Pure Evil

The Hardy Boys Casefiles #97

by Franklin W. Dixon

Accompanying Callie on a spring break vacation to her uncle's maple farm in New Hampshire, Frank and Joe find their skiing plans interrupted by a bomb-throwing and chainsaw-wielding gang's plot to destroy the syrup crop.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.

Reviews

[Bhavna Alke · Rating 2 out of 5]

The feeling that reading The Hardy Boys after so many years gives you :)

I think it's not fair to rate this book now because the ratings would vary with age.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read Hardy Boys, I think I was in class 5, I had such a crush on Frank Hardy. I liked the brainy one over the brawny one and that sums up my first impression of Hardy Boys.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

While vacationing with their friend Callie at the maple farm of her uncle, Frank and Joe must put a stop to a gang willing to do anything - and take anyone out - to destroy the syrup crops! Dixon will have readers gasping with this entry!

[Dannuel Delizo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spring break stupidity. It's like the crime cliche in the US of A....spring breakers!