Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery: Sunday, Dec 12 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

In Stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app.

$$6.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Returnable until Jan 31, 2022

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Sunday, Dec 12 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Friday, Dec 10
Order within 1 hr and 50 mins Details

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by -OnTimeBooks-

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers on Amazon

$1.47
+ $4.76 shipping

Sold by: basementseller101

$3.00
+ $3.79 shipping

Sold by: 8 trax media

$6.94
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Aunt Mae Mae's Books

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 5 images

Follow the Author

Carolyn Keene

The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew, Book 4) Hardcover – October 1, 1930

by Carolyn Keene (Author)

524 ratings

Book 4 of 163: Nancy Drew

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$8.99

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$6.99

—

$6.89

Paperback

"Please retry"

$14.02

—

$13.90

Audio CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$298.99

—

$298.99

Enhance your purchase

Nancy and her friend Helen visit their friend Emily Willouby at the Lilac Inn, which Emily now owns, to help her plan her wedding. Emily plans on selling inherited diamonds in order to help fix up the Lilac Inn. However, Nancy soon learns that someone has been impersonating her and making expensive purchases under her name. Soon after, Emily's diamonds are stolen! Can Nancy find the thieves and recover the missing diamonds?

Reading age

8 - 12 years
Print length

192 pages
Language

English
Grade level

3 - 7
Lexile measure

750L
Dimensions

5.02 x 0.73 x 7.56 inches
Publisher

Grosset & Dunlap
Publication date

October 1, 1930
ISBN-10

0448095041
ISBN-13

978-1135429263
See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Carolyn Keene
548
Hardcover
458 offers from $0.93
Carolyn Keene
446
Hardcover
335 offers from $0.25
Carolyn Keene
984
Hardcover
412 offers from $0.93
Carolyn Keene
561
Hardcover
353 offers from $0.93
Carolyn Keene
2,175
Hardcover
1 offer from $4.11
Carolyn Keene
533
Hardcover
249 offers from $0.01

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Carolyn Keene
548
Hardcover
458 offers from $0.93
Carolyn Keene
446
Hardcover
335 offers from $0.25
Carolyn Keene
984
Hardcover
412 offers from $0.93
Carolyn Keene
561
Hardcover
353 offers from $0.93
Carolyn Keene
2,175
Hardcover
1 offer from $4.11
Carolyn Keene
533
Hardcover
249 offers from $0.01

Special offers and product promotions

Create your FREE Amazon Business account to save up to 10% with Business-only prices and free shipping.

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carolyn Keene is a pen name used by a variety of authors for the classic Nancy Drew Mystery series. The first author to use the pseudonym was Mildred Wirt Benson, who wrote 23 of the original 30 books. Other writers who have adapted the "Carolyn Keene" moniker include Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Walter Karig, and Nancy Axelrod.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grosset & Dunlap; New edition (October 1, 1930)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0448095041
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1135429263
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 750L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.02 x 0.73 x 7.56 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #60,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #654 in Children's Mystery, Detective, & Spy
- #656 in Children's Girls & Women Books (Books)
- #4,617 in Children's Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
524 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Carolyn Keene

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon are the pseudonyms under which many ghostwriters penned the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, respectively. Both series were created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm, in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet, and syndicate writer Mildred Wirt Benson were the two people primarily responsible for bringing the iconic character of Nancy Drew to life in the minds and hearts of millions of readers around the world.

Customer reviews

5 star		85%
4 star		9%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Traditional Catholic

“I must outwit my impersonator before she outwits me.”

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

(My review applies to the 1961 revised edition.)

Nancy and her friend Helen are invited to bridesmaids at the wedding of their friend Emily Willoughby. They travel to Lilac Inn, a colonial inn owned by Emily and her fiance. But when they arrive, they find that the inn is besieged with odd and suspicious happenings. Later Emily's valuable diamonds are stolen, and a Nancy Drew impostor is running loose. Now Nancy will have to unearth the diamonds, expose the inn's saboteurs, and outwit her double!

I absolutely loved this volume. The story is very engaging, and the plot is complex. Suspense is high, and there is lots of action and twists. It’s very hard to put the book down!

Nancy's chemistry with Helen is very enjoyable. The writing is marvelous, and the illustrations are very nice.

Overall, this is an excellent Nancy Drew mystery. Highly recommended.

J. M. B.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

T.L.

Nancy Drew modernized- Wrong publication date

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

Description states it was published in 1930, the publication date was 1989, thus the setting, language, descriptions, etc. we’re all radically modernized. Not as advertised.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Revisiting my adolescence!

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

When I was 10, a friend of my mother's gave me a set (about 10 books) of early Nancy Drew mysteries that she had from when she was a little girl. Among them was this book - The Mystery at Lilac Inn. It was the first Nancy Drew mystery I read, and I fell in love with Nancy and the teen girl mystery genre.

Eventually, in one of the many moves my family made while I was growing up, that beloved original set of 10 books somehow didn't make it with us. I was devastated, but I started my collection again with the newer Grosset & Dunlap books from the 1970s. But, Nancy was not MY Nancy from those original 10 books.

