The Secret in the Old Attic (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #21) by Carolyn Keene

Writer: Mildred Wirt (1944)

Revised By: Priscilla Baker-Carr (1970)

An older man Philip March left a bunch of letters with Carson Drew and asked him to look through them for a clue as to where certain original songs that have disappeared might have gone. The letters were written by his son Fipp who had passed away four years ago. Fipp's wife passed away soon after that, and Phillip's wife died.

Philip needs to take care of his grandchild Susan who is just six years old. To properly bring up Susan, he has to find Fipp's music to sell it. When Philip wanted to leave the house, he was struck by a rock. The Drews decided to make him stay for a few days before they brought him back home. When a beautiful tune came from the radio, Philip excitedly claimed that his son's music was stolen as he had never published it before.

Meanwhile, Mr Carson is working on a different case for his client Mr Booker. Mr Booker is accusing another company has stolen his formula in manufacturing women's silk scarves. Coincidentally, the accused is the father of Nancy's classmate Diane Dight. Mr Carson hopes that Nancy probably seized an opportunity to visit Mr Dight's plant and learn more about the suspected spy and the process used to make the silk material.

While looking for the missing composition in the attic, Nancy and the housekeeper Effie experienced many mysterious events. One night, Effie saw a stranger appear outside the house. Meanwhile, Nancy heard footsteps and some other sounds when she was in the attic.

In this story, Nancy encounters a more adventurous experience. The writer doesn't highlight much about Nancy's incredible and unconvincing skills to solve the mystery. Compared with some of the previous stories, there were some ridiculous and extravagance about Nancy's abilities. Everything makes sense in this story.