The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow

Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators #12

by William Arden

Buongiorno, ragazzi.
Alfred Hitchcock, cioè il sottoscritto, è sempre sulla breccia, pronto per divertivi a combinarne di tutti i colori. O almeno, cosa assai più saggia, a farne combinare di tutti i colori a Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw e Bob Andrews, gli inimitabili Tre Investigatori. Loro sono giovani, ed è giusto che si diano da fare: in quanto a me ho ben altro di cui occuparmi. Della tiratura dei miei volumi, ad esempio. Ma veniamo al sodo: cosa combineranno questa volta i miei protetti? Nulla di speciale: si limiteranno a vedersi piovere tra le braccia un amuleto d’oro, a scoprire che è antichissimo e di grande valore, ad accorgersi che è dotato di uno scompartimento segreto, a trovare in quest’ultimo un messaggio, ed a sbarrare gli occhi quando si renderanno conto che questo messaggio è scritto col sangue. E poi? Il resto è tutto da ridere, almeno per il gigante dalla testa mostruosa che compare in questo giallo, e che continua a sghignazzare. Provateci anche voi, se ci riuscite.
Alfred Hitchcock

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure, Detective, Audiobook

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Real name: Dennis Lynds.
Beginning in 1968 with The Mystery of the Moaning Cave and ending in 1989 with Hot Wheels, Dennis Lynds wrote fourteen novels under the pen name William Arden for the juvenile detective series The Three Investigators, which was originated by Robert Arthur, Jr.. Under this same name, he also wrote five novels featuring private eye Kane Jackson, a former military policeman who has become an industrial security specialist after leaving the military. The first Jackson novel, A Dark Power, appeared in 1968. As Arden, Lynds also wrote the highly-regarded espionage short story, "Success of a Mission," which was a finalist for the 1968 Edgar Award for best short fiction.

Reviews

[tobi10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein lachender Schatten und ein Amulett ?

In dem Buch Die drei ??? und der lachende Schatten (13) von Alfred Hitchcock, geht es um Bob und Peter, welche von einer Fahrradtour zurück kommen und an einem Tor ein Hilferuf hören. Plötzlich fällt ihnen ein Amulett vor die Füße und sie hören ein Schatten lachen. Was hat es mit dem Amulett auf sich und der Inschrift darin "wo ihn kein Mann finden kann" ?

Meine Meinung:
Ich fand die Geschichte spannend zu hören und einfach zu verstehen. Sie war wie immer spannend und sehr rätselreich. Ich habe ihr gerne zugehört.

Fazit:
Wieder ein spannender Fall für die drei ??? Fragezeichen.

[Nathanael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everytime I end up at my parents house for an extended period of time these days without bringing a sufficient amount of reading material I realize that the only books I have left there are old childhood books. And The Three Investigators probably sum up my childhood more than any other. In my mind these are like the ultimate kid books, full of mystery and sufficiently spooky. Alfred Hitchcock even tends to make appearances in most of them. The thing that I remember the most and that still sticks out to me to this day is the artwork, either on the covers or scattered through the pages. Its phenomenal. The image of the three boys walking through the dark graveyard with the shadow of Mr. Hitchcock next to them will be ingrained in my brain as long as I live.

[Brooklyn Halley · Rating 3 out of 5]

- 3.25stars
Ok. I know I won't remember this book in a while. Honestly, of the 4 books of The three Investigators, this is the most boring, in my opinion.
But I like it and is very good make it

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Die Geschichte fand ich schon als Hörspiel verwirrend und wenig spannend. Als vegetarisches Kind hat mich auch die ganze Vegetarierverband-Geschichte geärgert, die ich jetzt einfach nur etwas an den Haaren herbei gezogen gefunden fand. Und das ganze "indianer sind alle klein", "Es waren dunkle Männer" (da hab ich mich die ganze zeit bis es aufgelöst wurde, gefragt, was sie meinen? Schwarze? Gab es damals in Kalifornien so wenig nichtweiße??).

Ich glaube ich werde mit William Arden bisher einfach nicht so richtig warm.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hält sich schon nicht so gut wie andere alte Folgen. Die Bezeichnung des Vegetarierhauses finde ich aber jedesmal immer zum Schreien komisch.

