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Classic Three Investigators #3

The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy

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When Ra-Orkon, a 3,000-year-old mummy, begins to whisper strange words in an ancient Egyptian tongue, the Three Investigators are determined to find out the facts: Why is he speaking? What is he saying? And how is the horrible curse of Ra-Orkon about to be fulfilled?

Originally published in hardcover beginning in 1964, these classic mystery/adventure stories feature three boys--Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews--who establish a detective firm with the motto "We Investigate Anything!"

Perfect for summer reading, these suspenseful action stories will appeal to both boys and girls.

202 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 10, 1965

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About the author

Robert Arthur

346 books298 followers
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.

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5 stars
1,070 (24%)
4 stars
1,725 (39%)
3 stars
1,352 (31%)
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10 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
Profile Image for Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡  .
5,084 reviews636 followers
October 1, 2021
Ein Buch der Drei Fragezeichen geht zwischendurch immer. Ich mag Detektivgeschichten, und dieser Fall mit der flüsternden Mumie hat mir vielleicht schon deshalb gefallen, weil ich das Thema an sich sehr spannend finde. Mumien, alte Grabmale, Flüche,...

Einfach eine gute Unterhaltung, und sicherlich auch nicht der letzte Fall der Drei Fragezeichen für mich :)
Profile Image for Luffy Sempai.
783 reviews1,088 followers
February 12, 2022
La Momie Qui Chuchotait was a blast from the past. I saw my more bilingually inclined classmates read this series. I kept myself to English books. I read Wodehouse, Sidney Sheldon, H.G. Wells and lots of assorted authors that I got by virtue of them being just there in the rather small and unvariegated school library.

But now, after 30 years of reading anything but them, I took the initiative to read this series that was ghostwritten for the benefit of 'Alfred Hitchcock'. The book is the 3rd in the series. It was more adventurous, and had more pace than Enid Blyton mysteries. I couldn't solve the identity of the criminal here.

If I had read these books prior to joining Goodreads, I might have given this book a higher score. But I want to rescind the benefit of the doubt. This book does not deserve 2 stars, but I have my own network of scales and judgement in my mind. I have become both more impatient and also I take more risks and venture in uncharted areas.

I do recommend this series, especially if you would be reading them in French. The translation was the work of Vladimir Volkoff, a writer in his own right. This series originated from the end of the 60s. It retained its appeal and was still of relevance in the 90s, where many people from my childhood read it.

There were two aspects of the book that made me have some respect for the book. First of all was the location of the lair where the culprits hid the Mummy. It was in Los Angeles and I lacked the knowledge to pinpoint the circuitous landscape of that city. Secondly I failed to know the culprit's identity. I thought the Butler did it. But everything else was within my grasp. And indeed, there were several thoughts in the book that were unworthy of a professional writer.

I am going to read the predecessor of this 'tome', named Le Perroquet Qui Begayait. I cherish this series. The road is ahead of me, and I need to journey towards the end of my life reading within the sphere of my meagre intellectual capacities. I would never have taken up this book if I was a teenager in 1968 and had to go back in time and find this antique of a book, in 1990. But I'm not a Summer of Love child. I have the internet at the tip of my fingers. So, two stars it is, and I'll continue my reading journey with the sun of the equator beating on the windows of my room.
Profile Image for Lea.
1,110 reviews297 followers
February 10, 2017
Es tut mir ja fast schon weh, einen Robert Arthur Klassiker nur als "ok" zu bewerten. Aber ich mochte schon als Kind das Hörspiel nicht besonders. Überhaupt kann ich mit den Mumien/alten Ägypten Geschichten meistens weniger anfangen. Ich habe mich fast ein wenig durchs Buch gequält. Der Fall ist nicht wirklich spannend, die Auflösung mager und diese nicht ganz subtilen "Amerika ist schon besser als alle anderen Länder"-Seitenhiebe fand ich jetzt auch nie so cool.
Profile Image for Quentin Wallace.
Author 34 books178 followers
August 27, 2015
Another good Three Investigators mystery. While the stories do come across as a bit formulaic, they are usually interesting enough to still be entertaining.

In this one, they have figure out why an ancient mummy keeps whispering. Not the best volume of the series I'm sure, but still a good read.

