In Hiding

 The next entry will be my 700th, not that there's going to be anything planned like. Just thought I'd mention it, before moving on.

Anyway, the Figure in Hiding, one of my favourites from my childhood and one of the Hardy mysteries along with Hissing Serpent and Sting of the Scorpion which were held off for "contractual reasons" I.E. owned by someone else at the time. 

The revised edition is a wonderfully strange story about false eyes with Morse transmitters inside, evil eye folklore and a gang using a health spa as a hideout whilst getting facial surgery to evade the law. There isn't really any one figure that's in hiding and that goes for the original too, but its such a weird story that I have to add it. 

Also for some reason, looking online about Tony Prito and such. I guess he's a Sicilian Italian or at least that heritage, thanks to all the folklore here, oh and his boat being called the Napoli and all. 

Anyway the original is much darker and it seems more unfocussed as a result. A gang of crims lead by Doc Grafton (not a real doctor), is running home eye surgery as a scam for vulnerable people and taking the cash and feign surgery. That is not the real kicker though. That would be Virginia Sinder supposed daughter to one of the crooks and later turns out, just adopted.

She is really rather well written, too, a genuine basket case, with major daddy issues, who tries to drive into the Willow River to end it all and later on, hides out in a village to stop her "dad" taking her back, but through dumb luck ends up in Grafton's hide out in the woods.

 Anyway remake revision here. Original here.