Double Down

Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers #26

by Franklin W. Dixon

ATAC Briefing for Agents Frank and Joe Hardy

MISSION: Continue working undercover as part of teen movie start Justin Carraway's entourage to find out more about the unsolved murder of the celeb's least favorite paparazzo and other mysterious happenings.

LOCATIONA: Atlantic City, NJ.

POTENTIAL VICTIMS: One murder has already taken place. If the suspect isn't caught soon, anyone could be the killer's next victim.

SUSPECTS: Everyone seems to go crazy when it comes to teen screen superstars - but now there really is a crazy person running around...and he or she may be closer than anyone thinks!

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult, Detective

167 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2008

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

[The Curious Reader]

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.

[John T Conley]

Under and mayhem

This is book two in a three part series. This is the first time I've read a Hardy Boys book that's broken into three. I'm not sure if I like it this way, but I'm getting used to it.

[Sarah]

This one has the funny part where Joe makes gambling jokes and Frank asks if it’s going to be a whole thing. Apparently this trilogy has all the lines we loved.

[David]

In "Double Down", book two in the Double Danger trilogy, Frank and Joe remain undercover as production assistants to a teen movie star, Justin. The production has moved to a casino in Atlantic City. And, Justin's twin Ryan has gone missing. But, ATAC has a new mission for Frank and Joe: find out who is pirating Justin's movies. Frank and Joe get to do a bit of helicopter flying and surfing while trying to solve what seems like two or three different mysteries. Good story.

[John]

if you did not like it your stingy

[Seema M. Fazil]

Not as good as the first trilogy.