I used to love these as a kid, and it's nice to see they hold up fairly well as an adult.
Profile Image for Mark.
Author 67 books173 followers
March 18, 2025
2008 review - This has long been my favourite book and I can remember sitting in a chair in Glendeene and reading this in a handful of hours and it still holds up. The characters are well drawn, the mystery makes sense and there’s plenty of history to absorb. There isn’t really a downside, except that this does include a chapter not told from a TTI-lead POV and, as an adult reading it, that did grate slightly. But otherwise, this was very good, a sterling TTI adventure and more proof - if it were needed - that it’s a shame Robert Arthur didn’t write or plot more of the adventures.

2013 update - still holds together well and is written with great pace (though the non-boys POV still grates) though the ending is a little too easy, on reflection. But well written, with a great central mystery and a good sense of location and atmosphere.

2017 update - Still in agreement with my previous comments, a cracking read and a great mystery with some nice interplay between the boys (and yes, the ending is a little easy and the non-boys bits still grate).

2020 update - Still deeply in love with this book, it’s fantastic.

2025 update - Still agree with the original review, plus it’s nice to note that we find out Aunt Matilda has a sister called Susan.
Profile Image for Krisette Spangler.
1,344 reviews37 followers
December 28, 2021
This one is getting five stars for pure nostalgia. This was my favorite series when I was in elementary school, and they are currently out of print. My darling daughter found this old copy for me, and I spent Christmas Day reading it. It was fantastic.
Profile Image for Michelle.
774 reviews4 followers
June 5, 2019
Jupe figures it out, but not like he expected. I figured it out from the jump. Jupe - 0, me - 1.

We have a mysterious mummy that whispers, but only at the professor. Suspicious, no? Then crazy Jupiter disguises himself as the professor (what?) and the mummy whispers to him, too. And we have a crazy side plot about a missing cat that, of course, ties right into the story. The boys escape danger several times and if Aunt Matilda knew what they were up to they would never leave the salvage yard again.

You get a happy ending with a few loose ends tied up by Mr. Hitchcock. Classic Three Investigators - 3 stars.
Profile Image for Alex.
Author 3 books30 followers
February 7, 2017
This one was a little more Scooby Doo than the first two, but still strong with pacing and tension. I like how the headquarters continues to evolve as they make upgrades and improvements.
Profile Image for Bev.
3,268 reviews347 followers
October 7, 2022
The Three Investigators find themselves investigating two mysteries that intertwine. The first doesn't sound too exciting: an excitable woman by the name of Mrs. Mildred Banfry wants them to find her missing cat. The cat is an Abyssinian by the name of Sphinx with one orange and one blue eye. It's been missing about a week. The second mystery comes their way via their friend Mr. Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock writes to them and asks the boys to help out his friend Professor Yarborough.

The professor is an Egyptologist with many artifacts in his home--a veritable private museum. Among his treasures is the mummy of Ra-Orkon. The mummy has recently arrived from Egypt where it had been on loan to an Egyptian museum. No sooner had it arrived than it began whispering--but only to Professor Yarborough when he was alone in the room with it. The mummy seems to be muttering in a foreign language, but the professor can't quite make out any of the words. His butler thinks either his employer is getting a little senile or, if the mummy really is whispering, then it's because Ra-Orkon is angry and ready to carry out the curse against those who disturbed his rest in Egypt. Several men associated with the expedition have died...and Wilkins doesn't want the professor or himself to be next.

Jupiter is eager to take on the case and he and Pete meet with the professor. They are unable to get the mummy to whisper while they're in the room. But they do capture (and then lose) an Egyptian boy who seems awfully interested in the professor's house. Jupiter gets an idea about how to fool the mummy into speaking to him and says they'll come back later. But when Pete seems to be reluctant to take on muttering ancient Egyptians, he sends the Second Investigator to interview the lady about her cat. Before Jupiter can fully unravel the mystery, the mummy is stolen. When the boys track it down, they're then able to beard the thieves in their den and discover exactly how and why the mummy speaks. And...they find the cat which has played an important role in the case.

