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Classic Three Investigators #10
Die drei ??? und der sprechende Totenkopf (Die drei Fragezeichen, #5).
Bob und Peter halten von Anfang an nicht viel davon, daß ihr Freund Justus auf einer Versteigerung ausgerechnet einen alten Koffer mit unbekanntem Inhalt ersteigert.
Beim ersten Inspizieren machen sie einen seltsamen Fund - ein Totenkopf! Nicht genug damit, der kann auch noch sprechen und die drei ??? werden in immer atemberaubendere Geschehnisse verwickelt.
Beim ersten Inspizieren machen sie einen seltsamen Fund - ein Totenkopf! Nicht genug damit, der kann auch noch sprechen und die drei ??? werden in immer atemberaubendere Geschehnisse verwickelt.
143 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1969
24 people are currently reading
812 people want to read
About the author
Robert Arthur
347 books299 followersRobert 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
August 2, 2024
Justus hat auf einer Auktion einen alten Koffer ersteigert. Er ist gespannt, was er enthält. Wie sich herausstellt, gehörte der Koffer wohl einst einem Zauberer. Ein Totenkopf ist im Koffer enthalten, und der Totenkopf kann sprechen...
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Dieser Band hat mir richtig gut gefallen! Ich mochte die leicht gruselige und rätselhafte Atmosphäre sehr. Auch der Humor kommt hier nicht zu kurz. Alles im allem eine richtig gute und spannende Unterhaltung.
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Dieser Band hat mir richtig gut gefallen! Ich mochte die leicht gruselige und rätselhafte Atmosphäre sehr. Auch der Humor kommt hier nicht zu kurz. Alles im allem eine richtig gute und spannende Unterhaltung.
March 12, 2017
An easy 5 stars when I first read it at age 12. Thirty plus years later it is probably closer to a 3 star, but that averages out to a 4 star which is what I'll give it. I can remember these books as the most exciting books in the library when I was a kid. I hope my son, when he's old enough to read enjoys them as much as I did.
November 12, 2025
Never read these in my young days but finding out Robert Arthur wrote the early installments, got me curious. I'm a fan of The Mysterious Traveler old time radio show, which Arthur co-created, so wanted to check out his paperback writing. It's a fun juvie mystery and this printing includes the wraparound chapters with Alfred Hitchcock. Guess the director of PSYCHO, VERTIGO and FRENZY was real popular with the 60s kiddos.
October 24, 2025
2009 review - The last Robert Arthur book, this has a good strong opening and maintains a cracking pace throughout. Staying close to Rocky Beach, the regular cast of characters all have parts to play and there’s a nice, nostalgic atmosphere to the whole thing. Jupiter buys a magician’s trunk at auction and discovers it contains a skull that talks and a letter which seems to lead towards a stash of stolen money. Incorporating mediums, gypsies, hoodlums and houses that move, this is great fun and a fitting swansong for the series creator. There’s also a nice touch, where Arthur bemoans the fact that old neighbourhoods are being torn down to make way for yet more freeways. Well worth a read.
2013 update - My original review is spot-on and I can’t really add more, except to say that Chief Reynolds has a good part, the criminal gang - Three-Finger Munger and his associates Leo The Knife and Babyface Bension - are played admirably straight and the use of Zelda the gypsy was a nice nod back to “Terror Castle” (though in that it was actually Gypsy Kate, Zelda was her comrade-in-arms). With a nod to a real book - “Lord Chizelrigg's Missing Fortune” by Robert Barr - this has nice interplay between the lads (though Pete seems more nervous than usual), great use of locations and a good pace
2017 update - Still in agreement with my previous assessments, a good story, well told with a cracking pace, very enjoyable.
2021 update - Completely agree with the above, an excellent read.
