Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Green Ghost #4 by Arthur Robert

by Robert Arthur

poche. Broché.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1965

About the author

Robert Arthur (1909-1969) was a versatile mystery writer born November 10, 1909, on Corregidor Island, where his father served as a U.S. Army officer. He is best known as the creator of The Three Investigators, a mystery book series for young people, but he began his career writing for the pulps, and later worked in both radio and television. He studied at William and Mary College for two years before earning a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan. In 1931, he moved to New York City, where he wrote mysteries, fantasies, and horror stories for magazines like Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, Detective Fiction Weekly, and Black Mask throughout the 1930s.

Later, with David Kogan, he co-created and produced The Mysterious Traveler radio show (1944-1952), earning a 1953 Edgar Award. He and Kogan also won an Edgar, in 1950, for Murder By Experts. In 1959, Arthur relocated to Hollywood, scripting for The Twilight Zone and serving as story editor and writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, while ghost-editing numerous "Alfred Hitchcock" anthologies for adults and children.

In 1963, Arthur settled in Cape May, New Jersey, where he created The Three Investigators series with The Secret of Terror Castle (1964). He wrote ten novels in the series before his death in Philadelphia on May 2, 1969. The 43-title series, continued after his death by writers-for-hire working for Random House, was published in over twenty-five languages and thirty countries. (Originally branded as "Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators", Random House dropped the Hitchcock name from the series after Hitchcock's death.)

In June of 2024, Hollow Tree Press reissued Robert Arthur's original ten novels as a sixtieth anniversary edition. Those editions have end notes written by his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth Arthur and Steven Bauer, and Hollow Tree Press is also publishing a twenty-six book New Three Investigators series written by Arthur and Bauer.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to have some segue for which book to read next. This one followed watching a Hitchcock movie.
Alfred Hitchcock introduced the (fictional) stories and he also was written into the story to help wrap up the loose ends of the mystery. His involvement in the series attracted readers initially.
The Three Investigators are Jupiter, the master sleuth, Andrew, fellow detective, and Bob, recorder and researcher of the facts. In this case, Bob and Andrew, along with some adults, hear and see a green ghost in a deserted mansion before it is demolished. Its past owner, Mathias Green, who died after falling down the stairwell, is the suspected ghost. Other questions, such as what became of his young Chinese bride and of the costly ghost pearls both of which disappeared afterwards are investigated.
The three of the investigators, along with the great-grandson of the departed, pool their talents to come to the answer but not without getting into tight spaces, literally.
My copy of this book is glossy and feels brand new. It is a welcome addition to my library.

[David Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. The scenes in the mine inching through spaces too small for a man to pass through were really tense. I know I've rad these a couple times before, but the first time was when I was about 8 or 9, the second time was about 2o years ago. But these scenes still affected me. Robert Arthur is a good writer, who wrote for the adult market too. So, I guess that should come as no surprise. This was definitely a fun read. I thought I was going to jump right into book 5, but reading these have me delving back into some of the other series books I collected 20 years ago and didn't read. What I did read was the whole Three investigators series all the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew matte picture cover books, some of the Wanderer paperbacks that continued both series, a handful of books from other series like Ken Holt, Rick Brant, The Power Boys, Judy Bolton, Vicki Barr and Cherry Ames. The on that stood out was Cherry Ames. They were so different from the other series. Her connction to World War 2 in the first few books really connected them to their time. The mystery is secondary to her new job in nursing. I ended up collecting a lot of them, but only read 5. So, I find myself reading Boarding School Nurse #17.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a walk down memory lane with a book I’ve had for 50 years.