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The Hardy Boys #12
Footprints Under the Window
Footprints Under the Window (Hardy Boys, Book 12)
212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1933
132 people are currently reading
1364 people want to read
About the author
Franklin W. Dixon
1,489 books981 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 - 30 of 123 reviews
November 7, 2023
Footprints Under the Window is the twelfth novel in the Hardy Boys mystery series. It was published in 1933 by Grosset & Dunlap, and was produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which was responsible for a huge percentage of the books for young readers in the first half of the last century. It was, of course, published under the house name Franklin W. Dixon, and is most often attributed to Leslie McFarlane, who wrote the majority of the early Hardy Boys books, though some literary experts question whether this was actually one of his or not since it has some content and stylistic differences from others that he is known to have written. Stratemeyer's daughter oversaw a program of updates and revisions of the first 38 books in the series from the late 1950s through the early '70s, and a completely different story with the same title appeared in 1965, which was written by David Grambs. The original novel had 25 chapters and was 218 pages long, and the new iteration was shortened to 20 chapters with 177 pages. I've just read both versions back-to-back in order to compare them. Some of the characters have the same names, but the original concerned human smuggling from China and the new one is primarily a spy adventure, with South American revolutionaries and the theft of space program technology. The solution of the mystery of who left the titular footprints remains the same. The newer book is a much simpler and faster-paced story, with little in the way of characterization or explanation of motives. It seems to be intended for an audience of perhaps ten years old, on average, whereas the original may have been aimed at early teen-aged boys. The original suffers from stereotyped racial portrayals of the Chinese characters, all of whom seem to either work in laundries or restaurants and finish most of their words with "-ee." And it's never explained why the ships from China would land at Bayport on the Atlantic, so maybe someone did ghost for McFarlane. The newer story doesn't have any content that would offend many people, I don't believe, but doesn't have much depth or humor. I'll give both books three stars, but for different reasons.
April 5, 2017
Working out way chronologically through the Hardy Boys books with my son, we were a little disappoint on how Footprints started but we loved where the story took us. This time it is primarily Frank, Joe, and Chet working together in Bayport and travelling to Guyane to bust a spy ring. It is especially fast-paced towards the end with lots of gripping twists and turns and the inevitable teaser for the next book. On to #13!
November 7, 2023
Footprints Under the Window is the twelfth novel in the Hardy Boys mystery series. It was published in 1933 by Grosset & Dunlap, and was produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which was responsible for a huge percentage of the books for young readers in the first half of the last century. It was, of course, published under the house name Franklin W. Dixon, and is most often attributed to Leslie McFarlane, who wrote the majority of the early Hardy Boys books, though some literary experts question whether this was actually one of his or not since it has some content and stylistic differences from others that he is known to have written. Stratemeyer's daughter oversaw a program of updates and revisions of the first 38 books in the series from the late 1950s through the early '70s, and a completely different story with the same title appeared in 1965, which was written by David Grambs. The original novel had 25 chapters and was 218 pages long, and the new iteration was shortened to 20 chapters with 177 pages. I've just read both versions back-to-back in order to compare them. Some of the characters have the same names, but the original concerned human smuggling from China and the new one is primarily a spy adventure, with South American revolutionaries and the theft of space program technology. The solution of the mystery of who left the titular footprints remains the same. The newer book is a much simpler and faster-paced story, with little in the way of characterization or explanation of motives. It seems to be intended for an audience of perhaps ten years old, on average, whereas the original may have been aimed at early teen-aged boys. The original suffers from stereotyped racial portrayals of the Chinese characters, all of whom seem to either work in laundries or restaurants and finish most of their words with "-ee." And it's never explained why the ships from China would land at Bayport on the Atlantic, so maybe someone did ghost for McFarlane. The newer story doesn't have any content that would offend many people, I don't believe, but doesn't have much depth or humor. I'll give both books three stars, but for different reasons.
November 13, 2022
In 2015, I learned in Melanie Rehak’s comprehensive treatise, that my parents read different Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books than I did. Harriet Stratemeyer ran her Dad’s company, who died in 1930 after these series came out. Canadian Leslie McFarlane and Mildred A. Wirt were given broad plots by Edward and could truly author them. Harriet, not a gifted writer to me, cut their leeway. Ethical complaints in the 1950s had her rewriting the lot. I gave the name “Crash-Boom-Bang” to the effect of chopping my generation’s stories. This 12th novel, happily scored at a phenomenal charity sale this September, bears those marks noticeably.
