"Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk" by Carolyn Keene

From the moment Nancy Drew boards an ocean liner leaving for New York, she becomes involved in a new and dangerous mystery. A man on the pier gestures to someone on board in sign language. BEWARE OF NANCY DREW AND NE, he signals. Who is NE? Can it be Nelda Detweiler, a young woman who shares a cabin with Nancy, Bess, and George?  Mystery and intrigue follow the girls across the ocean; but with her usual ingenuity, Nancy solves the mystery and defeats her enemies before the ship reaches New York.

This copy is in ACCEPTABLE condition. No dust jacket. It is missing the illustration facing the title page and has some blue ink coloring in the O's on the front cover. The exterior cloth on the spine has been repaired but the binding is tight. 

#17 in the series. Copyright 1940.