvan Lake, and helps Nancy investigate the disappearance of elderly Mrs. Eldridge. Helen also helps Nancy in her plan to rescue Mrs. Eldridge. Besides a cameo in The Clue in the Jewel Box, Helen disappears from the series entirely with no reference as to her whereabouts.

When Harriet Adams revised the series, she took into account the questions she had received about what happened to Helen. As such, she decided to write Helen off as marrying Jim Archer, and no longer being able to accompany Nancy on her cases. Helen still appears in the revised editions of The Secret of the Old Clock, The Bungalow Mystery, and The Mystery at Lilac Inn. She was also added to the revised version of The Hidden Staircase, where the Turnbull sisters were now relatives of hers, and Helen helped Nancy investigate the mansion. In The Hidden Staircase, Helen becomes engaged to Jim Archer over the telephone; they marry sometime after The Mystery at Lilac Inn, and from there on goes by "Helen Corning Archer".

She again appears in The Password to Larkspur Lane, though this time in a new subplot added to the revision. She asks Nancy to her in-laws' summer home at Sylvan Lake, where a ghostly blue ring of fire appears on the lake. In Nancy's rescue operation, her role is replaced by Bess. Helen still has a cameo in The Clue in the Jewel Box. She and her husband reappear in The Invisible Intruder, as the organizers of a "couples ghost hunt" Nancy and her friends attend. She is last seen in The Mysterious Mannequin, where she gives a clue to Nancy after playing tennis with her.

For the 75th anniversary of the Nancy Drew character, Helen was introduced into the rebooted Nancy Drew: Girl Detective in the novel Stop the Clock. In that book, Nancy mentions that Helen's parents divorced, and when her father moved to Hollywood, Helen moved with him to become a movie actress. Helen appears in a cameo in the final chapter of the book.