In 1985, as the sale of the Stratemeyer Syndicate to Simon & Schuster was being finalized, Simon & Schuster wanted to launch a spin-off series, that focused on more mature mysteries, and incorporated romance into the stories. To test whether this would work, the final two novels before the sale, "The Bluebeard Room" and "The Phantom of Venice", were used as backdoor pilots for the new series. The books read drastically different from the preceding novels of the past 55 years. For example, "The Phantom of Venice" (1985) opens with Nancy wondering in italics, ""Am I or am I not in love with Ned Nickerson?"" Nancy begins dating other young men and acknowledges sexual desires: "'I saw kissing him… You don't have to apologize to me if some guy turns you on.' 'Gianni "doesn't" turn me on!… Won't you please let me explain.'" The next year, Simon & Schuster launched the first Nancy Drew spin-off, titled "The Nancy Drew Files".