The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure

Classic Three Investigators #5

by Robert Arthur

Missing: One fabulous, jewel-encrusted belt, once owned by the ancient emperors of Japan. The Three Investigators are ready to jump into action, but officials at the Peterson Museum turn them away for being too young. Then a strange twist of fate brings Jupe, Pete, and Bob on the case, and the boys are soon surrounded by master criminals--who will stop at nothing to hold on to their stolen fortune! Is the priceless belt lost for good, or will the Three Investigators be able to save the day?

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 1966

About the author

Robert Arthur (1909-1969) was a versatile mystery writer born November 10, 1909, on Corregidor Island, where his father served as a U.S. Army officer. He is best known as the creator of The Three Investigators, a mystery book series for young people, but he began his career writing for the pulps, and later worked in both radio and television. He studied at William and Mary College for two years before earning a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan. In 1931, he moved to New York City, where he wrote mysteries, fantasies, and horror stories for magazines like Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, Detective Fiction Weekly, and Black Mask throughout the 1930s.

Later, with David Kogan, he co-created and produced The Mysterious Traveler radio show (1944-1952), earning a 1953 Edgar Award. He and Kogan also won an Edgar, in 1950, for Murder By Experts. In 1959, Arthur relocated to Hollywood, scripting for The Twilight Zone and serving as story editor and writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, while ghost-editing numerous "Alfred Hitchcock" anthologies for adults and children.

In 1963, Arthur settled in Cape May, New Jersey, where he created The Three Investigators series with The Secret of Terror Castle (1964). He wrote ten novels in the series before his death in Philadelphia on May 2, 1969. The 43-title series, continued after his death by writers-for-hire working for Random House, was published in over twenty-five languages and thirty countries. (Originally branded as "Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators", Random House dropped the Hitchcock name from the series after Hitchcock's death.)

In June of 2024, Hollow Tree Press reissued Robert Arthur's original ten novels as a sixtieth anniversary edition. Those editions have end notes written by his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth Arthur and Steven Bauer, and Hollow Tree Press is also publishing a twenty-six book New Three Investigators series written by Arthur and Bauer.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

2008 review - Another of my all-time favourites, this is a rollercoaster of an adventure, that never really lets up. It’s been a while since I read it, so a lot of the story was fresh and I was surprised at how wide it casts its net - from the initial robbery, the detail of the gnomes and the pursuit in the cinema, right down to the ‘second’ ending and the deduction surprises that last to almost the final page. A clever, atmospheric mystery that’s well worth a read, I loved it.
2013 update - It’s hard to believe, as I write my review, that this book is almost 47 years old. The story stands up perfectly well - it has great pace, some brilliant ideas and the mystery is sound - and it’s a real shame that the books aren’t so easy to get hold of any more to introduce new generations to The Three Investigators. One of my all-time favourites, this has a nice sense of nostalgia (and is a little melancholic for that), great locations and some fantastic set pieces, especially the sequence in the old theatre, where Jupe and Pete are pursued by gnomes. Also, is this the first (and only) time that Emergency One (the roof exit from Headquarters) is used? There is only one downside, a brief non-POV section that jars the reader (as happened in “The Whispering Mummy”) but otherwise this is brilliantly written, great fun and well worth a read.
2017 update - I completely agree with the previous reviews, this has a great pace, the mystery is solid, there’s a typical piece of melancholic nostalgia that Arthur likes (in this case, it’s Miss Agawam reflecting on the changing neighbourhood) and it’s great fun. Well worth a read and very highly recommended.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good mystery! (Honestly, my nostalgia for these books will probably never let me give one a bad rating, but we'll see.)

In this one we have an impossible museum robbery and a lady being plagued by gnomes. (Gnomes?!?!)

As with all of the three investigators novels, another fun mystery read! Young readers are especially missing out if they haven't tried this series.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

2008 review - Another of my all-time favourites, this is a rollercoaster of an adventure, that never really lets us. It’s been a while since I read it, so a lot of the story was fresh and I was surprised at how wide it casts it’s net - from the initial robbery, the detail of the gnomes and the pursuit in the cinema, right down to the ‘second’ ending and the deduction surprises that last to almost the final page. A clever, atmospheric mystery that’s well worth a read, I loved it.

