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Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers #3
Boardwalk Bust
ATAC Briefing for Agents Frank and Joe Hardy
MISSION:
Investigate and put a halt to the recent rash of jewelry store robberies. Potential danger on the ground and in the air.
LOCATION:
Ocean Grove, NJ.
POTENTIAL VICTIMS:
All jewelry store owners in and around Ocean Grove.
SUSPECTS:
Undetermined. Ocean Grove is full of tourists who are just passing through.
This mission requires your immediate attention.
This message will be erased in five seconds.
MISSION:
Investigate and put a halt to the recent rash of jewelry store robberies. Potential danger on the ground and in the air.
LOCATION:
Ocean Grove, NJ.
POTENTIAL VICTIMS:
All jewelry store owners in and around Ocean Grove.
SUSPECTS:
Undetermined. Ocean Grove is full of tourists who are just passing through.
This mission requires your immediate attention.
This message will be erased in five seconds.
176 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2005
26 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Franklin W. Dixon
736 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 20, 2024
'Boardwalk Bust' (The Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers #3) by Franklin W. Dixon.
Rating: 4.0/5.
Disclaimer:
The Hardy Boys books are a nostalgic affair. Had it not been for these books, it would have been difficult for me to cultivate my interest in reading and to later expand my reading preferences to include the fantasy and sci-fi genres. So, yeah, that's the main reason why you would rarely find me giving a rating of fewer than 3.5 stars (out of 5) to these Hardy Boys books.
Review:
A recent rash of jewelry store thefts has beleagured the scenic location of Ocean Grove. ATAC sends its best agents, Frank and Joe Hardy, to put a halt on the robberies and find out the perpetrator. It's the holiday season, and Ocean Grove is full of tourists who are passing through, which makes the investigation more difficult for the Hardys as the list of suspects is practically endless.
I found this story to be an overall improvement over its predecessor, but still, the mystery aspects of the story turned out to be pretty weak. Perhaps I have read far too many Hardy Boys books to be familiar with the pattern, but I could easily guess who the culprit might be when he was first introduced into the story. Anyway, I was astonished when the Hardys made the wrong guess when some random character dropped a hint that the recent treasure hunt might increase the tourism business in Ocean Grove—the answer was staring right in front of their face and yet the Hardys didn't consider it at first!
What makes the book work well is its fast-paced, action-packed story. The Hardys are faced with some perilous circumstances on this mission, and they somehow manage to escape these life-or-death situations! The book has plenty of humorous situations as well, which greatly overshadow the weaker mystery elements. There's a repeated gag with Joe, who got a black eye during his previous mission during a failed attempt to milk a cow, where he thinks things can't get much worse than what they are right now—and, unfortunately, for the Raccoon Man, they get so much worse!
All in all, Boardwalk Bust offered an exciting reading experience. I managed to finish it within a couple of hours in a single sitting, and it made me regain some of the faith in the Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers continuity that I had lost after reading the previous entry in the series.
"How's your eye?" Frank asked me.
"Which one?"
There was no way around it—I was now going to have two black eyes.
"Guess I should call you raccoon-man," Frank said, snickering.
Rating: 4.0/5.
Disclaimer:
The Hardy Boys books are a nostalgic affair. Had it not been for these books, it would have been difficult for me to cultivate my interest in reading and to later expand my reading preferences to include the fantasy and sci-fi genres. So, yeah, that's the main reason why you would rarely find me giving a rating of fewer than 3.5 stars (out of 5) to these Hardy Boys books.
Review:
A recent rash of jewelry store thefts has beleagured the scenic location of Ocean Grove. ATAC sends its best agents, Frank and Joe Hardy, to put a halt on the robberies and find out the perpetrator. It's the holiday season, and Ocean Grove is full of tourists who are passing through, which makes the investigation more difficult for the Hardys as the list of suspects is practically endless.
I found this story to be an overall improvement over its predecessor, but still, the mystery aspects of the story turned out to be pretty weak. Perhaps I have read far too many Hardy Boys books to be familiar with the pattern, but I could easily guess who the culprit might be when he was first introduced into the story. Anyway, I was astonished when the Hardys made the wrong guess when some random character dropped a hint that the recent treasure hunt might increase the tourism business in Ocean Grove—the answer was staring right in front of their face and yet the Hardys didn't consider it at first!