[Nadja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannender Fall, einzig am Schluss mir eine Spur zu dramatisch. Spruch zum Schmunzeln: Das Vegetarierhaus. :)

Previous listening: 01.01.2014 (3 stars)

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver Kalkofe macht einen tollen Erzähljob bei diesem Fall der drei Fragezeichen. Der lachende Schatten ist gruselig und man muss bis am Ende stets dabei bleiben, um nicht den Faden zu verlieren. Und das Thema hat gerade gut gepasst, nachdem ich am vorherigen Tag noch im Nordamerikanischen Native Museum war. ;)

[Ghazale · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتابو وقتی نوجوان بودم از بین کتاب های دست دوم نمایشگاه توی مدرسه از یکی از بچه ها خریدم و یادمه یه روزه خوندمش و خیلی خوشم اومد و از همون موقع دنبال مجموعه ی کاملش بودم
واسه نوجوان ها کتاب سبک و معمایی جالبیه

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some serious questions that should be asked in the early chapters that bothered me. Why didn’t they further investigate the person in the first chapter crying for help? They were blithely distracted by the statuette/amulet and unconcerned about the person in likely distress. It was days before they made it to the estate to ask any questions. Also, they didn’t do anything about the guy who took the amulet from them at knifepoint? Just a “Well, that’s that, let’s go chat about the note over a nice cup of tea.”

That said, I enjoyed the malicious machinations of The Vegetarian League, and it was good to see them continue the reversal of the trope of scary foreigners.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

original 2009 review - William Arden’s first credited book, this has a legendary lost hoard of gold, a hunchbacked shadow (that laughs, maniacally), suspicious Englishmen and it’s great fun, even if the mystery requires a healthy suspension of disbelief from the reader. Cleverly put together, with some nice set pieces and a real sense of urgency, this works well enough that you allow the odd things - vegetarian societies and the reason behind the laughter - to pass by. A nice use of location works in its favour too - well worth a read.
2014 update - I’d agree with the original review, especially the healthy suspension of disbelief required, but there’s plenty to like, with the whole Magnus Verde Chumas Hoard and Yaquali Indians business, the humour (Jupe asks Mr Harris “Could one of your assistants have told them?” “No,” he’s told, “they’re old friends and staunch vegetarians.”) and welcome appearances from Worthington and Mr Andrews, plus the boys come across well. A decent and pacey read.
2019 update - still in agreement, especially about the locations, the box canyons of the last exit and the Vegetarian League House on Las Palmas Street, with its foothills coming to the pavement. The interplay between the lads is well done, it’s always a treat to see Worthington and Mr Andrews (and we also get a sleepy Mrs Andrews) and the pace rocks along.
2023 update - In complete agreement, it’s a great read and cracks along with some terrific line art from Roger Hall.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

دو جلد از این مجموعه رو وقتی دبیرستان بودم خوندم. روی جلداشون نقاشی خوشگلی داشتن و چون
داستان های ماجراجویی و معمایی دوست داشتم عاشق کاراکترا و داستاناشون شدم.
یادمه پشت جلدشون اسم کتابای دیگه مجموعه که توسط ناشر چاپ شده بودن رو نوشته بود ولی من هیچ کجا نتونستم پیداشون کنم و چشمم هنوز که هنوزه دنبالشونه.
چند روز پیش یکی از جلدارو تو دست دوم فروشی دیدم و اصلا باورم نمیشد !!! ذوق زده و فورا خریدمش.

موقع خوندن متوجه یک سری قسمت ها نمیشدم گنگ بودن یا اصلا با منطق جور در نمیومد. مجبور بودم با متن اصلی چک کنم و تازه اون موقع بود که همه چیز مشخص میشد.
متاسفانه ترجمه خوبی نیست؛ جاهایی که مترجم دوست نداشته حذف شده و حتی گاها جملاتی رو خود مترجم اضافه کرده!!!
کلمات و جملات در جای جای متن به اشتباه ترجمه شدن...