2013 update - It’s hard to believe, as I write my review, that this book is almost 47 years old. The story stands up perfectly well - it has great pace, some brilliant ideas and the mystery is sound - and it’s a real shame that the books aren’t so easy to get hold of any more to introduce new generations to The Three Investigators. One of my all-time favourites, this has a nice sense of nostalgia (and is a little melancholic for that), great locations and some fantastic set pieces, especially the sequence in the old theatre, where Jupe and Pete are pursued by gnomes. Also, is this the first (and only) time that Emergency One (the roof exit from Headquarters) is used? There is only one downside, a brief non-POV section that jars the reader (as happened in “The Whispering Mummy”) but otherwise this is brilliantly written, great fun and well worth a read.

2017 update - I completely agree with the previous reviews, this has a great pace, the mystery is solid, there’s a typical piece of melancholic nostalgia that Arthur likes (in this case, it’s Miss Agawam reflecting on the changing neighbourhood) and it’s great fun. Well worth a read and very highly recommended.

2021 update - coming back to an old favourite, after a four year gap, reminds me of how well written and gripping this is. Highly recommended.

2025 update - a welcome re-read, after another four-year gap, this remains thoroughly engaging and hugely enjoyable. I also think it might be the only mention of the mirrors Jupe introduces, in this case, for investigation work. Great fun and very much recommended.

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure' (The Three Investigators #5) by Robert Arthur.

She paused. And just then Bob let out an unexpected yell.

While settling himself in an armchair, he had happened to look toward a window. There, gazing in at them, was a small creature – it certainly didn’t look human – wearing a peaked cap. It had a dirty white beard, carried a tiny pickaxe over its shoulder, and was scowling ferociously.

Rating: 4.25/5.




Review:
The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure, the fifth book of the Three Investigators series, is the first book since The Secret of the Terror Castle to not open with a scream or a cry of help. When I picked up this book for my current reread project, it did show signs of previous use, but for some reason, I had no recollection of reading it in my school days. As a result, I was able to experience the story as someone who was reading it for the first time.

As an adult reader, the plot was predictable to a great extent. I was able to deduce how the museum heist took place and the identity of the so-called "gnomes" troubling Miss Agatha Agawam. As a long-term fan of the classical Hardy Boys stories, I also guessed that the two different mysteries would somehow end up being related to each other. However, I must confess that my assumptions regarding the motive of the gnomes and that of the place where the stolen Golden Belt was hidden turned out to be completely wrong. Those revelations did take me by surprise!

Worthington's absence was glaringly felt in this story. It is safe to assume that Jupiter's stipulated period for the use of the limousine services might have ended by now. However, it does mean we get more of Hans, the burly Bavarian, who gets to flex his muscles and be a gentle Hulk in this story.

Also, here's a fun fact: As some of you might know, the earlier editions of this series were titled 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators' and featured Hitchcock who introduced these stories for the young sleuths. After Alfred Hitchcock's demise, his name was dropped from the title, and the re-released editions featured Reginald Clarke, a fictional director, who replaced Hitchcock. A few years later, these books were re-released, and Clarke was replaced by another fictional mystery novelist, Hector Sebastien. The paperback copy that I own is a much later reprinted edition that features Hector Sebastien. However, when the three young sleuths first meet Miss Agatha Agawam, she introduces herself as a friend of Alfred Hitchcock (and not Hector Sebastien) and mentions that he recommended their services to her [on page number 37 of the edition I own]. It was a fine little misprint that I caught in my edition that has been missed by multiple editors so far, it seems. And, for some reason, I cherish this edition for the same!

In the final chapter, while musing about the location of the hidden Golden Belt, Hector Sebastien exclaims that the clue was hidden on the eighteenth page of Bob's case report. Imagine my childish glee when the clue he mentioned turned out to be on the exactly same page [page 18] of the edition of the book I was reading as well! Sometimes, there are simple things like these, which are easy to explain but, for some unknown reasons, awaken the inner child within oneself that adds to the joy of reading books like these.

Despite its predictable plot, The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure was a thoroughly delightful read that I ended up devouring in a single sitting. Some parts took me by surprise, and that's what made the entire experience extra special for me.

[Nadja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich finde das Hörspiel jedesmal sehr verwirrend und habe das Gefühl, ich habe etwas wichtiges verpasst.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty brilliant. Kept me guessing the entire time, the stakes were pretty high, and it was witty as hell to boot. Very pleased with it.