2025 update - great fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
2013 update - My original review is spot-on and I can’t really add more, except to say that Chief Reynolds has a good part, the criminal gang - Three-Finger Munger and his associates Leo The Knife and Babyface Bension - are played admirably straight and the use of Zelda the gypsy was a nice nod back to “Terror Castle” (though in that it was actually Gypsy Kate, Zelda was her comrade-in-arms). With a nod to a real book - “Lord Chizelrigg's Missing Fortune” by Robert Barr - this has nice interplay between the lads (though Pete seems more nervous than usual), great use of locations and a good pace
2017 update - Still in agreement with my previous assessments, a good story, well told with a cracking pace, very enjoyable.
2021 update - Completely agree with the above, an excellent read.
2025 update - great fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 9, 2022
Ich hatte recht hohe Erwartungen an Karin Lieneweg, aber leider wurden diese nicht ganz getroffen. Es lag aber mehr an meinen Erwartungen Es war dennoch ein lustiges und spannendes Abenteuer mit Tante Mathilda. :)
March 24, 2022
Pretty impressive! By this point I don't have any expectations at all about the books, but I was pleasantly surprised. The twists are pretty cool.
April 25, 2022
Eine turbulente Folge mit vielen durchsichtigen Charakteren. Hat mir im Vergleich zu den vorherigen Klassikern ein Stückchen weniger gefallen, deshalb nur sehr gute vier Sterne.
April 20, 2017
Knappe drei Sterne. Ich habe ehrlich gesagt nicht verstanden, wieso Justus den Fall einfach so abgeben will, nur weil Tante Mathilda sich über den Totenkopf aufregt. Das passt so gar nicht zu ihm und wirkte ziemlich erzwungen. Dass Tante Mathilda anscheinend leicht antiziganistisch eingestellt ist, na ja, ist vielleicht ganz realistisch aber macht sie nicht gerade sympathisch.
Und wieder ein Fall in dem die drei nicht mal auf die Idee kommen, dass eine Frau eventuell nur ein verkleideter Mann ist. Ich glaub nicht, dass man hier davon ausgehen soll, dass die Jungs einfach so liberal und modern sind, dass sie einfach davon ausgingen, dass es eine gender-non-conforming Frau war, mit der sie da sprachen (würde auch sonst der Rober Arthur Art der 70er nicht so recht entsprechen). Eher, dass wir da ein Auge zudrücken sollten und so tun als würde Justus nichts merken, weil sonst der Plot nicht funktioniert. Na ja. Ansonsten ist das Buch aber recht spannend und macht Spaß.
Und wieder ein Fall in dem die drei nicht mal auf die Idee kommen, dass eine Frau eventuell nur ein verkleideter Mann ist. Ich glaub nicht, dass man hier davon ausgehen soll, dass die Jungs einfach so liberal und modern sind, dass sie einfach davon ausgingen, dass es eine gender-non-conforming Frau war, mit der sie da sprachen (würde auch sonst der Rober Arthur Art der 70er nicht so recht entsprechen). Eher, dass wir da ein Auge zudrücken sollten und so tun als würde Justus nichts merken, weil sonst der Plot nicht funktioniert. Na ja. Ansonsten ist das Buch aber recht spannend und macht Spaß.
December 16, 2021
It starts well and has some entertaining scenes, but the side characters aren't likeable and Jupiter misses really easy to answer mysteries.
May 4, 2024
'The Mystery of the Talking Skull' (The Three Investigators #11) by Robert Arthur.
Rating: 4.25/5.
Review:
The Mystery of the Talking Skull is the eleventh and final book in the original run of the Three Investigators series. The series was later continued, with 32 more books being written by another set of authors. But, unfortunately, this is the last T3I mystery book that was ever written by its original author, Robert Arthur Jr.
William Arden, the author of the previous mystery, tried his level best to preserve the essence of the series – and he succeeded at most of it, too! The Mystery of the Talking Skull marks Robert Arthur Jr.'s return to the world of the Three Investigators for one final rodeo. While its predecessor wasn't necessarily a bad T3I novel, this book displays a stark difference in the authorial voice and the writing style of the two novels.
