The Nancy Drew books (in their earlier incarnations) were one of my early reading addictions -- at one point I owned most of them and devoured them eagerly. No matter that the characters were completely one dimensional and the plots predictable -- Nancy was a take-charge, redoubtable heroine who ran the show without having to rely on others. I adored the books -- even though I find them pretty much unreadable now.
Well.
Imagine Nancy Drew all grown up and a member of the British aristocracy. Imagine that she's dumped the faithful blue roadster for a jazzy, shining red Hispano-Suiza and she's ditched boring old Beth and George for a private secretary/maid and a gaggle of interesting accomplices. Hannah Gruen has been put out to pasture and a broad-minded and accomplished cook/butler couple are in charge of the somewhat rackety household which includes a series of distracting lovers and beautiful boys who have replaced stodgy old Ned.
Imagine that the setting is 1920s Australia. Imagine that Nancy has transmogrified into a glorious flapper, clad in the height of fashion (oh, the clothes she wears!) and as independent as a hog on ice.
What you have is
the PHRYNE FISHER BOOKS by Kerry Greenwood -- twenty plus gloriously entertaining confections.I received the first four as a Christmas present and have been galloping through them much as I used to gallop through Nancy Drew. This isn't great or challenging writing but I found the books compulsively readable. Phryne is, like Nancy, pretty much one-dimensional and the plots are predictable - at least in these first four books -- there are many more in the series which I'll be reading soon. (There's a TV series as well but I haven't seen it--yet.)
As I said, lots of fun!