Without a Trace

The Hardy Boys Casefiles #31

by Franklin W. Dixon, Beth Gutcheon

When Frank and Joe Hardy set out to catch the elusive prankster who is after rancher Roy Carlson's oil-rich land, the amateur sleuths find themselves struggling to survive in a vast New Mexico desert

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Franklin 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.

Reviews

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's about some a missing person that Frank and Joe are trying to locate. There are several other elements that come up to add to the storyline. It was a great book!

[Dannuel Delizo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would also care if a cowboy disappeared!

[Norla Chee]

Skimmed through the good parts. Just some mindless reading to relax.