This was an excellent Three Investigators mystery. Jupiter does a nice bit of deduction figuring out how the mummy whispers. That's the most ingenious part of the plot. And the adventures the boys have on their way to the solution are engaging and action-packed and just right for the target age group. It was easy to figure out who the villain of the piece was (there aren't exactly suspects thick and heavy on the ground), but I can't say that the Investigators really deduce that one....Jupiter (locked inside the mummy case) is taken straight to the suspect's place and the others wind up there purely by accident. But it is a nice wrap-up nonetheless. Very enjoyable.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
Profile Image for C.  (Comment, never msg)..
1,563 reviews206 followers
October 25, 2023
I have loved Bob Andrews, Pete Crenshaw, and Jupiter Jones since I was about ten. They are fourteen. Annoyed to have used a library, I am retrieving these masterpieces. “???”, “The Three Investigators” are long out of print except in Germany. This is the first time I am giving my boys four stars. They are nonetheless a cut above the Hardys & Drews, who attain four occasionally. The atmosphere, originality, and maturity are a million times better, even though those famous kids are eighteen and Robert A. Arthur wrote decades ago too.

The Mystery Of The Whispering Mummy” 1965, obviously involved technology instead of mysticism, a humdrum premise and I was sharper than Jupiter. Pete fled a garage without its address, when a jeweller pursued a thief. Instead of retracing Pete’s chalk marks, why not canvas robbery news or broken windows? We should especially have witnessed the cat, Sphinx, being returned to his Momma! The denouements were summarized, not enacted in situ.

Both groups are respectful, smart, and resilient but the 1950s mysteries were often the same, bloated with false action: vandals or chases in every chapter. My last “Hardy Boys” review remarked that they need a bigger boat; crooks try to sink them regularly. The investigators show their regular life, consult their parents, and let puzzles simmer.

Other superiority occurs to me. They and their authors did not learn. In this novel, Jupiter wired walkie-talkies and vowed to increase their range after one dangerous experience. Their worries and fears are realistic. They have no cars, motorbikes, or boats. They earn or refurbish everything from the Jones salvage yard, like smart kids do.

The Stratemeyer books are sometimes silly. These are unique and suspenseful. The former monopolized the market. Here, I do my humble part to get these treasures known!
Profile Image for Oneofthefoxes.
746 reviews24 followers
October 23, 2022
Ich habe das großartige Hörbuch gelesen von Jan Böhmermann gehört. Dieser Fall ist tatsächlich einer meiner Lieblingsfälle der älteren Hörspiele, und es hat Spaß gemacht, sich mal wieder dem Buch zu widmen. Hi und da hatte der Fall ein paar Längen und man merkt das Robert Arthur hi und da auch erzählerisch etwas ausprobiert hat, das er dann später nicht noch mal aufgegriffen hat. So war es überraschend, das manche Kapitel aus der Sicht anderer Figuren erzählt wurden.
Die flüsternde Mumie selbst ist ein Fall, der mir einfach immer und immer wieder Spaß macht. Es ist großartig wie darüber gegrübelt wird, wie diese Mumie flüstern konnte und gleichzeitig mit zu rätseln, was wirklich dahinter steckt. Natürlich ist einem bewusst, wie alt das Buch inzwischen ist. Vor allem Walkie Talkies sind so herrlich nostalgisch^^ Aber auch die Einbindung anderer Kulturen ist wie schon zu erwarten war, schwierig. Allerdings hat es Böhmermann hier geschafft, das Ganze zu entstauben und der Geschichte durch seine klare Erzählweise etwas mehr Modernität ein zu hauchen. Wenn man sich da an die Sprechweisen der Figuren im Hörspiel erinnert, fällt einem erst auf, das vor allem das Hörspiel aus heutigem Blickwinkel problematisch inszeniert wurde. Die Handlung hat einige exotisierende Szenen, und es ist auch richtig so, das diese so heute nicht mehr akzeptiert werden würden. Ich kann aber auch nachvollziehen, warum ich als Kind diesen Fall so spannend fand. Ein geheimnisvoller Fluch??? Ein Junge der seinen Vorfahren zurück bekommen möchte, I'm in^^
Profile Image for LiLa.
317 reviews12 followers
October 12, 2018
*Review keseluruhan untuk seri Trio Detektif yang sudah saya baca*

Saya selalu senang membaca seri Trio Detektif. Dari sisi isi cerita, jelas TD lebih "berat" ketimbang Pasukan Mau Tahu atau Lima Sekawan. Dan walaupun judulnya "mengarahkan" pembaca pada dunia jurig dan dedemit, pemecahan masalahnya amat sangat logis dan membuat pembaca ber-o ria. Dari sisi isi cerita pula, seri ini sebaiknya dibaca oleh anak yang punya dasar cerita misteri/teka-teki (kalau untuk "pemula" saya sarankan membaca seri Lima Sekawan atau Pasukan Mau Tahu yang lebih terasa "ringan")
Dari seri ini pula saya menemukan banyak informasi menarik. Kerja sama antara Jupe - Pete dan Bob juga sangat menarik untuk diikuti (walau Jupe terlihat paling menonjol)
Intinya: saya jatuh cinta pada TD hahaha
Profile Image for Jule.
22 reviews
December 10, 2024
Fall war cool. Love me some bad archaeological practice. Aber die falsche Grammatik von den ausländischen Charakteren war wieder 🙃🙃

Ich hätte gerne eine Spin-off Geschichte über die 7 Brüder die alle Gärtner sind UND Judo Meister weil ???
Profile Image for Bon Tom.
856 reviews63 followers
December 30, 2017
The third iteration in the series continues the tradition. It's still the perfect detective story for kids. Some motifs seem regurgitated from Stuttering Parrot, but ok.
Profile Image for Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore.
942 reviews244 followers
December 22, 2016
Another exciting mystery! I should have read more of these as a child but somehow never read any other than the ones we had at home. This one sees the investigators looking into a 3000-year-old mummy (which came complete with a curse, of course) which whispers but only to the archaeologist who found him. Plus they have a second case on hand, a missing Abyssinian cat. I find the investigators almost always have rather interesting puzzles to solve. Though I wouldn’t rate this as the most interesting of the ones I’ve read so far, it was pretty good and perhaps a little more complicated in a way than some other teen/YA adventures. I also enjoy the Alfred Hitchcock intro—it reads almost as though one is listening to an episode of ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’.
Profile Image for Allan.
10 reviews8 followers
March 24, 2009
A thriller to the core, Robert Author sends us careening to the edge of our seats for the entire duration of the reading, as Jupiter and his buddies unravel a spectacular tale of deception and ancient history in this book. There is absolutely no time for dilly-dallying in this book as page after page of it leads us through a riveting session of uncontrolled curiosity. Why does a 3000 year old mummy decide to whisper to a claustrophobic professor? Why is an Abyssinian Cat's forepaw dyed black to take on the appearance of an ancient Libyan Prince's pet cat? Was there really a curse inflicted by the mummy of Ra-Orkon? Read it to know more and believe me you won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for PenNPaper52.
164 reviews8 followers
August 22, 2011
This was the most interesting case investigated by the 3 Investigators. A mummy in a living room all of a sudden starts talking... or rather whispering. He only does it when the owner of the house is in the room. The mummy, as with all mummies, was discovered with a curse and soon one by one the people who had discovered the mummy dropped lyk flies. Now it seems the last survivor is going to bite the dust. Read the book to find out what really lies behind the mummy's whisperings...
6 reviews
June 20, 2024
Táto kniha sa mi strašne páčila. Strašne sa mi páči aký to mal dej a koniec. A to by ma nikdy nenapadlo, že to bol profesor Freeman. Výborná kniha. Milujem troch pátračov.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shreyas.
680 reviews23 followers
February 2, 2024
'The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy' (The Three Investigators #3) by Robert Arthur.




“No use, Hamid,” he said gloomily. “I should have told those fellows I lost my money or something. When I told the truth about being locked in a mummy case they thought I was a fresh kid trying to jam their conversation.”

“It cannot be helped. You tried, Investigator Pete. Is a most unusual happening, to be locked in a mummy case, so they find it hard to believe.”

“Yeah, the sort of thing that happens only once every three thousand years. Then it has to happen to me,” Pete grumbled.





Rating: 5/5.




Review:
After a disappointing experience with 'The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb' in my nostalgia-induced Goosebumps read-along, I ended up jumping to another nostalgic read-along that I had put on a hold for a while – The Three Investigators. And Voilà! What I strange coincidence as the next book that I had planned for this chronological read-along was the third book in the series titled The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy.

