Who really wrote Nancy Drew? Cracking the mystery of the famous sleuth's author

Originally published on March 20, 2019

Believe it or not, Nancy Drew is nearly 90 years old. The character was created around 1930 during a boom in detective fiction.

Today, the bold and brilliant Nancy is still inspiring stories. The CW Network — the same network that made Riverdale — is working on a Nancy Drew television show and just last week, a new movie came out in the U.S., called Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. On top of that, there's a Nancy Drew convention happening in Toronto from June 19 to 22 at the Strathcona Hotel.

For a 90-year-old teenager, Nancy Drew has a lot of fans, but there's something about her they may not know. Carolyn Keene, the supposed author of Nancy Drew, doesn't exist.

Jennifer Fisher is a writer and Nancy Drew historian. She also runs the massive fan group nancydrewsleuth.com. She joined us to take us through the forgotten history of Nancy Drew.

Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full segment. 

— Produced by ​Vanessa Greco