Action rushes out of nowhere in “Footprints Under The Window”, 1933, more than usual; so constant in every chapter as to be stupid. Criminals draw attention to themselves with “stay away” messages, vandalism, or actual pot shots. It is bullshit that Chet Morton is always called chubby, wary, and never resolves mysteries or danger. Living rurally, he would fear insects, oxen, or rodents less than the pampered, boat and motorcycle owning Hardys! I do admire that all three are gentlemen, who deflect antagonists with courteous rejoinders.
A trip to South America, liberating people, using French and Spanish, and these boys doing housework earned a third star, upon reflection. Canadians like Leslie should know their way around une phrase francophone. Italicized revelations were spooky to me as a kid and that effect still works!
When I read an original volume of my Dad’s, I could not believe the much fuller stories, with background context and description easing us in and out of scenes. I realize today that Harriet did something worse: eliminating the stylistic presence of the original authors. The books of my day shrink down to outrageous, forced action, without any reference to characters’ feelings.
Action rushes out of nowhere in “Footprints Under The Window”, 1933, more than usual; so constant in every chapter as to be stupid. Criminals draw attention to themselves with “stay away” messages, vandalism, or actual pot shots. It is bullshit that Chet Morton is always called chubby, wary, and never resolves mysteries or danger. Living rurally, he would fear insects, oxen, or rodents less than the pampered, boat and motorcycle owning Hardys! I do admire that all three are gentlemen, who deflect antagonists with courteous rejoinders.
A trip to South America, liberating people, using French and Spanish, and these boys doing housework earned a third star, upon reflection. Canadians like Leslie should know their way around une phrase francophone. Italicized revelations were spooky to me as a kid and that effect still works!
When I read an original volume of my Dad’s, I could not believe the much fuller stories, with background context and description easing us in and out of scenes. I realize today that Harriet did something worse: eliminating the stylistic presence of the original authors. The books of my day shrink down to outrageous, forced action, without any reference to characters’ feelings.
July 29, 2022
I read the 1933 edition, which is very different from the revised 1965 edition. In fact, the cover of the book shown is wrong. There are not tropical settings and no army guys in the book I read.
But there sure are cringingly terrible racist stereotypes about Chinese people! My book cover originally looked like this! If you want to read a novel for kids that literally has phrases like "diabolical, yellow face," have I got a book for you!
The mystery begins with the boys needing to get laundry done in a hurry, because Aunt Gertrude is coming. So they take their bag o' clothes to the Chinese Laundry. Unfortunately, the good, honest Sam Lee no longer runs the Chinese Laundry, and instead there's a guy with a twisted grimace of a grin named Louie Fong running the place.
How evil is he? Why, he can't have their stuff done by tomorrow, even though they need it! It take "thlee, fo' day" (sic).
And then it's not even done! The truth is, they never get their laundry back! Instead, the boys uncover a ring to smuggle Chinamen (sic) into the country - right into Bayport, which, I'm pretty sure, is on America's east coast.
But never mind. There's lots of overheard conversations, knives thrown, trap-doors (sic), disguises, telegraph office messages, and everyday people traveling from town to town by boat like that's a thing people do.
There's also a roadhouse* called "Lantern Land" owned and run by Orientals (sic). 217 pages was a bit much of this. I've had my fill of embarrassing xenophobic Americana for quite a long time.
According to this PDF, I happened upon one of the 3 Hardy Boys' mysteries that are the most racist (the 3 being volumes 12, 13, and 14), and in fact, the racism is one of the reasons people doubt these 3 were written by supposed ghost-writer Leslie McFarlane, who wrote most of the first 25. Volume 13 has old South stereotypes of former slaves, and volume 14 has Mexicans. Whee.
*Road. House. *Whht-Khhhh!*
But there sure are cringingly terrible racist stereotypes about Chinese people! My book cover originally looked like this! If you want to read a novel for kids that literally has phrases like "diabolical, yellow face," have I got a book for you!
