The Sign of the Twisted Candles is the ninth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. As the second volume written by Walter Karig, it was originally published in 1933 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Due to Karig having died in 1956, as of January 1, 2007, the 1933 book and the other two Nancy Drew books he wrote, have passed into the public domain in Canada and other countries with a life-plus-50 policy.

Summaries (original edition)

In The Sign of the Twisted Candles, a weathered inn with candles perpetually burning in its crooked windows draws Nancy Drew into a labyrinth of forged wills and family betrayal in this atmospheric Depression-era mystery. The story begins when Nancy takes refuge from a storm at the centuries-old Twin Elms Inn, where the elderly proprietor, Asa Sidney, maintains the strange tradition of keeping misshapen candles lit day and night—a practice townsfolk whisper wards off a Revolutionary War-era curse.

The mystery deepens when Nancy discovers the inn’s account books show impossible dates—transactions recorded after the reported deaths of the parties involved—and the portrait of Asa’s ancestor bears a striking resemblance to a local bank teller. As she investigates, Nancy must decipher clues hidden in the wax drippings of those twisted candles, uncover why certain rooms are always kept locked despite the inn’s empty state, and determine the connection between the Sidney family’s dwindling fortune and a nearby asylum’s sudden renovations.

The 1933 original thrums with post-Crash anxiety—Nancy analyzes bank records to uncover embezzlement, recognizes how the candle wax contains chemical traces of document preservation fluids, and nearly falls victim to a staged “suicide” in the inn’s supposedly haunted chamber. Unlike later revisions, this version retains the gut-wrenching revelation that the candles’ twisting method was a secret code used by Underground Railroad conductors, now repurposed by modern criminals. The inn itself stands as a silent witness to generational greed—its warped floorboards conceal hollowed-out compartments, its dusty ledgers hold double-entry secrets, and those perpetually burning candles illuminate crimes stretching back to the Panic of 1893.

This novel stands out for its unflinching portrayal of wealth’s corruption across decades, where Nancy must separate romantic family legends from brutal financial realities. The twisted candles serve as both literal clue and metaphor—their deformed shapes representing truth distorted over time, their enduring flames symbolizing justice that refuses to be extinguished.

Nancy Drew #9 –The Sign of the Twisted Candles First Edition Book Identification

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

Note: Glossy+: Glossy frontis + 3 glossy internals.

Nancy Drew #9 –The Sign of the Twisted Candles First Edition Dust Jacket Identification

ao: Among other titles.

Reference:

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