What makes the book work well is its fast-paced, action-packed story. The Hardys are faced with some perilous circumstances on this mission, and they somehow manage to escape these life-or-death situations! The book has plenty of humorous situations as well, which greatly overshadow the weaker mystery elements. There's a repeated gag with Joe, who got a black eye during his previous mission during a failed attempt to milk a cow, where he thinks things can't get much worse than what they are right now—and, unfortunately, for the Raccoon Man, they get so much worse!
All in all, Boardwalk Bust offered an exciting reading experience. I managed to finish it within a couple of hours in a single sitting, and it made me regain some of the faith in the Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers continuity that I had lost after reading the previous entry in the series.
"His masterpiece was totaled, all right—but we were still whole. Which proves one thing: It's lucky to be smart, but it's even smarter to be lucky."
September 14, 2020
Review by Benny my 8 yr old son: This book is exciting. The exciting part is that the Hardy Boys are in a secret spy mission to find out the robber of three jewelry stores in Ocean Point, New Jersey. There is this parrot that is so annoying because he/she says words that makes the boys unhappy but it doesn’t have anything to do with the mystery. The Hardy Boys have lots of suspects that they find by searching the beach, getting evidence, and by watching the internet. My favorite character is Joe (Hardy) because he is the one that wants to go to parties more. I recommend this book for other kids my age because it’s good and it’s exciting.
January 19, 2018
This is probably the best in the Undercover Brothers series so far. I liked the setting a lot too! The biggest thing I don’t like about the Undercover Brothers series is that they are keeping the secret of being detectives from their mom and aunt. This really ruins the chapters with the whole family in it because it makes you feel like the Hardy’s don’t like their aunt and mom- which is not true. This is one reason why I like the original series a lot more. Other than that this was a really good book and I would recommend it to all mystery and adventure lovers!
June 21, 2018
Believe it or not, this is the first Hardy Boys book I have ever read! I understand that these are new books.
Joe and Frank Hardy were undercover agents for ATAC (American Teens Against Crimes.) Their father,
Fenwick Hardy, organized the undercover agents to try to keep the boys out of trouble. They got this assignment from a teenager pretending to sell Girl Scout cookies. When the tape is done it erases itself and plays music.
This case was about some Jewel Thefts that were happening in Ocean Point, New Jersey. Now I have lived in New Jersey for the better part of my life, I have been to the shore more times than I can count, but never heard of Ocean Point! It is past Atlantic City.
The story was a good one and actually kept my interest all afternoon today while I was watching my Grandchildren in the pool!
I loved how out of the blue the boys solved the mystery and brought the guilty people to justice!
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Mysteries! Especially younger children and adults.
Joe and Frank Hardy were undercover agents for ATAC (American Teens Against Crimes.) Their father,
Fenwick Hardy, organized the undercover agents to try to keep the boys out of trouble. They got this assignment from a teenager pretending to sell Girl Scout cookies. When the tape is done it erases itself and plays music.
This case was about some Jewel Thefts that were happening in Ocean Point, New Jersey. Now I have lived in New Jersey for the better part of my life, I have been to the shore more times than I can count, but never heard of Ocean Point! It is past Atlantic City.
The story was a good one and actually kept my interest all afternoon today while I was watching my Grandchildren in the pool!
I loved how out of the blue the boys solved the mystery and brought the guilty people to justice!
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Mysteries! Especially younger children and adults.
June 11, 2012
I enjoyed this book, except for the fact that the culprit is starting to get predictable as being the person you least expect. Now, I know that if it was always the most obvious person, it would get kind of boring, but still.
This book had Frank and Joe getting into more life-or-death situations than the last one I read. Many of them they barely escaped from. That makes it more entertaining, in my opinion.
While I was reading, I found myself wondering where Bayport is supposed to be located. Is it in New York, since their father used to work for the NYPD? Or is it in New Jersey? If I recall correctly, some of the suspect profiles in other books I've read in this series say it's in New Jersey. If that's the case, then how far away is Ocean Point, if they decided to fly there? I found that immensely confusing, but I'm pretty convinced that Bayport is in New Jersey.
This book had Frank and Joe getting into more life-or-death situations than the last one I read. Many of them they barely escaped from. That makes it more entertaining, in my opinion.
While I was reading, I found myself wondering where Bayport is supposed to be located. Is it in New York, since their father used to work for the NYPD? Or is it in New Jersey? If I recall correctly, some of the suspect profiles in other books I've read in this series say it's in New Jersey. If that's the case, then how far away is Ocean Point, if they decided to fly there? I found that immensely confusing, but I'm pretty convinced that Bayport is in New Jersey.