The mystery begins with the boys needing to get laundry done in a hurry, because Aunt Gertrude is coming. So they take their bag o' clothes to the Chinese Laundry. Unfortunately, the good, honest Sam Lee no longer runs the Chinese Laundry, and instead there's a guy with a twisted grimace of a grin named Louie Fong running the place.
How evil is he? Why, he can't have their stuff done by tomorrow, even though they need it! It take "thlee, fo' day" (sic).
And then it's not even done! The truth is, they never get their laundry back! Instead, the boys uncover a ring to smuggle Chinamen (sic) into the country - right into Bayport, which, I'm pretty sure, is on America's east coast.
But never mind. There's lots of overheard conversations, knives thrown, trap-doors (sic), disguises, telegraph office messages, and everyday people traveling from town to town by boat like that's a thing people do.
There's also a roadhouse* called "Lantern Land" owned and run by Orientals (sic). 217 pages was a bit much of this. I've had my fill of embarrassing xenophobic Americana for quite a long time.
According to this PDF, I happened upon one of the 3 Hardy Boys' mysteries that are the most racist (the 3 being volumes 12, 13, and 14), and in fact, the racism is one of the reasons people doubt these 3 were written by supposed ghost-writer Leslie McFarlane, who wrote most of the first 25. Volume 13 has old South stereotypes of former slaves, and volume 14 has Mexicans. Whee.
*Road. House. *Whht-Khhhh!*
October 18, 2021
When Frank and Joe Hardy go to meet their Aunt Gertrude on her return from a trip to South America, they arrive a little early, so they decide to head out in their motor boat. That’s when they see a man jump over the side of a ship. They pick him up, but all they get out of him is a strange warning about footprints before he runs off again. With their dad out of town on a case, they are left to try to figure out what is going on by themselves. Might it have to do with the robbery they foiled at a nearby photographic plant? And who left the footprints outside the Hardy’s house?
Even as a kid, I recognized the absurdity of the Hardys heading to South America at one point to follow a few leads, but even as an adult, it’s hard not to get caught up in the action and mystery. While things do make sense at the end, I feel like there were a few too many plot threads for them to untangle. One or two less would have helped. Still, even as an adult, I got caught up in the story. As always, the character are thin, and the story is dated. Very dated, in this case. But as long as today’s kids realize this is something from the 1960’s, they’ll be okay. I’ve got to admit, nostalgia is playing a bit in my rating since I loved this one as a kid.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Even as a kid, I recognized the absurdity of the Hardys heading to South America at one point to follow a few leads, but even as an adult, it’s hard not to get caught up in the action and mystery. While things do make sense at the end, I feel like there were a few too many plot threads for them to untangle. One or two less would have helped. Still, even as an adult, I got caught up in the story. As always, the character are thin, and the story is dated. Very dated, in this case. But as long as today’s kids realize this is something from the 1960’s, they’ll be okay. I’ve got to admit, nostalgia is playing a bit in my rating since I loved this one as a kid.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
August 2, 2025
3 Stars. Lacks the excitement of others in the series, such as #2, 'The House on the Cliff.' Plus, I had difficulty following the stowaways vs. the bad-guys from South America aspect and understanding the motive for the crimes the boys were investigating. It also felt artificial. Take the Huella Islands right off French Guiana's coast - that country is on the north shore of South America and part of France and the European Union. But the Huellas speak Spanish in this story! The reason was later revealed online. The islands are fictional although Cayenne city in French Guiana is not. Back to the story, Frank and Joe know of a company in Bayport called Micro-Eye. Highly secret. It does scientific research in photography for the US government, and the security is tight. The two are driving by the plant when they notice a man trying to cut through the perimeter fence. Although they give chase, the man who appears to be foreign born, escapes. Their interest jumps when Aunt Gertrude returns from an ocean cruise and relates a curious incident in Cayenne about a man trying to befriend her. There's one great plus, Chet is especially fun to be with in this one. (May2025)
June 23, 2016
The Hardy's seem to have a problem with gentlemen who would be described as 'swarthy', aka. foreign. Apparently all foreigners are criminals in their eyes, and it's sad to say that the books do tend to reflect that. They are definitely of their time, but their still mildly entertaining in a comical way.
June 23, 2016
More excitement, adventure, and mystery from this beloved series.
