The Electronic Mind Reader

Rick Brant Science-Adventures #12

by John Blaine

A RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE STORY



THE

ELECTRONIC

MIND READER




BY JOHN BLAINE





GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS

NEW YORK, N. Y.




(C) BY GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1957





Contents


CHAPTER PAGE

I THE MILLION-DOLLAR GIMMICK 1

II THE INVASION OF SPINDRIFT 10

III A SYSTEM WITHIN A SYSTEM 24

IV A HAIRCUT AND A WINK 33

V JANIG RUNS A SECURITY CHECK 45

VI A CALM PRECEDES A STORM 55

VII THE PERIPATETIC BARBER 65

VIII THE MIND READER STRIKES 74

IX DAGGER OF THE MIND 86

X SEARCH FOR STRANGERS 94

XI THE DANGEROUS RESEMBLANCE 105

XII THE COAST GUARD DRAWS A BLANK 119

XIII THE MEGABUCK MOB ACTS 130

XIV SURVEILLANCE--WITH CEREAL 148

XV A MATTER OF BRAIN WAVES 154

XVI THE VANISHING MERMAIDS 164

XVII POINTER TO DISASTER 179

XVIII THE ONE-MAN BOARDING PARTY 186

XIX TAPED FOR TROUBLE 194

XX JANIG CLOSES IN 202

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

"John Blaine" was a pseudonym of Harold Leland Goodwin and Peter J. Harkins.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Electronic Mind Reader is the twelfth Rick Brant adventure, and may be the best entry in the series. The scientific angle is pretty interesting, though it's more speculative than usual. The mystery is more detailed and engaging than in many of the books, and the consequences of the acts of the nefarious bad guys can be quite chilling if our heroes can't solve the puzzle and save the day in time. This volume also introduces Jan Miller, the first and only young lady in whom Rick shows any hint of romantic interest through-out the series. The adventure is set on the familiar confines of Spindrift for the most part, so there's a lot going for it. The Rick Brant books were a series of boys' (today they'd just be labeled "y.a.") scientific (originally called "electronic") adventures that were written between the late '40s and '60s. They were in many ways superior to the better-known Tom Swift, Jr. books; they were more realistic and included descriptions of projects and puzzles that engaged the reader, as well as having more down-to-earth settings and set-ups and more realistic and likable characters. Rick lived on Spindrift Island, the location of a small but superior scientific facility headed by his father, Hartson Brant, along with his friend Scotty (who was originally an ex-Marine veteran of World War Two), his younger sister Barby, his mother (who was never named other than "Mom" or "Mrs. Brant" so far as I can recall, and a large and expanding likable cast of scientists, and including Dismal (Diz), the family dog. Spindrift was a lovely and wonderful location, as detailed by the map on the endpapers in each volume, with a farm, a rocket launcher, cliffs and woods, a pirate's field, a dock and airfield, an orchard, a large house and laboratory facility; in short, everything a right-thinking young person of the 1950's could ever need. There was a fine and ever-changing cast of supporting characters in addition to the Island residents, including Chahda (an enterprising and bright young friend from India), and Agent Steve Ames, government liaison beyond compare, whom I always believed to be related to Harlan Ames, the security chief in the Tom Swift, Jr. books. Typically the stories started at home, on Spindrift, and then took the boys to some remote and exotic location in the company of one or more of the cast of scientists, where they would have adventures, solve mysteries, and perform valuable scientific experiments and research. They're fun and exciting stories despite inevitable dating, and I am enjoying revisiting them.

[Rex Libris]

A rather tame installment as far as this series goes. Someone is scrambling the brains of great scientists by zapping them with a machine that messes with their brain waves. The good guys hide the scientists on Spindrift Island, home of our protagonist. The baddies hang out on the mainland and in a houseboat keeping tabs on the scientists. Rick et al spend most of their time just watching the watchers.

[Steve Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

PC

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

100% venture bros inspo

[Tim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my review at http://tims-reviews.blogspot.com/2017....

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be used almost unchanged.
Maybe require Jan to take a real SCUBA course
Also, there is current research that uses magnets to alter
brain activity, so the basic weapon would still be pausible.
An exciting story, a little scary.
Also Jan Miller is introduced and is a welcome addition.