[Antonio Rosato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprato per mio nipote di 11 anni ma, visto che c'ero, l'ho letto pure io. Romanzetto adolescenziale senza alcuna pretesa ma, lo ammetto, mi è molto piaciuto: è un giallo per ragazzi senza alcun giallo vero e proprio (si intuisce subito chi siano i "cattivi" e quale sia la soluzione del mistero) e con la storia che scorre liscia e fluente. Negli anni '80 avevo letto i primi due libri della serie "I tre investigatori" e, con questo terzo volume, è stato un piacevole ritorno al passato.
[https://lastanzadiantonio.blogspot.co...]

[Ririn Aziz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okaylah, buku kali ni pun agak seronok dibaca. Agak adventurous dan mendebarkan. Penceritaan pun lancar.

Cuma pemilihan perkataan terjemahan tu agak kurang sesuai sikit. Bunian tu dalam masyarakat Melayu membawa maksud makhluk halus sedangkan dalam cerita ni mungkin dwarf atau goblin - makhluk dongeng. Nak kena cari cerita original untuk pastikan makhluk mana yang dimaksudkan sebenarnya.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch hat mir überraschend gut gefallen. Ich fand es sehr spannend und mochte auch, dass die drei ein bisschen mehr Farbe und Charakter bekamen. Besonders Peters Überlegungen, ob er lieber ins Wasser geworfen werden will und dort sterben oder doch lieber als Sklave verkauft werden möchte. Diese schöne mampige-ängstliche Art mit einer Portion Ironie hat mir wirklich gefallen. Bisher mein Lieblingsbuch der ganz frühen, dabei war mir das Hörspiel nie so besonders positiv aufgefallen.

Ich hab das Hörspiel danach angehört und fand das auch wesentlich kompakter und ein wenig verwirrender als das Buch.

[Luis Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genial, como siempre.

Nunca me defrauda una aventura de los tres investigadores, aunque comience pareciendo ser una bobada como la imaginación de unos gnomos en un patio de una vieja cuentista, siempre se convierte en algo más grande y sorprendente.

El ingenio del trío para desenvolverse en el caso en cuestión es impresionante.

Seguiré leyendo la saga para ver que otras aventuras nos depara.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Just a little odd how the boys get cases from Alfred Hitchcock. Why?? Maybe Hitchcock just really wanted his name in a book.

The mystery was pretty straight forward ... I'd probably say slightly easier and more leading than The Hardy Boys. It's decent and narrated well but not very high on my mystery lists.

Cleanliness: "gosh" "golly" and the like were used throughout the book. Mentions gnomes and magical fairy creatures (but they are found to be midgets).

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[sonofabook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob, Peter und Justus sind gemeinsam bei einer Ausstellung, in der teure Gegenstände gelagert sind. Unter Anderem ein sehr wertvoller Gürtel. Als plötzlich jemand einen Edelstein fallen lässt und das Licht ausgeht herrscht für kurze Zeit Panik und der Gürtel ist verschwunden.
Dem wollen die drei Detektive auf die Spur gehen, doch der Chef der Sicherheitsfirma möchte lieber, dass die Polizei sich dem annimmt.
So gehen sie einem Fall nach der ihnen von Alfred Hitchcock gegeben wurde, in dem eine Frau von einer Bande Kobolden belästigt wird.
Schnell legen sich die drei mit den Nachbaren an, die ihnen suspekt erscheinen. Doch spätenstens als Justus und Peter nach einer Beschattungsaktion entführt werden und Bob einen nicht unwichtiges Detail zu dem Tag im Museum fallen lässt, ist für Justus klar, dass es Zusammenhänge gibt zwischen den Fällen.

Dies ist eine Folge die durch die Zweiteilung etwas unkoordiniert wirkt.
Ich muss gestehen sie ist ein wenig dahingeplätschert und Justus war in dieser Folge sehr unsympathisch.
Die Auflösung war für mich etwas zu konstruiert und auch die Hinführung war für mich Gleiches.
Man merkt mehr und mehr, dass es bestimmte Muster innerhalb der drei ??? gibt und es allein an der Ausführung liegt, ob diese Folge gut oder schlecht ist.
Diese liegt im mittleren Bereich, also keine wirkliche Empfehlung.

[Rezza Dwi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐ buat yang iniii hihi

Seperti jenis series macam gini yang sudah pernah kubaca sebelumnya, si aku selalu mulai hafal dengan pola dan gaya penulisnya. Mulai ketebak penulisnya bakalan "nge-gimana-in" jalan ceritanya....

Dan di situlah aku mulai bosan (biasanya) 😂

Dan kebosanan itu akan lebih terasa untuk buku misteri karena yaaa... teka-teki kasusnya itu yang harusnya ngga ketebak kan?

Bukan berarti aku akan menyerah menuntaskan 10 buku series ini yang ada di Gramedia Digital, tapi terkadang hidup memang butuh jeda, seperti kalimat yang butuh tanda koma. Halah naon 😂

Jadi, intinya, aku mau ganti buku dulu. Nanti kembali 😆😂😂😂

[Redwan Hasan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bangla version of this one actually is much better.

[Mimi ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Hal Astell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't remember book five as being a particularly good one for the Three Investigators but it plays out well on a fresh read many decades after my last time through. Then again, I didn't remember much about it at all, beyond it featuring gnomes and gardens, and those are hardly the best things to sum up the book.

What's disappointing this time out was the introduction from Alfred Hitchcock, which is short and pointless, a hint that what had promised to be a useful gimmick was already getting old a mere five books into the series. However, the book ends with the Three Investigators presenting their case notes to Hitch in his office, with an ample opportunity for him to ask a number of good questions that wrap up the story for us much better than Bob Andrews apparently did for him, so it evens out, I guess. And Hitch did set the boys up too with one of the two cases they're caught up in that naturally end up being connected in a strange fashion.

The first is very nicely set up. There's an exhibition arriving in town at the Peterson Museum that includes the famous Rainbow Jewels, worth in the millions even back in 1966 when this first saw print in the States. Jupiter Jones uses it as the starting point for an intellectual exercise: given how expansive and intricate the security around these jewels is, how would a hypothetical thief go about stealing them anyway? He has ideas and the boys even visit the museum to look at the jewels in person, which is why they're there when someone actually does rob the place, albeit stealing the Golden Belt of the Ancient Emperors, still valuable but worth notably less than the Rainbow Jewels.

Naturally, being right there on the scene, Jupe presents his investigative credentials to the head of security, Saito Togati, in the hope of being hired to solve the case. He's already partway to a solution, having correctly figured out that the presence of Mr. Frank, someone whom he worked with back in his days as child actor Baby Fatso, was as an unwitting accomplice hired to serve as a distraction. That puts him ahead of the cops, but he is unceremoniously kicked out because Togati-san—author Robert Arthur may treat other nationalities with surprising respect for this era but he doesn't have the courtesy to put this Japanese gentleman's family name first—doesn't want the involvement of pesky kids.

So to the other case, involving a friend of Hitch's, Agatha Agawan, who's being plagued by gnomes. They have been breaking into her house and rearranging her stuff and, as you might expect, the police aren't taking her seriously, especially given that she's an author of a series of children's books about, you guessed it, gnomes. It doesn't take much to imagine them imagining her either a publicity seeker or a batty old coot. This doesn't promise to be a particularly dangerous case but we're immediately reminded of Sphinx, Mrs. Banfry's missing cat in 'The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy', which became much more as that story progressed. It does in this book too, because the two cases are connected, even if the annoyingly convenient red herring in chapter seven turns out to be nothing but an annoyingly convenient red herring.

Regular readers would have seen other trends from earlier books, beyond two cases becoming one. Chapter eight brings Taro Togati, son of Saito Togati, as Japanese as his name, who promptly becomes the latest in a long string of multilingual foreigners who play small but important parts in proceedings. The first was Carlos, the son of a Mexican street pedlar in 'The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot', then Hamid of the Libyan House of Hamid in 'Whispering Mummy' and Charles Chang Green, the Chinese great-nephew in 'The Mystery of the Green Ghost'. From Mexican, Libyan and Chinese to Japanese, Robert Arthur was ably highlighting forty-five years ago the multicultural nature of California and treating foreign cultures with respect.

I should add that the respect that Arthur shows to foreign cultures extends to the little people who play quite a major part in this one. And yes, the gnomes aren't really gnomes. If you expected that, then you might find yourself surprised watching 'Scooby-Doo'. They're mostly called midgets here, a term that's seen as offensive nowadays, but occasionally little people, which is the term that little people use to describe themselves. That was arguably the case half a century ago too, but midget was common parlance and Arthur doesn't use it in a negative sense, even having the respect to cast some little people, but certainly not all, as the bad guys. The point he makes is that they're just as capable as the rest of us to do good or bad, should they choose.

Of course, there's another chase and kidnap, this time Jupe and Pete getting thrown into sacks and taken to their deaths on the back of a truck. Well, not to their deaths, of course, because they'll naturally be back for book six, 'The Secret of Skeleton Island', but it takes some dedicated pursuit by Bob and Hans to enable their return, even against police intervention, which is a neat touch. Never mind the law, we're not going to let the boys in those sacks get murdered in San Pedro harbour. Is that vigilantism? Well, kinda sorta, but the boys do maintain their good ties to the police force in Rocky Beach.

After Pete and Bob took the spotlight for much of the previous book, Jupe is happy to take it back here, not a one man investigating team but certainly on top form as he solves two cases and three crimes, mostly with a good sense of deduction, even if he isn't spot on every time, but with some thrilling action scenes too. There's one with the boys being chased by knife-wielding gnomes in an abandoned movie theatre that's cinematically gorgeous. That leads to them attempting an escape from a minaret seventy-five feet above ground, Pete is the one stuck halfway down when the chase ends and he has to climb back up again.

There's another one during the finalé, before the boys visit Hitch to present their case notes. I won't spoil it; but it's a neat little trap that Jupe sets up for the villains of the piece, and it employs use of a gate to HQ that I don't believe we've seen used before, namely Emergency One. I should have taken better notes, but we've certainly seen Green Gate One, Tunnel Two and Red Gate Rover used often. I can't remember if they've used Easy Three in earlier books, but I'm pretty sure that Emergency One and Secret Four are new here. That's all of them, which has meaning in itself, and I'm annoyed that I didn't remember this finalé across the decades.

Next up, 'The Secret of Skeleton Island', which I'm keen to revisit because I remember it being more of a Hardy Boys style mystery than one for the Three Investigators.

Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in December 2023:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Nana-...

Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/

[David Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Three Investigators is a juvenile detective series published in the 60s, 70s, and 80s that spans about 43 books. They feature three teenage boys who mostly investigate paranormal type stuff that they debunk (somewhat like Scooby-Doo) or other abnormal crimes that the police do not handle. They report their cases to Alfred Hitchcock or a fake director depending on which versions you read. Their base of operations is hidden away in the depths of a junkyard and it has multiple hidden entrances. I discovered these books in the library during middle school and promptly read them all. As such, I have a lot of nostalgia for these books.

The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure is #5 in the series. The boys are visiting a museum when a valuable artifact gets stolen. They also try to help a woman who claims that gnomes are menacing her. This book continues the trend of anytime the boys are working on multiple cases at the same time then they are always end up being related. Also the trend of making friends with or helping another boy during the case. This is one of the few books where I remembered some key details.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book we see the Three Investigators investigate a strange and exciting case involving gnomes.

I loved this book for all of the action and suspense in the second half. It'll have you on the edge of your seat reading to find out what happens next.

Jupe and Pete are in the most danger yet as they get captured by the criminals and come very close to either dying or getting sold into slavery.
But lucky for them Bob and Hans come to their rescue in an exciting sequence in which they break some laws and even ram a gate to get to Pete and Jupe.

Something I noticed in this book is one of the differences between Robert Arthur and the other writers. His stories are connected with each other. Several of the previous cases are mentioned and the next book is for foreshadowed with the diving lessons.

The other writers don't really do that. Sometimes they'll have little bit of continuity but for the most part every book is standalone.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is a wonderful one for kids. The Hitchcock character only does what amounts to cameos, and sometimes, if I remember correctly, doesn't even show up at all. The ones about the Mexican bandit and the Spider stand out in my mind and I remember them quite well. Overall, they were all fun to read.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more enjoyable books in this series. There are lots of things going on as our chums try to solve two mysteries at once. When you want to relax and regress a few years or possibly decades this is a friendly little book and series.

[Elaaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

weirdly offensive?

[Musicbeats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have few things to say about this one. It has a high enough rating on this site, but a few of the prominent reviewers have given it about the same rating as I. I am distracted from writing a good review because of the sudden change in format in the Goodreads interface.

I will get used to the new arrangement in the browsing experience. But for now I need to get to grips with this unexpected and sinking feeling. This book was well conceived. There were a few things that IMHO left me dissatisfied with the read.

First of all there was a lot of darkness and serious elements in the book. Two of the detectives were contemplating death in the near end of the tale. They ought, also, to have been mentally scarred by this mortal peril. But they shook off their pain too easily for my liking. The writer wanted to present real danger to increase the suspense but at the same time wanted an upbeat ending. You can have both, but maybe for this writer that was too big a thing to ask.

I guessed two things. First I guessed that the crowd in the museum and who were in it, was relevant. Secondly I realised the reason for the apparitions at the good kind old lady's house. What I didn't realise was where the burglars had hidden the treasure. I also did not know how the latter was stolen.

There was simply not enough quality in the writing of the book. The old lady disappeared without striking a denouement of sorts, a kind of cathartic moment of closeness to her deliverers. I would also have welcomed a more active participation of the parents of the detectives. It would have been a choice that was more alluring and would have helped in the pacing of the book. It is possible to write well in the choices and the risks that the writer took, but here he couldn't pull it off.

I have had a clearer image of what I wanted from this book and what was denied to me. So writing a review was useful. This type of book formed part of the 'lost tapes' of my childhood. I am reading this series because I would not do so when I was a kid. I recognise the flawed writing that still exists today in children's literature. At least this series is better than Nancy Drew and many of the mysteries penned by Enid Blyton.

It was interesting to catch Hannibal being insecure about doing nothing to help the adventure to a safe port. He shone late, but had to go through uncertainty and self questioning before his crowning moment arrived. This worked well and is commendable. Maybe the choices the author made screwed with the structure of the book. I will keep on reading these books, because it is like gazing at the stars at night and gazing at part of the sky that existed 30 years ago, but is now just a memory in my head.

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Folge 22 der Hörspielreihe werden die drei Detektive Justus Jonas, Peter Shaw und Bob Andrews Zeugen eines groß angelegten Kunstdiebstahls: beim Besuch einer Ausstellung japanischer Kulturschätze kommt es plötzlich zu einem Tumult, als der Sicherheitsdienst einen Mann mit offenbar geklauten Edelsteinen erwischt. Als die Aufregung abklingt, wird schnell klar, dass dieser Zwischenfall nur ein Ablenkungsmanöver war, um währenddessen den eigentlichen Coup zu landen: einen wertvollen und mit Juwelen besetzten Gürtel zu stehlen...

"Der verschwundene Schatz" bietet trotz der normalen Laufzeit von knapp 44 Minuten eine Art Doppelfolge, denn der gestohlene japanische Kunstschatz ist nur einer von zwei Fällen für die drei Detektive – und einer, in dem die Hilfe der Jungen von offizieller Seite eigentlich gar nicht gewünscht ist. Stattdessen werden sie von Alfred Hitchcock noch auf den Fall einer alten Dame angesetzt, die angibt, von rätselhaften Gnomen in ihrem Haus belästigt zu werden. Über zu wenig Arbeit kann sich das Trio also nicht beschweren und die beiden vermengten Geschichten sorgen für eine Menge Abwechslung, wobei es natürlich keine große Überraschung sein dürfte, dass zwischen den Fällen selbstredend ein gewisser Zusammenhang besteht... Erfreulich ist, dass im Vergleich zur vorangehenden Hörspielfolge und einer dort sehr überspitzt und mit dümmlichen Akzent dargestellten chinesischen Figur bei den japanischen Charakteren diesmal auf sprachliche Besonderheiten verzichtet wurde, allerdings müssen Freunde der politischen Korrektheit stattdessen beim recht inflationären Gebrauch des heutzutage nur noch abwertend verwendeten Begriffs "Liliputaner" häufiger mal weghören. Insgesamt aber eine gute und actionreiche Folge, die für kurzweilige Unterhaltung sorgt.

[JoeK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story. It's too bad that I couldn't get my hands on all of these stories when I was growing up. Sadly they are too much a product of their time to be entertaining to a new generation. Land-line phones, insta-matic cameras, printing presses, what are these things?

I enjoy reading all these in sequence, and with my poor memory, even the stories I've read before are pretty new and fresh. I like how the stories slowly develop the characters' personalities, I also like how each investigator gets a chance to shine, showing their smarts. Jupe might get the praise at the end for figuring it all out, but he wouldn't be able to get there without Pete and Bob

Usually there is a fourth boy involved with the story (someone associated with the crime in some way) and this story is no exception, although Taro Togati gets much less screen-time than his predecessors from previous adventures. I do like the fact that in almost all cases the boys are very culturally diverse, not being white American kids like the three heroes. Pretty progressive considering how old these books are.