September 6, 2017
Holy racism, Batman! This is the original edition (published in the early 1930s) and it hasn't aged well. There's quite a bit that readers today will find jarring at best, and really offensive at worst. Here are some examples:
-- many of the characters are Chinese and are constantly referred to as "Chinamen" and "Orientals," which may perhaps have been accepted in 1933 but is definitely not now
-- the Chinese characters speak over-the-top broken English with every "r" replaced by an "l" and this speech is mocked in a few places by the white characters
-- "yellow" skin color is constantly referenced when talking about the "evil" faces of the ones who are bad guys; to the point where it seems like there's a clear connection being drawn between physical appearance and moral character
-- the part that I found most unsettling: there's a Chinese character who is supposed to be one of the "good guys" but there's a whole subplot about dressing him in girls' clothes and makeup when he needs to hide and... it's just weird. And played for laughs. And it's hard not to read it as stereotyping Chinese men as being effeminate.
I know that a lot of the earlier Hardy Boys mysteries underwent revisions in the 1960s. I'm really hoping that this book was one of them and I just don't know about it because the one we happened to come across at the used book store was the original 1930s edition.
With that said, I'm adding a second star because my son really did enjoy the rest of the plot. I insisted on reading it aloud to him so I could control the conversation a bit, and I did alter some of the worst parts as I was reading. I said "Chinese man" instead of "Chinaman" and read everything in standard English instead of the over-the-top pidgin English. I'm not a political correctness warrior by any means, but there were things I just couldn't bring myself to say out loud. And we also had a good talk about how times have changed and there are things people used to say that we now realize are wrong and offensive. If your child is mature enough for that conversation, this book may be okay for them. If not, well... there are lots of Hardy Boys mysteries that are much better. We haven't encountered this problem with any of the others so far.
-- many of the characters are Chinese and are constantly referred to as "Chinamen" and "Orientals," which may perhaps have been accepted in 1933 but is definitely not now
-- the Chinese characters speak over-the-top broken English with every "r" replaced by an "l" and this speech is mocked in a few places by the white characters
-- "yellow" skin color is constantly referenced when talking about the "evil" faces of the ones who are bad guys; to the point where it seems like there's a clear connection being drawn between physical appearance and moral character
-- the part that I found most unsettling: there's a Chinese character who is supposed to be one of the "good guys" but there's a whole subplot about dressing him in girls' clothes and makeup when he needs to hide and... it's just weird. And played for laughs. And it's hard not to read it as stereotyping Chinese men as being effeminate.
I know that a lot of the earlier Hardy Boys mysteries underwent revisions in the 1960s. I'm really hoping that this book was one of them and I just don't know about it because the one we happened to come across at the used book store was the original 1930s edition.
With that said, I'm adding a second star because my son really did enjoy the rest of the plot. I insisted on reading it aloud to him so I could control the conversation a bit, and I did alter some of the worst parts as I was reading. I said "Chinese man" instead of "Chinaman" and read everything in standard English instead of the over-the-top pidgin English. I'm not a political correctness warrior by any means, but there were things I just couldn't bring myself to say out loud. And we also had a good talk about how times have changed and there are things people used to say that we now realize are wrong and offensive. If your child is mature enough for that conversation, this book may be okay for them. If not, well... there are lots of Hardy Boys mysteries that are much better. We haven't encountered this problem with any of the others so far.
April 3, 2019
I actually really enjoyed this. Yes, the story is a bit silly, completely unbelievable and downright goofy at times but it was a fun and fast read. Chet is hilarious, and a great addition to the Hardy Brother's dynamic. There was a lot of action, maybe a little too much at the end, but still it was entertaining. Aunt Gertrude deserves her own series too! The language is a little dated, but I think the plot still holds up for a whacky teen adventure.
July 27, 2020
Frank & Joe Hardy are fending for themselves in Bayport while their mom and dad are out of town on a trip. They know their dad is in the middle of a big case and is possibly using the trip as a cover. Then they get word that their Aunt Gertrude is about to descend upon them (as she always seems to do when she hears the boys are left at home)--little do they know that she will be the catalyst that sends them into a mystery as well.
For when they go to meet the boat she planned to arrive on, there's no Aunt Gertrude--only a man by the name of Simon Pebbles who tells them their aunt had a minor accident on the dock and wasn't able to make the trip after all. She had asked him to stop in Bayport and phone the Hardys to give them the news. Pebbles winds up missing the ferry and Frank & Joe invite him to spend the night at their house. When they wake up in the morning, they're surprised to find Pebbles gone, papers missing from their dad's things, and...Aunt Gertrude lying on the front room floor.