January 14, 2013
This book is amazing it is about frank and Joe Hardy t ogo on a mission to catch a jewel theft in Ocean Point, New Jersey. They now how to ride motorcycles and the can fly a air plane. Frank always seams to have a black eye or a bump of some sought in the story. Joe is jealous of frank because he gets all of the girls because when he talks to them he stublles and the ythink that is cute he just does'ent understand because he has all of the muscle and the brains. There dad only knows about them being kid detectives so every time tehy go on a mission teh yhave to lye to tehre Aunt and Mom. Only one of are good lyers teh other one is bad at it. This book was fantastic. I recommend this book to any one who likes a good mystery.
July 16, 2013
It was a Fantastic book!
You should read it!!!
Trust me!
You should read it!!!
Trust me!
November 17, 2025
I rated it 5. Nevermind.. I found this book on an auspicious day in my school's library. It looked like a standout book.. something cool. I was surprised no one wanted it or read it (kinda the vibe). I even asked later why this book is even in the library? It didn't seem like the pop or important book to be in the library. It looked like an outlier.
I took it and opened it. I liked it because it appeased with my youth loving brain. Anything to do with teens, adolescence, adventures, things like that. So, I took the book home later.
I perused the hairstyles of the brothers in the book cover. I was a bit OCD and all about looks at that time.
I looked up about the book later on the internet. There appeared to be more books of the series, and I wanted them.
I liked the words "Boardwalk" and "Bust" together. It was hip.
Oh, and I liked the "Profile" page of person-characters in the book. That feature was nice. I remember the 6'2 highschooler who shot a Hardy with a paintball gun.
I took it and opened it. I liked it because it appeased with my youth loving brain. Anything to do with teens, adolescence, adventures, things like that. So, I took the book home later.
I perused the hairstyles of the brothers in the book cover. I was a bit OCD and all about looks at that time.
I looked up about the book later on the internet. There appeared to be more books of the series, and I wanted them.
I liked the words "Boardwalk" and "Bust" together. It was hip.
Oh, and I liked the "Profile" page of person-characters in the book. That feature was nice. I remember the 6'2 highschooler who shot a Hardy with a paintball gun.
July 18, 2025
such a wonderful book it has amazing mystery and it has short chapters even though i am not a child and this is technically a children book i enjoyed it sooo much it was so fast paced and only about 160 pages highly recommend it
December 29, 2025
Not Nancy Drew.
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.
July 20, 2025
It was the first book I picked up from my school library which was of a Young Adult theme. I just liked to dig the cool adolescent vibes in it.
December 6, 2011
If u r looking for a great mystery series u have to read the hardy boys.
Frank and joe hardy are teenage detectives and are part a secret group.
they travel to many different places cracking cases and having fun
In this book frank and joe are headed to New Jersey to find out who was behind the robberies of many different jewelry stores. the robberies were organised though. the alarm systems were jacked and the doors were opened, not smashed.frank and joe are faced with 3 life thretening situations one involving the major, a pistol and a small plane.
the hardy boys is at the top of the list for any mystery lover.
Frank and joe hardy are teenage detectives and are part a secret group.
they travel to many different places cracking cases and having fun
In this book frank and joe are headed to New Jersey to find out who was behind the robberies of many different jewelry stores. the robberies were organised though. the alarm systems were jacked and the doors were opened, not smashed.frank and joe are faced with 3 life thretening situations one involving the major, a pistol and a small plane.
the hardy boys is at the top of the list for any mystery lover.
July 4, 2011
It was good! The best part was when Joe and Frank were hinding in Bump's plane
December 25, 2012
I gave it 3 stars because there were two potential victims: Ricardo Meyers and Mary Fleming. They took so much attention off the real culprits.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2014
This one is a typical hardy boy adventure with all the investigation and the crimes and the efforts to stop them going around.
September 9, 2014
رواية أو قصة بوليسية رائعة حيث يحقق شقيقان في واقعة الجسر الخشبي
July 19, 2015
It was a very good book it was very gripping,
November 27, 2015
A Quickie Review
Another fun installment in this modern take on the famed sleuthing brothers. Fans will find plenty to love about this.
Score: 4/5
Another fun installment in this modern take on the famed sleuthing brothers. Fans will find plenty to love about this.
Score: 4/5
September 16, 2015
Not as thrilled with this one. 3 near deaths and 3 fights!?!? Really!
August 29, 2014
it's awsmm
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews