Mystery of the Haunted Mine

by Gordon D. Shirreffs

The Espectros...The Haunted Mountains! Somewhere in these canyons is a treasure...thousands of dollars worth of gold that men have searched and died for. The Indians say it is guarded by ghosts...but Gary and Tuck refuse to believe that ghosts use live ammunition.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult

252 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Gordon Donald Shirreffs was an American author of Western and young adult novels.

Reviews

[Al Gritten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book many years ago when I was 11 or 12, procured from a Scholastic book fair, and somewhere, sometime, lost track of my copy. I loved the book, but after my copy disappeared I couldn’t remember the name or the author and so years later I started trying to find this wonderful book that I read as a kid, but without the author’s name or title it was very difficult. I finally stumbled across it not long ago and procured it. It is still as wonderful as it was when I read it years ago. It has mystery, suspense, and action and once Shirreffs establishes his characters and the plot, the book quickly builds in both action and suspense and becomes a real page turner. Gary and Tucker are on summer break preparing to enter their senior year, and Sue is Tucker’s freshman cousin who has eyes for Gary. Together they brave the mountains and the wrath of nature, potential landslides and ghosts and one very real killer to try and find a rumored treasure that may or may not exist. It’s a quick read, with great characters and enough action to keep the pages turning through to the end. I am thrilled to have finally found it again, and to find that it as good a book as I remember.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a young adult book, but it is so good that adults can enjoy it too. It's dated, but that only makes it more endearing.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made the mistake of reading this at night! What a thriller-wished I could have been bouncing around in Gary's jeep with him and Tuck and Sue!

[Jeffry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorites

I have read this book off and on for 45 years or so. I first read it in 9th grade in the mid 70's. When I feel down or nostalgic I return to The Espectros mountains with Gary, Sue and Tuck. I know the book by heart but I get the same joy out of it as I did when I was a kid. When I'm finished I always feel better. One of my all time favorites.

[Ann aka Iftcan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent adventure showing the mind set and lifestyle of teens in the early 1960's. Good adventure, a tight mystery, and plenty of thrills for the 13 to 15 year old.

[Geoff Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this paperback repeatedly when I was 11-14 years old. Loved it then and enjoyed rereading it.

Fast paced storyline with a twist at the end. A fun way to spend a couple of hours.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Mystery of the Haunted Mine turned out to be a bit unusual for its time and genre. I was expecting it to be closer in tone and writing to the Nancy Drew mysteries, but it was really quite a bit darker and more realistic, in everything from the dialogue to the mostly-happy ending. The cover art(which shows the character Sue nervously holding onto the hero, Gary) is rather misleading, as in the story itself Sue is every bit as brave as Gary and Tuck, and simply steps right over the skeleton she is so scared of in the cover art. Gary and Tuck were enjoyable as the heroes, but Sue was certainly my favorite character from the book. Overall, I liked Mystery of the Haunted Mine and appreciated the less watered-down approach to the story and characters. But it did drag on in quite a few places, which brought it down to about 3 stars.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent kid's mystery, set in the Superstition mountains, which Shirreffs calls the Espectros. You get a real feel for the landscape, the characters are interesting, and the plot moves along right sprightly. Re-reading it as an adult there are a couple of points I question -- not necessarily inconsistencies or contradictions, more, "Why didn't...?" and "Where did...?" kind of things. But the same can be said of many an excellent adult mystery; not an issue until you've read it more than once!

Every time I read this book, I think I need to track down more books by this author, but never have. I should remedy that.

[Tim Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book when i was in Jr. High/early High School. Looking for a copy for my son.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost gold, haunted mountains,shadowy figures...all lead three explorers on a twisting chase. Nice way to spend an afternoon.

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great mystery, and right up my alley as the kind of book I loved as a kid. These Scholastic books were and are a fun read.

[Arthur Belcher]

I have had this book since grade school...maybe i was 11 or 12 when I ordered it from a little " paper" we would get from the BOOKMOBILE that came to school. I'm 63 now and have read it to death. I just got done reading it again...for the forty-'leventh time. I loved it and hope my grandchildren find a book like this to get them interested in reading. Mr Shirreffs kept my interest from the first chapter to the last. I'm looking up more of his work to read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! This is the first book I ever read that wasn't required in school.

[Christopher Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title already piqued my interest at age 11 back in 1978-I was a huge Hardy Boys fan and my favorite book was Hunting For Hidden Gold(Number 5 In the series if memory serves). As the Hardy's were sleuthing on horseback in the snowy mountains of Montana, this story is set in the opposite terrain. The ragged and unpredictable terrain of Sw United States. Add Apache Indian legends, a lost gold mine, and three young people with time on their hands, this story simply grips the imagination. Call me naive but I try to never speculate and just let the story take me for a ride-I was shocked at the ending. I love this story and Id love to adapt it to film.It would be a smash if I directed.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teenagers spend the summer looking for lost gold mine in New Mexico wilderness based on grandfather's treasure map. They meet suspicious characters, see shadows in the night, uncover skeletal remains, and are fired upon. Finally they find the treasure only to have a landslide bury everything. For preteen boys only since there is no romance component in the story.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a Little Free Library and thought I'd give it a shot. It was a fun adventure / treasure hunting / mystery book from the early 1960's. It seems like it could have been the start of a series but I don't know that there were other books with this trio of characters. It was an enjoyable book!

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my most favorite book in my teenage years. I received the book second hand and falling apart but I loved it! This book and a couple others are what turned me into the avid reader I am today. I wanted to be them and explore the mountains for gold! The storyline kept me captivated until the end.

[Naomi McCullough · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those mysteries that gives you a proper chill! And for some reason I still usually read it at night.
I love the gang, from the ever-hungry, lanky Tuck, his daring cousin Sue, to the determined, suspicious Gary.

[Sarah Gallini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful adventure story! Makes me want to go on a treasure hunt. Very well written and interesting.

[Beverly Starcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars...this book was a childhood favorite!

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I first discovered it when I was about 11. Someone on Goodreads mentioned rereading it recently and that reminded that some books are worth rereading at any age, so I grabbed it and have it near the top of my reading stack (ebook list).