She's very groggy and feels ill and insists that she saw a Chinese man staring at her in the night. It seems she didn't miss the ferry, but became extremely drowsy and slept through the first stop at Bayport. She was awake enough to get off when it made its return trip in the early morning hours. But what about the Chinese man? It seems that Chinese folks are going to figure very prominently--when the boys took a huge load of laundry to the local Chinese laundry (trying to prepare for their aunt's surprise visit), they found the very friendly Sam Lee replaced by a nasty man by the name of Louie Fong. Then when they search around the house for clues to explain Pebbles disappearance, they find a piece of paper with Chinese writing in addition to some mysterious footprints.
Next up...a man who says he hired Fenton Hardy to investigate claims that he (the man) was smuggling Chinese illegally into the States appears and demands that the boys tell him where their father is. Since they don't know, Frank & Joe decide to investigate on their own. All the clues seem to point to the laundromat and the change in ownership....but who is the man who left the footprints under their window and who seems to be spying on the same people they're investigating? And what does Simon Pebbles have to do with it? They'll have to answer those questions before they can wrap up this mystery.
The story line is actually very pertinent today--with people so very worried about "illegals" getting into the country. As per usual, it is the immigrants looking for a new life who suffer the most. Here we have a gang of smugglers "helping" illegal immigrants get into the country and then exiorting money from them by blackmailing them about their status. There are, certainly, some disturbing racial stereotypes to be found here--but a point is made that while most of the Chinese encountered in the story can speak English perfectly well, they deliberately do not do so with white men so no one will suspect how intelligent they really are. And the ultimate bad guy of the piece isn't Chinese.
There is a lot of action--from thrown knives to falling down trapdoors to being chased by an angry wolfhound. There's also overheard conversations, disguises, urgent telegraph messages, and the drugging of innocent aunts. And, of course, the Hardys--Frank, Joe, and Fenton--get their man/men in the end.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
For when they go to meet the boat she planned to arrive on, there's no Aunt Gertrude--only a man by the name of Simon Pebbles who tells them their aunt had a minor accident on the dock and wasn't able to make the trip after all. She had asked him to stop in Bayport and phone the Hardys to give them the news. Pebbles winds up missing the ferry and Frank & Joe invite him to spend the night at their house. When they wake up in the morning, they're surprised to find Pebbles gone, papers missing from their dad's things, and...Aunt Gertrude lying on the front room floor.
She's very groggy and feels ill and insists that she saw a Chinese man staring at her in the night. It seems she didn't miss the ferry, but became extremely drowsy and slept through the first stop at Bayport. She was awake enough to get off when it made its return trip in the early morning hours. But what about the Chinese man? It seems that Chinese folks are going to figure very prominently--when the boys took a huge load of laundry to the local Chinese laundry (trying to prepare for their aunt's surprise visit), they found the very friendly Sam Lee replaced by a nasty man by the name of Louie Fong. Then when they search around the house for clues to explain Pebbles disappearance, they find a piece of paper with Chinese writing in addition to some mysterious footprints.
Next up...a man who says he hired Fenton Hardy to investigate claims that he (the man) was smuggling Chinese illegally into the States appears and demands that the boys tell him where their father is. Since they don't know, Frank & Joe decide to investigate on their own. All the clues seem to point to the laundromat and the change in ownership....but who is the man who left the footprints under their window and who seems to be spying on the same people they're investigating? And what does Simon Pebbles have to do with it? They'll have to answer those questions before they can wrap up this mystery.
The story line is actually very pertinent today--with people so very worried about "illegals" getting into the country. As per usual, it is the immigrants looking for a new life who suffer the most. Here we have a gang of smugglers "helping" illegal immigrants get into the country and then exiorting money from them by blackmailing them about their status. There are, certainly, some disturbing racial stereotypes to be found here--but a point is made that while most of the Chinese encountered in the story can speak English perfectly well, they deliberately do not do so with white men so no one will suspect how intelligent they really are. And the ultimate bad guy of the piece isn't Chinese.