و در این موقع هست که باز به خودم میگم: "باز برا چی رفتی سراق کتاب ترجمه شده؟؟"

متاسفانه خیلی از کتابا وضعشون همینه

خود کتاب و داستانش رو دوست داشتم و همون حال هوای قدیما رو برام زنده کرد. البته به نظرم توی این سری جزو داستانای متوسط حساب میشه و هنوزم یه سری داستاناش بهتر هستن.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Arden’s first credited book, this has a legendary lost hoard of gold, a hunchbacked shadow (that laughs, maniacally), suspicious Englishmen and it’s great fun, even if the mystery requires a healthy suspension of disbelief from the reader. Cleverly put together, with some nice set pieces and a real sense of urgency, this works well enough that you allow the odd things - vegetarian societies and the reason behind the laughter - to pass by. A nice use of location works in its favour too - well worth a read.

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow' (The Three Investigators #12) by William Arden.

“They must have seen you take it there.”
“Impossible. It was in a box, and I carried it in my pocket. They couldn’t have spied on me in my office, either.”
“Could one of your assistants have told them?” Jupiter asked.
“No, they’re old friends and staunch vegetarians. Anyway, they knew nothing about the amulet.”

Rating: 4.25/5.




Review:
The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow, the twelfth book in the Three Investigators series, heralds the beginning of a new era for the fans of the series. From this book onwards, the series ran for thirty-two more books, but none of them were penned by its original writer—Robert Arthur Jr. William Arden, the author of the previous mystery titled The Mystery of the Moaning Cave, tried his level best to preserve the essence of the series with this book as well – and he succeeded at most of it, too!


The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow presents the reading with a gripping mystery filled with the hunt for a legendary lost hoard of gold, a mysterious figure with a hunchbacked shadow that laughs maniacally, and a real sense of urgency. The famous trope of an international boy assisting the Three Investigators is back as well, and this time, it was a British lad who was involved in the case. I also appreciated how they incorporated the Yaquali Indians into the story in a way that their inclusion felt organic and not forced. There were some humorous exchanges as well, which I surprisingly noticed were missing in the last few books.


All in all, The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow turned out to be a decent, fast-paced read that I devoured within a matter of a few hours. It also helped to reignite my passion for this juvenile mystery series, and I hope to read more of these as and when I come across these rare out-of-print copies.

[Ray Quirolgico · Rating 4 out of 5]

The character of Alfred Hitchcock is woven into the story more than the previous stories when he just introduces the story. This one felt silly at times, rereading it in 2024, because of some of the cultural tropes that might not be accepted today. Still another fun romp with the Three Investigators.

[Michi · Rating 2 out of 5]

audiobook

[Hal Astell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the twelfth book in the 'Three Investigators' series but also the first to be written after the series creator and primary writer, Robert Arthur, died. That meant that William Arden, author of 'The Mystery of the Moaning Cave' is back to pen a second title and to actually be credited for his work this time out. However, as I noted in my review of that book, Arden was a pseudonym, so the credit isn't really being given to the actual writer, whose name was Dennis Lynds.

Like his first book, this adheres to series tropes while focusing very much on southwestern culture. 'Moaning Cave' primarily explored Hispanic culture in the area but later American culture as well through a use of rodeo riders and the conventions of the western genre. Here, Lynds goes back to Native American history, especially their interactions with Spanish colonists, and that backdrop is arguably the best aspect of the book, even if the core mystery that revolves around gold given by the Spanish to the Chumash and lost almost two hundred years earlier is a little flimsy.

Ironically, the detective work is the worst aspect of this one, which is more of an adventure than a mystery, albeit not so much so as 'The Secret of Skeleton Island'. In fact, it starts out on the wrong foot by having our young detectives simply be in the right place at the right time, something that frustrated me in 'The Mystery of the Silver Spider'. This time, Bob and Pete literally cycle right into the story, which is thrown over a wall at them. They've spent a day in the mountains but are close to home when they hear a cry of help from inside the high walls of the Sandow Estate, prompting them to stop. When they do so, someone hurls a small gold statue over those walls, hitting Bob on the arm. Given how magnificently 'The Mystery of the Talking Skull' began one book earlier, this is pretty cheap in comparison.

Anyway, they have to hightail it out of there when the laughing shadow of the title emerges from the iron gates to unnerve them and they start to figure out the mystery in the morning at HQ. The statue is clearly Native American, based on its design, and made of gold, and the message hidden inside a secret compartment is Native American too, written in blood, but the two don't remotely fit together. After seeing the thing, which quickly shifts from statue to statuette to amulet, Alfred Hitchcock refers them to a friend, Prof. Wilton Meeker, who explains that the statue is of Chumash manufacture but the message is in Yaquali and that doesn't make sense.