Enter Applewood and its line of reprints of several of the 1930s original Nancy Drew mysteries. Of course I had to buy this one. Possibly because it was the first of the series I ever read, this one will always be my favorite. Nancy is independent, competent, intelligent, and level-headed as she depicts a teenager who manages to push the boundaries of her society's gender expectations. The writing isn't as "snappy" as the revised versions of the 1970s, but there is more richness in these original versions that is not equalled by the 1970s versions.

What I especially like about these Applewood reprints, and especially this one, are the introductory essays by writers who shed some interesting light on the series and the characters. Mystery at Lilac Inn is introduced by Mildren Wirt, one of the original "Carolyn Keene" ghost writers, who had forward-thinking ideas of gender roles when she was writing back in the 1930s. It is a pleasure to re-read this and the other Applewood reprints. It's a window into our social history.

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mrs. Poochie

Lots of mystery

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Action from page 1. Great story. I enjoyed these books as I child and now as an adult. Great book to come full circle.

Helpful

Dana H. Pasterjak

The intro by original author of series worth the price!

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 1999

Verified Purchase

I love the original versions of the books in this series that Applewood Publishing has been printing. If you are a Mother who read the series, these make excellent books for your daughters who love to read and like a good mystery!The illustrations are great.The dialogue is dated, but only leads to the charm of these books.The true author's name was Mildred Wirt Benson, a ghost writer from the MidWest.She was the first graduate of journalism from the University of Iowa.She writes an introduction to this book that is worth the price of the book alone!Not my favorite in the series, but it still evokes the spirit of the 30's and the fun I had curling up and devouring these books on a rainy weekend afternoon.

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

One of the best stories

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

I am ordinarily no fan of "rewrites" however, in the early 60s' a handful of early Nancy Drew stories were "updated for modern readers" (read: dumbed down and somewhat modernized). #4, The Mystery at Lilac Inn, was one of the rewrites.

The original, penned by Nancy's original creator Mildred Wirt (assigned to the task by her employer the Stratemyers) involved a gang who staged a series of thefts and who hid out at the Lilac Inn. Written in the early 30s, the story reflected styles, spellings, idioms and settings of that era.

The rewritten story utilized many many elements of the original, but adds several elements that really enhance the story. The story opens as Nancy and her friend Helen discover that Nancy has a double who has stolen her credit card and is charging up a storm on Nancy's dime.

In the meantime, a friend of Nancy's, Emily Willoughby, along with her fiancée, is preparing to open a hotel they just acquired, Lilac Inn, to guests. However a series of mysterious occurrences at and near the Inn threaten its success. When Emily's diamonds are stolen right out from under her, Nancy steps in to help.

Could the events at Lilac Inn and Nancy's double, be tied together somehow?

The artwork for this story in the Drew series, underwent several incarnations. The original cover depicted Nancy eavesdropping on the thieves inside Lilac Inn. Nancy is standing with her back pressed against the door. The cover for the 1961 rewrite shows a blonde woman in a white dress with wrist-cuff flashlights, confronting a dark-haired woman who is dressed similarly. It is this cover that is used for the Kindle edition.

Narration: Laura Linney phoned it in, the narration is rushed and she doesn't even try to enact each of the characters. It's OK, 3 stars no more.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

francene werner

Nancy Drew has been around forever & always will be for young girls

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

Gift for 11 year old

Helpful

Jackie

Great Mystery Book!

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

I loved this Book! It was a good read for me. The classic Nancy Drew books are so comforting and relaxing to read. This is great for all ages! This a nice old mystery book back in the 50s. When you open classic Nancy Drew books you feel as if you time traveled to a good time. I was impressed by the book and service. I will be buying more to add to my collection soon.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Heather McGee

Mystery full of twists and turns

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

As an adult re-reading this mystery 30 odd years after I first read it, I'm amazed at how well it holds my attention even now and how much I want Nancy to solve the case. This one has it all: an impersonating Nancy Drew, theft, strange happenings, danger and even a submarine! It's a great read for young and old alike.

2 people found this helpful

Jackie Brown

Good but not the best

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is a good example of a Nancy Drew mystery, but not our favourite. We have read The Mystery of the Hidden Staircase and the Mystery of the Old Clock so far and prefer those to this one, but this one is worth a read for Nancy Drew fans.

Kindle Customer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2015

Verified Purchase

Not one of the best. The plot had a few too many strands which left it a bit muddled but as usual all loose ends were tied up by the end.

Kay Fleetham

big Nancy Drew fan

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Thanks Amazon for bringing Nancy Drew to Kindle. I read the series in the hardback books as a girl. It brings a smile to my face to go back to what made me love reading in the first place.

Miss Parul Naik

The mystery at Lilac inn

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

If you like mystery stories then this is perfect for you!!! It was the first Nancy drew book I ever read
It is very interesting-in fact all Nancy drew books are amazing.

If you don't get it you won't realise how good it is.

See all reviews

Buy new: $6.99$6.99 FREE delivery: Sunday, Dec 12 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used: $5.88

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew, Book 4) Hardcover – October 1, 1930

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Special offers and product promotions

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Carolyn Keene

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$6.99

FREE delivery: Sunday, Dec 12 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Ships from: Amazon.com

Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used:

$5.88