There is a lot of action--from thrown knives to falling down trapdoors to being chased by an angry wolfhound. There's also overheard conversations, disguises, urgent telegraph messages, and the drugging of innocent aunts. And, of course, the Hardys--Frank, Joe, and Fenton--get their man/men in the end.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
August 6, 2022
eponymous sentence:
p116: "Those footprints under the window, both at our house and North's."
ocr:
p7: "Frank--I've never seen so many guards at Micro-Eye beforel And that steel wire fence is new...."
p40: Joe and Frank winked at each other as their aunt propped the curtain rod in a comer.
p72: "You--you fooll" he rasped.
p74"...I suggest you boys play it cooL We'll keep a tail on him, in hope that he'll lead us to the whole spy nest if he is guilty...."
p92: "They never reached the immigration officel" Joe exclaimed.
p93: "Doesn't figure." to
Joe had a theory.
p113: The brown vehicle was just turning the comer at the far end of the block!
Chet is such a trooper.
p116: "Those footprints under the window, both at our house and North's."
ocr:
p7: "Frank--I've never seen so many guards at Micro-Eye beforel And that steel wire fence is new...."
p40: Joe and Frank winked at each other as their aunt propped the curtain rod in a comer.
p72: "You--you fooll" he rasped.
p74"...I suggest you boys play it cooL We'll keep a tail on him, in hope that he'll lead us to the whole spy nest if he is guilty...."
p92: "They never reached the immigration officel" Joe exclaimed.
p93: "Doesn't figure." to
Joe had a theory.
p113: The brown vehicle was just turning the comer at the far end of the block!
Chet is such a trooper.
March 17, 2023
"Okay. You two can hunt crooks. I'm off to study the clouds."
Some of the stuff in this one just felt a little too forced and convenient for the plot. It also felt like there was too much going on and things got lost in the shuffle. Then they had to wrap up everything in like two pages at the end.
Some of the stuff in this one just felt a little too forced and convenient for the plot. It also felt like there was too much going on and things got lost in the shuffle. Then they had to wrap up everything in like two pages at the end.
March 21, 2025
I thought this was splendid 4.3 stars
January 5, 2018
this hardy boys was a different one. the title for a start is very misleading for the point that is no beach or people jumping off a board for what i can remember. also the title ¨footprints under the window¨ is odd because there is no window in the cover pic. all in all this is a very fast paced book.
August 7, 2025
Okay this one was pretty good. Very good mystery and storyline. And unforeseeable twists.
July 13, 2025
adventure and mystery from the beginning.
July 29, 2011
The classic boy detectives by Frank Dixon--I read ALL of them in my younger years, one I ran out of Nancy Drew books. The Hardy Boys are brother amateur detectives, aspiring to follow in their famous father's footsteps. Frank Hardy is the elder of the two and has dark hair. Joe Hardy is the younger brother, and has blond hair and blue eyes. The stories are an unaging series, in which Frank and Joe are always 18 and 17 years of age, respectively. In the original series the brothers were a younger 16 and 15 years of age, but their ages were increased during the revision process that began in 1959. The series utilizes a "floating timeline", in which events always take place in the present day.
The two boys live in the fictional city of Bayport (on Barmet Bay) with their famous father, Fenton Hardy, a private detective formerly with the New York Police Department, their mother Laura Hardy (erroneously called Mildred in The Flying Express), and their Aunt Gertrude, a character often used for comic relief.
The two boys live in the fictional city of Bayport (on Barmet Bay) with their famous father, Fenton Hardy, a private detective formerly with the New York Police Department, their mother Laura Hardy (erroneously called Mildred in The Flying Express), and their Aunt Gertrude, a character often used for comic relief.
March 13, 2023
Het chinese gevaar loert overal. De Hardy's hebben grote moeilijkheden bij hun onderzoek. Ten eerste omdat hun klant niet wil dat ze voor hem iets onderzoeken, hij vindt hen te jong en onervaren. Ten tweede omdat chinezen zwijgen tegen de buitenwereld ook al vallen er doden bij hun onderlinge problemen.
Het thema van het boek, illegale immigratie en afpersing/moderne slavernij van illegalen is nu nog meer aktueel dan ooit.
Er is een subtiele maar jammerlijke wijziging in het karakter van Chet, hij wordt meer en meer als een blaaskaak en belachelijk figuur voorgesteld. In de eerste boeken was hij nog de derde held.
