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Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers #4
Thrill Ride
ATAC Briefing For Agents Frank and Joe Hardy
Mission:
Investigate a woman's death and other mysterious events surrounding Uncle Bernie's Fun Park.
Location:
Uncle Bernie's Fun Park, MA.
Potential Victims:
All Fun Park patrons.
Suspects:
Disgruntled employees. Unhappy customers. Enemies of Bernie.
This Mission Requires Your Immediate Attention. This Message Will Be Erased In Five Seconds.
Mission:
Investigate a woman's death and other mysterious events surrounding Uncle Bernie's Fun Park.
Location:
Uncle Bernie's Fun Park, MA.
Potential Victims:
All Fun Park patrons.
Suspects:
Disgruntled employees. Unhappy customers. Enemies of Bernie.
This Mission Requires Your Immediate Attention. This Message Will Be Erased In Five Seconds.
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2005
20 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Franklin W. Dixon
738 books992 followersFranklin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 6, 2012
Awesome! Full of suspense n simply adored the ending! Kudos 2 ATAC!!!
February 17, 2016
I think that the Hardy Boys are very brave to be part of the ATFC organization.
April 18, 2012
This is another great sequal to the previous book. This time, Frank an Joe hardy are investigating an imusiment park death. A cave on a roller coaster collapsed on a woman, killing her. People think that this was all an accident but the boys don't think the same. They are off in another mission.
Throughout the book you will read about possible suspects and all of the near death expeiriences that Frank and Joe are faced with.
This series is a great one for anyone who likesv action and mystery.
Throughout the book you will read about possible suspects and all of the near death expeiriences that Frank and Joe are faced with.
This series is a great one for anyone who likesv action and mystery.
June 13, 2012
Oh wow. What a way to start a book!
This book didn't really entertain me as much as the others I've read recently. Maybe it was the fact that when I was little, I had a Scooby-Doo movie that had an episode with a similar plot. Or maybe just because I was suffering from a splitting headache while I was reading the last five chapters or so. Whatever it was, it kept me from absolutely loving the book. It was still pretty good, though.
This book didn't really entertain me as much as the others I've read recently. Maybe it was the fact that when I was little, I had a Scooby-Doo movie that had an episode with a similar plot. Or maybe just because I was suffering from a splitting headache while I was reading the last five chapters or so. Whatever it was, it kept me from absolutely loving the book. It was still pretty good, though.
March 7, 2013
I like this book so much!
December 5, 2015
A Quickie Review
Another fun installment in this remade series.
Score: 4/5
Another fun installment in this remade series.
Score: 4/5
January 3, 2024
The Hardy Boys: Thrill Ride, by Franklin W. Dixon, is a mystery fiction book that shows how two teenage detectives solve a murder at an amusement park. The two teenage detectives, Joe and Frank Hardy, are brothers and they work for American Teens Against Crime (ATAC). Joe and Frank receive a secret mission to investigate a recent death at an amusement park. Their adventure begins when they travel to Holyoke, Massachusetts. Here they take a trip around the amusement park to look for any clues the police did not find and start collecting a list of their own suspects.
The majority of the book takes place at Uncle Bernie’s Fun Park in Holyoke, Massachusetts which has been in existence since 1924. The setting influences the plot as the amusement park appears run down and old which leads to the readers believing that the park is at fault for all of the malfunctions. The plot of the book was very fast paced as the park becomes chaotic as several rides start to malfunction. The fast paced book plot kept my attention as the book got more interesting every chapter. The plot was very believable as each ride malfunction had very specific details about the ride and its workings which made it interesting. The details and situations made the book feel original while the plot in general felt like a normal mystery book. At the end of the book, there was a big surprise on who the actual killer was, which really added a twist to the end. Looking back on all the details provided, it makes sense who the killer is now but the book kept you on another track.
The protagonists in the book were Jack and Frank who were likable characters and reminded you of typical teenagers. They are doing an important job much more for grownups but also had moments of pure teenage awkwardness which made them very relatable. Without giving away the ending, the antagonist was a serious threat to Jack and Frank throughout the book. This book had many characters and many suspects who were available during the investigation.The characters were active in the plotting of the book which resulted in situations happening based upon things that the characters were doing and saying. The interaction with the characters' actions and words kept you off track on who the real killer was in the book. The antagonist in the book was the most dynamic character because he was cooperative in all instances but later in the book the killer showed the true colors of what type of person they really were. This led to all the characters feeling original because they all had their own personalities and attributes.
This book being a mystery has several elements of suspense such as conflict and secrets. There is conflict between characters as different characters want to hurt or sabotage each other. There is also conflict between the owner of the amusement park and a potential buyer because the buyer wants to buy and the owner doesn't want to sell. Another area of conflict is between employee’s and the owner because the owner is not concerned about employee rights or wages. The mystery/secret of the book is that every suspect has a different reason on why they could be the potential killer which keeps the reader intrigued.
In conclusion, this book was very entertaining and I would recommend this book for someone who likes mysteries with a twist at the end.
