Nancy Drew #63

The Twin Dilemma

Plot:  Eloise Drew is co-chair for a fashion show benefit where the key model, Jacqueline Henri is a no-show.  Nancy steps in to replace Jacqueline; during the show Reese’s fashions are stolen.  Copies of the clothes also show up in catalogs by Millington and Chalmers, before the clothes have ever been intriduced to the public.  Ted Henri is working on the story of the dress smuggling ring and hopes to distract Nancy by sending her on a wild goose chase of fraud at an auction house.  

Setting

New York City

Recurring Characters

Bess Marvin, George Fayne, Carson Drew, Eloise Drew

Characters and Suspects
  • Jacqueline Henri - fashion model
  • Marjorie Tyson - Eloise’s co-chair of fashion show
  • Richard Reese - fashion designer
  • Sheila Reese - his wife
  • Chris Chavez - photographer
  • Ted Henri - investigative reporter, Jacqueline’s brother, poses as Chris Chavez
  • Russell Kaiser - purchaser at auction of medallion once belonging to his uncle, Galen Kaiser
  • Alan Grover - fashion insider, cohort of Ted Henri’s; poses as Russell Kaiser, bears resemblance to his cousin Pete Grover who is a forger
  • Mr. Vinton - fashion photographer at Zanzibar studio
  • Mrs. Paula Jenner - Reese’s former employee
  • Arnaud Hans - competing designer (some stolen designs attributed to him)

Culprits
  • Rosalind - Reese’s assistant, sister of Paula Jenner
  • Mr. Iannone - manager at Millington’s
  • Mr. Belini - fabric shop owner
  • Woody Haskins and Frank Vanderveer - pose as eligible young men at the Crystal Party who pretend to help Bess and George find Nancy, but trap them in a closet instead

Motivation:  Rosalind’s revenge on Reese for firing Paula Jenner

Resolution

 The smugglers are tracked to Gramercy Park, where Nancy hops into the back their van filled with smuggled dresses; they go to their warehouse on the docks.  Bess & George are able to trace Nancy to the warehouse and their cab driver calls the police.  Three girls plus Rosalind are almost trapped in the warehouse when Woody and Frank try to set the building on fire.

Nancy's Mis-adventures

 locked in office at Millington - blackout
capsizes cabinet of buttons
B&G locked in closet - Bess’s weight breaks down door

Key clues

Nancy's outfits

long emerald green taffeta skirt
elegant ivory gown with skirt that fell in a mass of folds (Reese original)
Bess Shops

makeover
designer black & silver balloon dress
Nancy's talents models top designer dresses like a pro

Meaning of the title

page 91 - two sets of imposters, Chavez and Kaiser

Reward/memento


items of interest

pg 88 “You’ve never worked for anybody in your whole life, other than your father” George says to Nancy
Nancy is not born in October (opal is not her birthstone)

THE COVERS

Wanderer "Arch" cover by Ruth Sanderson: page 149 - Rosalind in window in house at Gramercy Park (cloak is accurate)

Wanderer "Checkerboard" cover by Hector Garrido: page 181 - escaping from the burning warehouse; should be Bess, George and Rosalind should be with Nancy; boxes clothes in the background are accurate

Minstrel cover by Glen Hastings: pg 147 - at the fashionable Crystal Party in Reese's gown, observing Ted and Alan; no disco ball mentioned, only dainty snowflakes and crystal stars; gown wrong? (can you tell this was painted during the 80s?)

Scholastic cover by Kinuko Craft: same scene as Garrido above - 2 girls still missing
Armada (UK) Format "C" cover by unknown artist: Nancy with photographer's equipment
  
Hachette (France) Format "F" and Format "O" cover by Philippe Daure: Nancy in the design studio. This artwork also appears on the Format "K" and "L" covers Hachette (France) Format "P" cover by Marguerite Sauvage: Nancy in the design studio

Forlagshuset (Norwegian) cover by unknown artist: same scene as Sanderson above

Angus & Robertson (Australia) cover by Peter Archer: same scene as Garrido above - still one girl (probably Rosalind) missing

Tammi (Finnish) cover - artist probably Pentti Ajanto
Indira (Indonesian) cover - recycles Ruth Sanderson artwork

FOREIGN TITLES

Language

Foreign Title

Title's translation

French

Alice chez le grand coutourier

Nancy visits the great designer

Norwegian

Detektiv Nancy Drew og modellsvindelen

Nancy and the design fraud

Finnish

Neiti etsivä ja mannekiinin salaisuus

Nancy and the secret of the mannequin
Indonesian Teka teki ganda The dual puzzle 

The Twin Dilemma, artwork by Ruth Sanderson © 1981 by Simon & Schuster, New York.
The Twin Dilemma, artwork by Hector Garrido © 1986 by Simon & Schuster, New York.
The Twin Dilemma, artwork by Glen Hastings © 1988 by Simon & Schuster, New York.
The Twin Dilemma, artwork by Kinuko Craft © by Scholastic Book Services, New York.
The Twin Dilemma, artwork by Peter Archer © 1982 by Angus & Robertson, Sydney.
The Twin Dilemma, artwork unattributed © 1983 by Fontana Paperbacks, London.
Alice chez le grand coutourier, artwork by Philippe Daure © 1986 by Hachette, Paris.
Alice chez le grand coutourier, artwork by Margeurite Sauvage © 2008 by Hachette, Paris.
Detektiv Nancy Drew og modellsvindelen, artwork unattributed © by Forlagshuset A/S, Oslo.
Neiti etsivä ja mannekiinin salaisuus, artwork unattributed © 1983 by Tammi, Helsinki.
Teke teki ganda, artwork by Ruth Sanderson © 1981 by Simon & Schuster, New York.

 

© 2002, 2008, 2016 Lea Shangraw Fox