Another late era Hardy boys book, scanned and edited down. This is the penultimate book we got and it shows. The quality of printing is pretty low, not quite sub west African evangelical tract level of printing but still not the best. Also we are down to 16 chapters, from the usual 20, (or 25 if you are an original series purist.) Finally there is no trail for a subsequent mystery (in this case Danger on the Diamond.) it just ends.
The story itself, isn't half bad, I've yet to see a standalone review of it online, but its a solid 6/10. The boys stop a "purse snatching" at Bayport mall. The people behind it are setting up a mystery weekend and want the boys to stage a crime as part of it. They bring along Chet Morton and his sister Iola, who poses as the Hardy's sister instead. The plan is to bring along a Rhinestone necklace of hers and have Chet nick it while there.
Things take a turn for the worst, when there is a real theft from guests there, and its blamed on the Hardys as burglary tools are found in their room. This is where the frame part of the title comes into play.
Its not a bad story, a little boring and gimmicky, but the later number stories are all like this. A few edits to the main story in the UK edition. All instances of 'parlor' are now rendered as parlour, and a line about a Reuben sandwich is removed (seeing as I had to google it, it's for the best. For the curious its a strange non kosher Jewish sandwich).
I'll be back tomorrow with a regular non book post seeing as its easter.
You can read it here.
No comments:
Post a Comment