Showdown at Widow Creek

Hardy Boys Adventures #11

by Franklin W. Dixon

Frank and Joe find themselves in a cattle-rustling tussle when a prized horse is snatched from a nearby ranch in this exciting Hardy Boys equestrian adventure.

The Wild West hits the East Coast when Welch’s Annual Rodeo and Wild West Show arrives in Bayport. Frank and Joe are enjoying the show’s historic reenactments, rodeo events, and even an exhibition of the Welch family’s prize-winning horse, Hondo.

When the brothers catch several ranch hands trying to steal Hondo, they manage to stop it. Though very grateful for their intervention, the Welch family is now shorthanded for the cattle drive back to their dude ranch! So Chief Olaf “volunteers” the Hardys to help out.

The brothers’ long-dormant horse-riding skills slowly come back to them as they make their way down the quiet rural roads toward the ranch. But as they’re finally getting the hang of it, a group of dirt bike–riding cattle rustlers surround the herd—and take Hondo!

Will the Hardy Boys lasso the horse thieves—or will this be their final showdown?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure

122 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2016

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

[Ann♥♪♪♪♪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! This is a super fun Hardy Boys Adventure and I really enjoyed reading it! It has suspense, humor, and good brotherly love. I read it as soon as I got it which was the day it came out. I’m already ready to read it again. I recommend it to all who love mysteries! To find out more, read the rest of my review @ my blog Hardy and Drew Mysteries! :)

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cowboys and horse thieves and plot twists, oh my! This was a wonderful adventure that kept raising the stakes from one chapter to the next. And who doesn’t like a modern-day cattle drive?

Once again, Tim Gregory was amazing as the narrator. I’m pretty sure he’s swiftly becoming one of my favorite narrators. Voices, accents, enthusiasm, pacing… he’s spectacular at it all!

[John Ready Reader One · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better stories in the series.

[Raine · Rating 2 out of 5]

reminded me of city slickers...i should rewatch city slickers

[J.T. Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely one of the better books in the series if not the best one so far. I read it in 2 days.
I really liked the way Frank and Joe's relationship was shown in this story as well. And the humor was evident. This was a well written story. Whoever wrote this one should get a full time job writing these books.
Well done.

[Seema M. Fazil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the relationship between Frank and Joe. Hope the series never end!

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clever western fit into the Hardy Boys formula. Rather than take the boys out to the actual west, Dixon constructs the admittedly improbable idea that it is possible to have a cattle drive out of Bayport on the East Coast. The book follows the boys adventure pushing the cattle west to the owner’s ranch.

Along the way, a number of strange events happen that suggest someone is trying to mess up the drive. The problem is, there doesn’t appear to be a motive for the little bits of sabotage they keep encountering. All the pranksters are doing is creating a nuisance and slowing the drive down.

I began to develop a theory of the case that turned out to be completely wrong. The actual solution to this one was very good as everything comes together with a very satisfying explanation.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birthday Book #28, from my friend Pat. Perhaps 3.5 stars. I was a fan of Nancy Drew (and, of course, Trixie Belden) as a child, but I don't recall if I ever read any Hardy Boys adventures or not. This book is one of the new generation and the presence of cell phones and mention of the Internet was a little jarring. Luckily, Frank and Joe headed off on a cattle drive and those modern conveniences were not a part of the story at all. Frank and Joe cracked me up on more than one occasion (and I kept thinking about Trixie's older brothers Brian and Mart). It was a quick one-day read but with plenty of excitement for such a short (122 pages) story.

[Karis Anna-Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun one! The tone and voice for each brother is spot-on, the plot is engaging and exciting without being too cheesy, and the mystery has some great twists and turns. I especially loved the humor in this book (namely, Joe's disappointment over the horses' decidedly uncool names) and how the brothers always have each other's backs, from Joe cheerfully acting as Frank's wingman to Frank alternatingly worrying over and being impressed by his little brother. All in all, a quick, enjoyable read. Yeehaw!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The completion of Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 11: Showdown at Widow Creek brings with it a rather dubious milestone. This is the 1st book I've read so far in 2025 that I've rated 3 stars. And I can't believe it took until August for me to do that Sure, I rarely use that rating to begin with. But in years past, by the time late summer comes around, I will have rated at least a handful of books 3 stars. I felt this book was a low point of the Hardy Boys Adventures series up till now. But I suppose it could have been worse. And I did like it well enough.

[Willa Brockmeyer]

This book is about a pair of adventure seeking, mystery solving brothers who end up on a cattle drive. I am a big fan of mystery novels and this one is great. Read this if you liked the rest of this series.

[David Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad that this was written in first person because this offered a new perspective on the dynamic between the two brothers. Looking to read more like this.

[Bobbi Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good mystery story. We loved this western set in modern time. My kids love all these books. They can't wait to read the next story.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic, standard, enjoyable!

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the cowboy theme of this one! Good read.

[Craig Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Hardy Boys adventure was a lot of fun! A rodeo mystery, and Joe and Frank ride horses! It's time to go country!

[Cindy]

Showdown at Widow Creek

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable audiobook. I liked that Joe and Frank were placed outside their comfort zone when they were conscripted to go on a cattle drive. Overall, it was an entertaining listen.

[Isaiah (aka Isaiah Ward) Herrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best rodeo adventure by far!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trixie belden vibes

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have given it a higher rating but part of the ending came out of nowhere.