Verder blijft alles bij het oude, buiten enkele nieuwe personages .
Spannend, de auteur doet nogal neerbuigend over de chinezen en er doet dit keer ook een gevaarlijke hond mee.
Het thema van het boek, illegale immigratie en afpersing/moderne slavernij van illegalen is nu nog meer aktueel dan ooit.
Er is een subtiele maar jammerlijke wijziging in het karakter van Chet, hij wordt meer en meer als een blaaskaak en belachelijk figuur voorgesteld. In de eerste boeken was hij nog de derde held.
Verder blijft alles bij het oude, buiten enkele nieuwe personages .
Spannend, de auteur doet nogal neerbuigend over de chinezen en er doet dit keer ook een gevaarlijke hond mee.
April 18, 2022
A solid entry in the series, but too much of the book was spent in travel to another country to find out a bit of information that provided some background, but was not necessary to wrapping up the mystery.
On the plus side, Chet is in the thick of things with his new hobby (meteorology) that didn't exactly help with the case, but didn't set things back for the Hardys either. If anyone ever comes up with a Top 10 list of non-costumed sidekicks, Chet should be at #2, right under Dr. Watson.
This definitely from the Cold War era, so have that in mind as you read it. It makes a bit more sense that way.
Finally, the role of Fenton Hardy is an old trope, but still fun to read. I won't spoil it any further than that. Enjoy.
Find it. Buy it. Read it!
On the plus side, Chet is in the thick of things with his new hobby (meteorology) that didn't exactly help with the case, but didn't set things back for the Hardys either. If anyone ever comes up with a Top 10 list of non-costumed sidekicks, Chet should be at #2, right under Dr. Watson.
This definitely from the Cold War era, so have that in mind as you read it. It makes a bit more sense that way.
Finally, the role of Fenton Hardy is an old trope, but still fun to read. I won't spoil it any further than that. Enjoy.
Find it. Buy it. Read it!
May 29, 2023
Apparently, as a child I somehow ended up reading the banned book version of this tale, because I remembered it as something entirely different (Chinese espionage ran through a laundromat.) I think that version was tied with What Happened at Midnight for my Least Favorite Hardy Boy Adventure, so I may not have missed much by reading this instead. However, it was personally distracting to read this with snippets of the other version floating through my head, unable to verify my memory's accuracy. That may have influenced my star ranking.
May 10, 2017
It was fine, but (though all Hardy Boys books do this) this volume seemed to specifically and constantly rely on the boys just happening to be someplace (which they hadn't traveled to to search for clues) at the exact right time for something to happen to give them the clues they needed. There were all 3 other adults working full-time to solve the case and came up with nothing throughout the entire book. Not as good as some of the others.
May 1, 2020
Frank and Joe are asked to help figure out just who is trying to break into an advanced tech company, which may also be connected to break-ins and vandalism across Bayport - and will take the boys all the way to Guyane to seek out the answers to missing illegal immigrants! Dixon takes readers on yet another exciting mystery full of action and twists. Can the boys and their friends save innocent lives before they end up lost to a group of devious smugglers?
June 16, 2010
Has your father ever gone missing? If so then you should read this book. It's about a company that builds the world's best telescope and a group of criminals tries to steal the designs. In the process the boy's dad disappears while trying to stop them. It's exciting.
April 23, 2023
Another “intense” one as Frank and Joe battle spies and come close to death.
What is happening at Micro-Eye?
Who are the dudes with the machete?
Where is Fenton Hardy?
All will be explained AND more in this amazing mystery.
What is happening at Micro-Eye?
Who are the dudes with the machete?
Where is Fenton Hardy?
All will be explained AND more in this amazing mystery.
January 8, 2024
Apart from a few plot holes, the change of scenery, going to Baredo, the myriad characters coming together....
Some element of mystery is maintained till the last. So, that made it an interesting read!
Some element of mystery is maintained till the last. So, that made it an interesting read!
March 24, 2015
When Frank and Joe Hardy's detective father disappears, they investigate a plot to steal a secret instrument intended for the US space program.
March 29, 2015
Another fun mystery involving the Hardy brothers.
July 13, 2021
Hardyguttene ordner opp der utlendinger, kvinner og overvektige feiler.
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