The Hidden Staircase

The Hidden Staircase is a mystery novel by Carolyn Keene, first published in 1930. It is the second book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series.

Nancy is asked to investigate strange events at an old mansion called Twin Elms, where mysterious noises, disappearing objects, and ghostly figures have frightened its residents. She suspects that someone is trying to force the owners from their home.

As Nancy searches the house, she discovers a concealed staircase and a network of secret passages. These hidden spaces help explain how the supposed supernatural events have been staged.

Despite several dangerous encounters, Nancy uncovers the criminal scheme behind the haunting and proves that the disturbances have a very human cause. Her intelligence and bravery allow her to solve another complex mystery.

"“I declare, I don’t know what makes me so nervous this afternoon! I have the strangest feeling—just as though something were about to happen.”
As Nancy Drew expressed the thought aloud, she tossed aside a book she had been trying to read and restlessly crossed the living room to glance out of the window. She was alone in the big house, for her father, Carson Drew, had been called out of the city on an important law case and Hannah Gruen, the housekeeper, had taken her day off."