The majority of the book takes place at Uncle Bernie’s Fun Park in Holyoke, Massachusetts which has been in existence since 1924. The setting influences the plot as the amusement park appears run down and old which leads to the readers believing that the park is at fault for all of the malfunctions. The plot of the book was very fast paced as the park becomes chaotic as several rides start to malfunction. The fast paced book plot kept my attention as the book got more interesting every chapter. The plot was very believable as each ride malfunction had very specific details about the ride and its workings which made it interesting. The details and situations made the book feel original while the plot in general felt like a normal mystery book. At the end of the book, there was a big surprise on who the actual killer was, which really added a twist to the end. Looking back on all the details provided, it makes sense who the killer is now but the book kept you on another track.
The protagonists in the book were Jack and Frank who were likable characters and reminded you of typical teenagers. They are doing an important job much more for grownups but also had moments of pure teenage awkwardness which made them very relatable. Without giving away the ending, the antagonist was a serious threat to Jack and Frank throughout the book. This book had many characters and many suspects who were available during the investigation.The characters were active in the plotting of the book which resulted in situations happening based upon things that the characters were doing and saying. The interaction with the characters' actions and words kept you off track on who the real killer was in the book. The antagonist in the book was the most dynamic character because he was cooperative in all instances but later in the book the killer showed the true colors of what type of person they really were. This led to all the characters feeling original because they all had their own personalities and attributes.
This book being a mystery has several elements of suspense such as conflict and secrets. There is conflict between characters as different characters want to hurt or sabotage each other. There is also conflict between the owner of the amusement park and a potential buyer because the buyer wants to buy and the owner doesn't want to sell. Another area of conflict is between employee’s and the owner because the owner is not concerned about employee rights or wages. The mystery/secret of the book is that every suspect has a different reason on why they could be the potential killer which keeps the reader intrigued.
In conclusion, this book was very entertaining and I would recommend this book for someone who likes mysteries with a twist at the end.
January 27, 2023
As a lover of theme parks ( roller coasters in particular ) and mysteries, I knew I had to read this book. It seems that these newer Hardy Boys books are a little more violent and more action based than the original series, but they still had the sleuthing aspect too. I also appreciated having the story told in fist person, with the brothers alternating the narration.
July 30, 2018
As far as I am reading it is a very exciting book that makes you want to read
April 22, 2021
Hardy Boys still fails to disappoint. Every story has me non-stop reading until I get to the end of the book.
January 27, 2022
At Uncle Bernie's Fun Park, a ride crashes crushing people and now the Hardy Boys are investigating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2025
amazing plot great series absolutely wonderful i really enjoyed this book it's very fast paced and the chapters are really short highly recommend this book
June 6, 2019
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.
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.
February 6, 2016
Back in the day, I probably read the vast majority of Hardy Boys novels. I acquired this new, modernized series novel and gave it a try.
I liked the old ones better.
In this incarnation, Frank and Joe belong to some super secret spy type organization started by their father, ATAC. This seemed completely unnecessary, but maybe the kids dig it. Still, it seemed like something from a 1960's comic book inspired by the Acronymania The Man From UNCLE begat.
The story itself, about sabotage at an amusement park, is okay, not really up to the standards of the best of the Hardy Boys series, or the Three Investigators, but isn't bad.
I liked the old ones better.
In this incarnation, Frank and Joe belong to some super secret spy type organization started by their father, ATAC. This seemed completely unnecessary, but maybe the kids dig it. Still, it seemed like something from a 1960's comic book inspired by the Acronymania The Man From UNCLE begat.
The story itself, about sabotage at an amusement park, is okay, not really up to the standards of the best of the Hardy Boys series, or the Three Investigators, but isn't bad.
March 1, 2013
Come on guys, you were raised better than this!
The mystery was WAY too obvious. At least the thrills were there, the fast pacing and adventure were good. Loved the water slide incident which had that little chill factor (and will probably have me avoiding water parks). But on the whole I was a bit disappointed.
It was just TOO easy, even for a kid's mystery.
The mystery was WAY too obvious. At least the thrills were there, the fast pacing and adventure were good. Loved the water slide incident which had that little chill factor (and will probably have me avoiding water parks). But on the whole I was a bit disappointed.
It was just TOO easy, even for a kid's mystery.
August 24, 2016
I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it is very mysterious and fun to read. This book involves many sequences were Joe and Frank the kids, that work for ATAC try to find many suspects of what happened to innocent Maggie Soto in the Doom Ride. This book is amzing to all types of readers that like books that only involve twists at the end and which is very mysterious.
December 31, 2019
Pretty interesting, someone dies, they investigate. It didn't really end the way i was hoping for but it was a good read. I don’t remember much, means this book wasn’t really that good. I don’t really see how a 12 year old boy who’s really big could do all that work, just didn’t really fit well I think.
July 8, 2009
New style Hardy Boys. They still never grew up and always get their man, or in this case boy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2013
It Was absolutely AWESOME!!!
If you haven't already read this book then, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?
If you haven't already read this book then, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?
July 4, 2013
Still not thrilled with the petty bickerings of boys jealousy over who is cuter to girls. The boys are sent to an amusement park that is being sabotaged.
August 21, 2013
I personally loved the fight scenes in this book. The hardy boys kept my attention all the way through and I am pleased to say that I want to read the other hardy boy books in this series.
July 3, 2014
it was just amazing. never read a book so thrilling!
July 2, 2017
The ending was a bit surprising... never expected it to be a kid who was behind it all. Good book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2009
ONE illegal M-80 on a roller coaster!!!!(BANG!!!)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews