The Mystery of the Tolling Bell is the twenty-third volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1946 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson.

Summary (original edition)

In The Mystery of the Tolling Bell, a ghostly bell echoes through the storm-lashed cliffs of Cliffwood in this atmospheric wartime mystery, drawing Nancy Drew into a treacherous web of coastal sabotage and enemy intrigue. The story begins with Nancy arriving in the seaside village to visit her friend Carol Wipple, only to find the tight-knit fishing community paralyzed by fear. The ancient bell in the abandoned De la Mer mansion tolls mysteriously during foggy nights, its ominous ringing preceding a series of shipwrecks on the jagged rocks below.

As Nancy investigates, she uncovers how the mansion’s unique architecture amplifies sound through sea caves, how phosphorescent chemicals create false harbor lights to misdirect vessels, and how the disgraced De la Mer family’s nautical inventions have been co-opted by wartime saboteurs. The danger becomes personal when Carol’s fisherman father disappears after witnessing suspicious activity near the wreck sites, leaving behind only his waterlogged cap and a cryptic note about “bells in the deep.”

The 1946 original pulses with homefront tension as Nancy navigates blackout restrictions and ration books to track the criminals. In one of the series’ most daring sequences, she pilots a lobster boat through minefield waters to reach a suspected enemy submarine supply point, her knowledge of coastal navigation matching wits with seasoned seafarers. The mystery climaxes in a heart-stopping confrontation in the bell tower itself, where Nancy must outmaneuver the saboteurs while seawater rises rapidly through the flooded chamber.

This edition stands out for its authentic WWII-era details, from the depiction of Coast Guard patrols to the very real fear of enemy operatives along American shores. Unlike later revisions that removed explicit war references, this version preserves Nancy’s ingenious use of ration coupons to trace suspicious purchases and her discovery of a weapons cache hidden in the mansion’s tidal caves. The phantom bell itself emerges as one of the series’ most memorable atmospheric devices—its mournful clangor both a warning and a weapon in the hands of those who would exploit superstition for destruction.

Nancy Drew #23 The Mystery of the Tolling Bell First Edition Book Identification

Only the first few printings of the first/second year are shown. Printings codes are based on the Farrah Guide, 12th printing. Please refer to the guide for later printings.

Nancy Drew #23 The Mystery of the Tolling Bell First Edition Dust Jacket Identification

Reference:

• Farah’s Guide to Nancy Drew, 12th printing