Oddly, the Chumash are a real Native American tribe, found in California, but the Yaquali aren't, the name likely a nod to the Yaqui, who are right here in Arizona. Meeker explains that they're a Mexican tribe, colloquially known as the Devils of the Cliff for their abilities in rock climbing, who are notoriously reclusive, having "a long record of shunning civilization". Meeker further adds an important background in Native American languages, which were many and often only spoken. To find a Yaquali message in a Chumash statue is the real mystery of this novel and the one that has a satisfactory explanation.

Anyway, the boys try to figure out a way to get inside the Sandow Estate to look around when they find themselves actively invited, through Sarah Sandow wanting Jupe's uncle Titus to clear out an entire barn of old stuff and so things spark into action in typical fashion. I should add that, after a wildly coincidental opening scene, this invitation isn't remotely as coincidental as it might seem. It's also a good way to bring in the traditional young character from another country because Miss Sandow is also a recluse and it's her great-nephew, Ted Sandow, visiting from England, who arrives at the junkyard with this tempting offer.

With that nod to convention, I should mention that Lynds work in all the hits: Skinny Norris has a part to play in proceedings and so does Worthington and the gold Rolls Royce, while the boys have to resort to a Ghost to Ghost Hookup at one point. If there was a 'Three Investigators' bingo card, this novel would check off all the boxes, right down to Aunt Matilda wanting to put the boys right to work if only she could find them. From a nostalgia standpoint, it feels good to run through the standards again, but I have to say that they weren't all required.

Fortunately, the new material that Lynds brings to the table is even more fun. I may not have kept the details of this story in my head for the past four decades, not least because the treasure map in cryptic phrasing isn't particularly believable, but I did recall what the laughing shadow was. It's a rather peripheral detail that has little bearing on the core mystery, so it's not exactly the most appropriate title for the book, but it's a good mystery in itself. There are four headless midgets in the story too, who have a similarly successful explanation and, best of all, there's the Vegetarian League.

Yes, the Vegetarian League plays a particularly crucial part in this mystery and we get to it due to Miss Sandow's friend, Mr. Albert Harris, being a member in good standing. He's another victim of the core mystery, it seems, because the dark men in white seeking the statue with the aid of their wicked looking knives apparently attacked him during a lecture. My favourite moment featuring this organisation showcases Lynds' sense of humour, because Harris rules out his assistants from being involved in things on the basis that "they're old friends and staunch vegetarians". So there you have it! Vegetarians are morally upstanding and can't possibly do anything bad.

I remember the early horror adjacent books by Robert Arthur as being my favourites as a kid but I was very keen this time around to find how well the series would transition into other hands. With a pair of William Arden books freshly behind me now, I can say that it's doing OK. Obviously, Lynds isn't Arthur and he wasn't trying to be. He had his own interests and they flavour these two books well, the less exotic backdrops and characters being perhaps their best aspect. However, I have to say that I liked 'Moaning Cave' a lot more than 'Laughing Shadow', so I'm eager to see how Lynds fared with his third book, which I'll tackle next month. Let's see if 'The Secret of the Crooked Cat' is more like the former than the latter.

Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in July 2024:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Nana-...

Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a child, I stumbled upon this series in my school library after I'd exhausted the Hardy Boys volumes available to me. To a certain extent, they are very similar to the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown mysteries I devoured as a kid, though this series featured three young investigators who, for reasons that are unclear to me now, have a close friendship with Alfred Hitchcock. I remember being particularly enchanted by the headquarters of the three investigators: a house trailer buried amid the junk in a salvage yard run by one of the boy's aunt and uncle. The fact that each book opened and closed with a conversation with Hitchcock was memorable, too.

I had almost forgotten about the series until Kirstin and I stumbled upon several used copies in Lowry's Books in Three Rivers, Michigan. I thumbed through several copies, but they were mostly too pricey for a novelty purchase. Well, Kirstin went back, found this story reasonably priced and gave it to me for Christmas.

It was thoroughly enjoyable to fly through this little mystery and to re-enter a world I hadn't inhabited in years.

[Jeff Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH&T3I Update: 12 read, 16 hardbacks to go!