I also like the fact that we get a mystery that doesn't involve a murder. Too many mystery books, TV shows and movies revolve around a murder. What's up with that? Sherlock Holmes wasn't about solving murders, and he was the most significant predecessor of the Three Investigators (but probably not the first). I find I'm reading these more because they are going to be interesting and fun, not a by-the-numbers murder investigation. Too many modern mystery novels dwell on the main character's personal problems and the mysteries seem to get solved by accident more than investigation and deduction. Current writers of mystery fiction could learn a lesson here.

Not to say there weren't problems with the book. Arthur relies on coincidence too much in these books. We need on kid to find the others for the kidnapping sequence, so Bob can't come to the sleep over. There's tight squeeze in a cave, so we can't have Jupiter be in that part of the story. He stays at home. I'm sure it happens in every story to some extent. As a young reader, I would have been thankful for the lucky break, but as an adult reader I always hope for better.

[Ian Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure” by Alfred Hitchcock (1966) First Edition THUS



Overall Rating 9/10 No Mystery About That!


Plot
A priceless Jewelled Golden Belt goes missing when the lights blackout at a museum and, despite a lockdown, it cannot be found. At the same time, Evil Gnomes are bothering a little old lady who lives by herself. Can the three investigators crack the mysterys?

Writing Style
Easy, flowing, short sentences. Very juvenile with no flowering at all. Pretty basic script that, just every now and again, shows its age.


Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)


Critique
I loved this series of books as a youngster. Reading this now has brought back a huge amount of nostalgia and I relived some of the feelings and sensations I experienced when I first read them. For a boy setting out in his life-voyage of reading books, this is absolutely perfect. A wonderful world of basic script with a not-too-difficult plot wrapped in simple adventure. As an adult of 57 years, I was catapulted back in time and I was 12 years old once more. I never wanted that to end.

[Chalinviri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una aventura más, ahora con dibujos incluidos... Y ESTAN BIEN FEOS 😂😂😂

Ok, pasando al libro, este caso (que nuevamente son 2 casos entrelazados) lo sentí muy desfragmentado.

Mientras que el del fantasma verde me había gustado muchísimo y veía un poco de las personalidades de Pete y Bon, en este caso, Jupiter acaparó toda la atención.

No me malinterpreten, no me cae mal Jupe, pero creo que en este caso se sintió casi casi inalcanzable, este niño gozaba un pullero que nadie podía negar, y es que este libro, el buen Jupiter desplego todas sus habilidades deductivas; lo malo, es que al mismo tiempo, el libro se volvió un poco monótono.

No es un mal libro, es la búsqueda de un tesoro al final del arcoiris y hasta hay gnomos incluidos, así que si vale la pena revisar este caso.

Ami parecer este caso pasa sin pena ni Gloria, pero si me gustaría que se le diera una oportunidad 🙈

[Nicholas Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Three Investigators begin the novel with an attempt to solve one mystery (the disappearance of a Japanese treasure from a museum exhibition), only to be locked unceremoniously off the case and then given a different assignment to determine if an old friend of Alfred Hitchcock is being haunted by gnomes.

There's tension building and action and a healthy mix of adventuring and using logic to solve problems.

Some of the logic got a little hand-wavey (the supposed secret identity of the museum robbers is fanciful), but as this is a children's story I think it's "fine" for what it is.

There are two Japanese characters in the book who act and talk stereotypically (bowing, talking with broken English about honour etc) but it isn't a hateful portrayal and, again, being a children's book of its time, I think it gets a pass.

[Bearcatgary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I'd start the new year off by reading a selection from one of my favorite juvenile series. In this story, Jupiter Jones and gang solve not 1, but 2 mysteries. The Investigators happen to witness the robbery of a precious belt from a local museum. They offer their detective services, but are turned down because of their youth. Around the same time, Alfred Hitchcock recommends them to an elderly friend who believes her house and surrounding grounds have been taken over by gnomes. As usual, our precocious trio are able to wrap up both mysteries. I rated the book a 3 because it is ok, but not one of the better books in the series.

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a quite a bit of fun. Through a bit of misdirection on the author's part, we witness a serious crime only to discover that the Three Investigators are not on the case. Instead, they are sent to reason out the appearance of mischievous gnomes who are bothering an elderly woman. Of course, as this is a Three Investigators book, these two seemingly disparate mysteries are somehow tied.

It is worth noting that many backstory elements are finally utilized: Jupiter's history as a child actor and the seemingly random means by which they enter their headquarters. So, this is a positive to see them used.