My first ever memory of this book is buying it from a book sale during my school's open house. It is said not to judge a book by its cover, but the cover art and the catchy title were fascinating enough back then that I was compelled to buy it. And I'm glad that I bought it since I do have fond memories of reading this book.

Even now, almost more than a decade later, this book had me gripped right from the first page itself. Although I had vague memories of the plot, the main culprit, and the mechanism behind the ancient Mummy's whispering, it didn't prove detrimental to the enjoyment of this tale. There were moments, especially when I had my suspicions about Wilkins, the butler, where I seriously doubted my foggy memories of this story. I was seriously wondering if this was another mystery tale that was going to follow along the footsteps of "the butler did it," but thankfully it didn't and the main culprit turned out to be the one I remembered despite all these years. Despite knowing the mechanism employed by the criminal mastermind to create the ancient Mummy's "whispering," I was still left amazed at the ingenuity behind such an idea.

Jupiter's genius and Bob's resourcefulness (with special mention to his father's helpful nature) are as usual admirable. But, for me, it is Pete who makes the story highly entertaining. His resilience despite being frightened to the core whenever he finds himself entangled in a dire situation makes him one of my favorite characters. Oh, and he has some funny one-liners that add much-needed humor to a somewhat serious plot.

Overall, I had a great time reading this book. Stories like these were responsible for cultivating my interest in reading, and I shall always be grateful to these books for the same. I'm so delighted that this book stood the test of time and induced the same amount of interest within me that it did all these years ago. On to the next book then!
Profile Image for bakanekonomama.
573 reviews85 followers
July 27, 2017
Karena mood bacanya menurun, digantikan oleh mood nonton yang meningkat, jadilah buku ini diselesaikan dalam waktu yang cukup lama. Nggak seperti "Misteri Nuri Gagap" yang kalau nggak salah selesai dalam 1-2 hari saja. Alasan lainnya kenapa bacanya jadi lama begini juga karena saya baca spoiler di salah satu review teman gutrits saya... *yuk mari anpren aja...*

Kisahnya masih menarik seperti kisah nuri, meski saya lebih suka sama misteri nuri dibandingkan yang ini. Karakter Pete jadi terasa lebih kuat di sini dan nggak semenyebalkan buku yang saya baca sebelumnya. Pesan moral dari buku ini adalah jangan percaya sama dukun dan kesyirikan membawa kepada kesesatan. Hahaha

Ada yang sedikit mengganggu sih, tapi biar nggak ada yang protes, saya kasih tanda spoiler aja deh....



Semoga di acara obral-obralan buku berikutnya saya bisa dapat seri-seri lainnya dari kisah detektif remaja ini. Waktu itu saya hanya beli dua karena khawatir nggak suka sama ceritanya, seperti yang dulu pernah saya alami ketika beli novel detektif remaja sejenis ini. Tapi karena sekarang saya tahu kalau saya suka dengan tema dan ceritanya, tentu saya akan beli lagi kalau memang berjodoh...
Profile Image for Nicholas Ball.
200 reviews2 followers
July 20, 2021
Third in the series, another kid friendly mystery with intrigue and adventure. To modern eyes some of the elements are broadly painted (the foreign Syrian characters are acting in keeping with something a sorceror/beggar had a vision of, painting them as a more credulous type, read into that what you will).

That and the "convenience" of a plot point or two causes it to lose a star. Let's be clear - the book is neither racist nor badly written.. but it isn't perfection either.
Profile Image for Frazer Lee.
Author 29 books91 followers
December 29, 2024
Pure nostalgia re-reading this (in the same 1971 edition I read as a child). I remember poring over the exciting mystery covers at my local library, along with the Usborne ghost/ufo books & Target Dr Who novelisations. There is a huge online community of Three Investigators fans out there — and no wonder. It’s heartening to know that these fun mysteries have encouraged a lifelong love of reading for so many.
Profile Image for vitaa.
34 reviews
November 9, 2021
IMPRESSIVE. perkenalan awal yang lumayan seru sama trio detektif. di awal sampe sekitar pertengahan baca aku selalu membatin gak bakal baca seri lain, tapi pas udah nyampe end, not bad. I want to read their other cases.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews

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