Dennis Lynds, aka William Arden, took up where Robert Arthur Jr. left off with Book 12, The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow, of the Three Investigators series. The book includes almost all of the classic Three Investigator elements such as the teenage investigators, their secret headquarters, the supporting characters including Alfred Hitchcock and many family members of the boys, the Rolls-Royce, etc. Yet what stands out is the great writing of the book. Once again, the book is hard to put down once one begins to read it. Sometimes a series can fade or change when multiple authors begin to write the later books, but that does not appear to happen in this series. At least, this series has not YET started to fade. The final solution did involve a little bit more chance and luck than some of the previous titles in the series, but it is still a solid mystery that requires quite a bit of deduction and that is a key point for any of the Three Investigator books. A good read for T3I fans of all ages, and yet the title could stand alone on its own merits if this title happens to be the only T3I book someone ever reads. Enjoy!

[Cliff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2 stars is a little unfair. This is a very acceptable entry in the series. But there are a couple of major flaws in the logic/resolution of this book. The first is that there's a late reference to a mailed letter for help, but unless I've forgotten something, there was no earlier reference to this letter.

Meanwhile, one of the keys to the plot relied upon the fact that an Australian was able to fool an Englishman into thinking he was British. As with many of these books, these types of "stupid" American prejudices from the 60s seem fairly common. But in the modern day, many people can discern the difference between an Australian and British accent. And there's little chance a Brit would be fooled.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Three Investigators, but I did find them much more fascinating when I was younger. The stories are beginning to seem a little formulaic, but still entertaining.

In this one the trope of the international boy was back, this time a British chap. We had an evil villain out to steal a hidden treasure, and the boys got in trouble but got out of trouble as well.

Overall still good for any Three Investigators fan!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has hooked some kids in my daughter's class and that's never a bad thing. One of her classmates actually asked her to bring this book home to me as a book recommendation. Needless to say, it warmed my heart. It's a really good mystery series for upper elementary and I admit I wanted to see how it unfolded. It gave me pleasant flashbacks of watching Scooby-Doo as a child. :-)

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed a few of these when I was a kid. I think the trappings got me: a hidden office hidden behind several secret passages into a junk pile. I was pleasantly surprised by The Laughing Shadow: it holds up well. The mystery is mysterious, the villains are well-hidden. I expect I will read more if I can find them. They seem to be hard to find in used bookstores.

[Paul Street · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Arden (a pseudonym of Dennis Lynds) was finding his feet with the characters in this book. Only his second book in the series after Moaning Cave. The earlier book was modelled on Robert Arthur's writing style but this one is written completely differently. The plot was okay but his later books are better.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shadow appeared to be laughing, he wanted people to think he hadn't a care in the world and that his dark plot was succeeding, but that pseudo-mirth was only covering the fact that the shadow was crying inside.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the books I have read about "Three Investigators" so far, this one is my favorite. A good book!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indian treasure and a laughing shadow! Great one! I wonder whats next

