The Ice Cold Case

The Hardy Boys #148

by Franklin W. Dixon

Ice fishing at Pineview Lake, the Hardys learn about a string of local burglaries and vow to break it up, only to soon find themselves in the line of fire. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

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

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still re-reading the Hardy Boys books of my youth, a planned 6 month project now into its third year! The quality of the "new" Hardy Boys paperback books can be very uneven, but The Ice Cold Case is one of the best of the modern Hardy adventures. The story is very modern, complete with computers, GPS and a very believable mystery involving house break ins at a lakeside community. The adventure is non-stop, dangerous, yet believable and the mystery unfolds in a very plausible way. Even when the Hardys fall into the ice water of the lake, the rescue is anxious and believable unlike in many Hardy adventures! Phil Cohen, a Hardy friend not seen in many of the books, plays a key role. While many of the new Hardy books were uneven and some even awful, The Ice Cold Case is an exciting, believable, modern adventure any fan of the series would enjoy and even children today would be able to relate to. Like most of the modern paperbacks, The Ice Cold Case is out of print. But if you can find a copy and enjoy the Hardys you will find this is a good story.

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard, decent Hardy Boys Digest. Good to see that the boys still have friends, too many books ignore them. However, there weren't enough new twists in the book to make the cold setting more interesting or stand out from all the other times they've been freezing somewhere.

[Ann♥♪♪♪♪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Hardy Boys book! I enjoyed the action and mystery. Loved that Frank and his girl Callie, Joe and his girl Iola were in the book. Great seeing Phil Cohen, and their friend from the Bayport PD, Con Riley helping out as well. I've read it twice now and loved it both times. I read it first a couple of years ago when it was released digitally as an ebook. There is plenty of good investigating, danger, and excitement. Several edge-of-your-seat scenes. I love the Hardy brothers and this is an excellent read.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weirdly amateurish writing. It sounds like something I would have written when I was fifteen. Ghostwriters are generally competent even if not great, so it was odd.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

some of the chapters were plain but other chapters were suspencful. it was great