THE HARDY BOYS: THE GHOST AT SKELETON ROCK

THE HARDY BOYS: THE GHOST AT SKELETON ROCK. Franklin W. Dixon. Grosset and Dunlap; 1957.

In this classic Hardy Boys tale they get involved with more intrigue when their rotund pal Chet Morton develops an interest in ventriloquism. He buys a famous "Hugo" dummy with a purple turban that some desperadoes try to steal because the dummy's eyes supposedly hold diamonds. In one exciting scene the boys are shot at in their plane -- causing the engine to burn as depicted on the cover -- by a confederate of a crooked psychic also known as Hugo and who also wears a turban (coincidences abound in the Hardy Boys stories)! It isn't long before the action switches to Puerto Rico, where the boys have to contend with Abdul with the Big Head, as well as a gang member who looks just like Joe Hardy and causes a lot of mischief. At one point the fellows nearly fall into some sugar-crushing machinery. There are sequences at the fort called El Morro and at pineapple plantations, as well as a climax at a sinister island which has a spit of land known as Skeleton Rock, where natives worship a giant god that comes out from below and hovers over the rock. The Boys and Chet are guests at a fancy estate on this island, but aren't certain if their pleasant, corpulent host is part of the gang or not. Before this adventure is over, they'll get their answer and also learn the secret of the god -- or ghost -- of Skeleton Rock. 

Verdict: Dig out your old Hardy Boys books and dig in! You know you want to! ***. 

THE DEMON'S DEN

 

THE DEMON'S DEN. The Hardy Boys # 81 (1984). Franklin W. Dixon (house pseudonym). 

When a boy who is tall for his age is kidnapped from a camp, the chief suspects are members of a cult who fear the oncoming apocalypse. Frank and Joe, however, think the head of the camp may be involved. The cultists believe the boy was taken by the “devil,” whose minions are as “tall as trees.” Meanwhile Fenton Hardy, our heroes' private eye dad, is trying to find a scientist who was involved in dangerous genetic experiments. The fellows wind up deep in the Canadian wilderness, where some of the frightened loggers actually believe in the stories of Paul Bunyan, and his equally large son is supposedly ruling over the territory. Undeterred, Frank and Joe proceed in finding Bunyan’s – or “the devil’s” HQ – coming across outsized footprints and the like. As usual, there is a more realistic explanation for things involving a race of supermen. This is an above-average latter-day Hardy Boys adventure. Gary Lang’s cover illustration depicts Frank and Joe the way they would actually look, like handsome young men who are mature-enough looking to not only be taken seriously by those they question during their investigation but who certainly look as if they can acquit themselves nicely in a fight with desperadoes. 

Verdict: This has its silly aspects, but it's an exciting adventure story for kids of all ages. ***. 

NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF

NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF. The Hardy Boys # 59.(1979). Franklin W. Dixon (house pseudonym). 

In this excellent adventure story for kids of all ages with many interesting facets, the boys investigate a supposed werewolf curse affecting the son of a construction contractor. At the same time some of the man’s buildings have been sabotaged, meaning he could go out of business. One of the fellow's employees is a native American who is hoping to find a missing bejeweled axe that belonged to his ancestor. A phosphorescent wolf – shades of Hound of the Baskervilles  -- appears at different times to menace assorted characters. There are many suspenseful and exciting sequences that range from dark forests to isolated mansions to high beams on skyscraper frames. In addition to Frank and Joe Hardy, we have lovable, chubby Chet Morton, who develops a crush on the contractor's pleasingly plump daughter. 

The first 58 books in the Hardy Boys series were published by Grosset and Dunlap, who lost the contract to the Wanderer books division of Simon and Schuster. The series continued in both paperback and hardback format for quite a few years. It was then replaced with The Hardy Boys Case Files, a somewhat edgier series for older readers. When that series wrapped up its run, we had The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers, where they became agents and the stories often were turned into trilogies. Currently Frank and Joe still have their own series in "The Hardy Boys Adventures" (as well as a new television program). The cover of Night of the Werewolf is typical for the time as if portrays the boys as looking a little too young and much less tougher and competent than they actually are in the stories. 

Verdict: One of the better of the post-58 books in the series. ***.