[Vika.K · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3

[mo (sie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

tw: rassismus
das i-wort in jedem zweiten satz, erfundene stämme, traditionen und sprachen, "schlitzäugige" amulette, ein weisser experte, der stämme in intelligent (haben von den spaniern eine schrift übernommen und mit ihnen kooperiert) und primitiv, friedlich (gut) und kriegerisch (böse) einteilt. peter hat angst vor den bösen wilden i-wort, die armen settler*innen wie ihm was antun könnten, ein vorfahre der alten frau hat einen indigenen ermordet, weil er den schatz seines stammes haben wollte, nachdem er schon sein land gestohlen hatte, und keiner scheint sich darum zu scheren, einfach die kolonialistischste sichtweise ever. und zu allem überdruss ist der räuber natürlich "dunkelhäutig".
am ende wird vieles davon etwas auf den kopf gestellt und robert arthur beweist, dass die drei ??? eben doch nicht tkkg sind: ein weisser hat vier indigene jungen aus mexiko entführt, um einen indigenen schatz zu stehlen, die gefährlichen dunkelhäutigen angreifer sind indigene, die die jungen befreien wollen und die alte dame wünscht sich, dass der schatz zumindest zum teil an indigene fällt und nicht in museen landet (was probably nicht passieren wird). ausserdem freut sich mein veganes herz, dass der böse dude letztendlich doch nicht vegetarier war und dass für drei ??? verhältnise erstaunlich wenig "aber wurst ist halt geil und ihr esst nur salat"-mässiges fällt.
nichtsdestotrotz bleiben viele rassistische vorurteile unchallenged (justus widerspricht peter zb nicht in seinen aussagen über gefährliche wilde), die indigenen brüder aus mexiko sprechen mit lächerlichem akzent und hitfield bekommt einfach so etwas aus dem schatz. immerhin sind die mexikanischen natives aber auch selbstermächtigt und helfen peter und bob aus der patsche und werden von ihnen, trotz ihres schlechten englisch, wie menschen behandelt.
die handlung an sich ist ganz spannend und mit besserem framing könnte dieses buch einen tollen beitrag zur bildung von kindern über settler*innen-kolonialismus und rassismus sein.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Auf ihrem Rückweg vom Schwimmen kommen Peter Shaw und Bob Andrews am Grundstück von Sarah Sanchez vorbei, wo es just in diesem Augenblick zu einem kleinen Tumult zu kommen scheint. Dabei fliegt plötzlich eine kleine goldene Statue über die Mauer des Anwesens, welche die beiden Detektive zunächst zurückgeben wollen. Da sie aber befürchten, dass dort gerade etwas Unrechtmäßiges vor sich geht, bringen sie den Fund lieber mit zu Justus Jonas, der in der Statue eine versteckte Botschaft findet. Diese ist für die Detektive zunächst unlesbar, doch von Alfred Hitchcock erhalten die drei den Hinweis, dass es sich dabei womöglich um die Sprache amerikanischer Ureinwohner handeln könnte – verbunden mit dem Tipp, einen auf derartige Sprachen spezialisierten Professor aufzusuchen und dem Geheimnis der Statue so auf den Grund zu gehen...

Folge 13 der deutschen Hörspielreihe bietet wieder einen etwas zufällig wirkenden Einstieg, ist im Folgenden aber recht schlüssig aufgebaut und führt die drei Detektive Justus, Peter und Bob in gewohnter Manier von Hinweis zu Hinweis – und natürlich sind die drei auch diesmal nicht die einzigen, die ein Interesse am mysteriösen Gegenstand haben. Mit dem Hintergrund rund um zwei indigene Völker (die Chumash und die Yaqui) und einen möglichen Schatz bietet die Folge zudem ein interessantes Setting, wobei man bei der 1979 erschienenen Folge es wenig überraschend mit der politischen Korrektheit nicht allzu genau nehmen darf... Etwas absurd mutet es zudem aus heutiger Sicht an, dass das größte Mysterium für die drei Detektive in dieser Episode der immer wieder erwähnte Vegetarismus zweier Figuren zu sein scheint, was für die drei kleinen Fleischfresser offenbar völlig unverständlich ist und diese sich gefühlt lieber einen Arm abhacken würden, statt bei den Vegetariern zu Mittag zu essen. Insgesamt eine solide Folge, aber sicherlich kein Highlight.

[Ian Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow” by Alfred Hitchcock (1969)

Overall Rating 9/10 – without a shadow of doubt!

Plot
At night, a small Golden amulet is tossed over a hedge and lands in front of the boys. Shouts of help and an eerie shadow with a maniacal laugh quickly follow. When the boys find a secret compartment containing a coded message – the search for treasure begins …

Writing Style
Easy, flowing, short sentences. Very juvenile, with virtually no flowering at all. Pretty basic script that, just now and again, shows its age. Just one irritating use of the word “For” as in … “They shivered, for it was cold”. Much more tolerable.

Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)

Critique
I loved this series of books as a youngster. Reading these now brings back a huge amount of nostalgia, and I have relived some of the feelings and sensations I experienced when I first read them. For a boy setting out on his life voyage of reading books, this is absolutely perfect. It is a wonderful world of basic script with a not-too-difficult plot wrapped in simple adventure. As an adult of 59 years, I was catapulted back in time, and I was once more 12 years old. I never want these books to end.

Another wonderful adventure steeped in mystery, twists and skullduggery (see what I did there? lol). Not too dissimilar to an adventure of Scooby-Doo, but with a more grown-up platform (even though the book is for teenagers) and a deeper plot.

Brilliantly written and an utter joy to read.