I won't be going into too many details regarding my experiences with this book. As usual, I had a great time reading this book and, as a result, devoured it in its entirety in a single sitting. Although I had read this story previously during my school days, I had forgotten about most of its plot details, and the entire journey was as enjoyable as a first read for me. I was able to successfully deduce the identity of the gypsy woman Zelda as well as the mechanism responsible for Socrates' "talking" (probably because I was subconsciously remembering these minute details from my initial reading of this book). However, the hidden code in the message was the icing on the cake. Despite being constantly reminded about Spike Neely's speech defect, I missed the glaringly obvious detail in the clue (just like Jupiter) and was fooled for a while into thinking that the loot might be hidden behind the wallpapers. All in all, I was greatly delighted at being fooled by a clever clue and not being able to solve a part of the mystery beforehand. It also made me relate hard with one of my favourite characters from my school days – Jupiter Jones.
So, that's it! The Mystery of the Talking Skull was a thoroughly captivating nostalgia read that had me gripped from the start to the end. It not only marks the end of the original run of The Three Investigators Mysteries, but also the end of my chronological read-along of these books. While I'm ecstatic about reading these childhood favourites (as well as reading four books from the series that I hadn't previously read), it grieves me to think of not being able to read these books again for the first time ever. Fortunately, there were thirty-two more books written as a continuation of the original series, and I'm excited to resume my chronological read-along in the future by diving deep into those mystery novels. Unfortunately, these are out of print, and I'll have to collect them first before resuming my read-along.
He and Bob and Pete began pulling out more Oriental costumes. Then they found a magician’s wand, and several short, curved swords. They were examining these, their backs to Socrates, when a muffled sneeze sounded behind them.
They whirled around. No one was there. No one, that is, but the skull.
Socrates had sneezed!
Rating: 4.25/5.
Review:
The Mystery of the Talking Skull is the eleventh and final book in the original run of the Three Investigators series. The series was later continued, with 32 more books being written by another set of authors. But, unfortunately, this is the last T3I mystery book that was ever written by its original author, Robert Arthur Jr.
William Arden, the author of the previous mystery, tried his level best to preserve the essence of the series – and he succeeded at most of it, too! The Mystery of the Talking Skull marks Robert Arthur Jr.'s return to the world of the Three Investigators for one final rodeo. While its predecessor wasn't necessarily a bad T3I novel, this book displays a stark difference in the authorial voice and the writing style of the two novels.
I won't be going into too many details regarding my experiences with this book. As usual, I had a great time reading this book and, as a result, devoured it in its entirety in a single sitting. Although I had read this story previously during my school days, I had forgotten about most of its plot details, and the entire journey was as enjoyable as a first read for me. I was able to successfully deduce the identity of the gypsy woman Zelda as well as the mechanism responsible for Socrates' "talking" (probably because I was subconsciously remembering these minute details from my initial reading of this book). However, the hidden code in the message was the icing on the cake. Despite being constantly reminded about Spike Neely's speech defect, I missed the glaringly obvious detail in the clue (just like Jupiter) and was fooled for a while into thinking that the loot might be hidden behind the wallpapers. All in all, I was greatly delighted at being fooled by a clever clue and not being able to solve a part of the mystery beforehand. It also made me relate hard with one of my favourite characters from my school days – Jupiter Jones.
So, that's it! The Mystery of the Talking Skull was a thoroughly captivating nostalgia read that had me gripped from the start to the end. It not only marks the end of the original run of The Three Investigators Mysteries, but also the end of my chronological read-along of these books. While I'm ecstatic about reading these childhood favourites (as well as reading four books from the series that I hadn't previously read), it grieves me to think of not being able to read these books again for the first time ever. Fortunately, there were thirty-two more books written as a continuation of the original series, and I'm excited to resume my chronological read-along in the future by diving deep into those mystery novels. Unfortunately, these are out of print, and I'll have to collect them first before resuming my read-along.
“All in all, a most interesting case,” the director said. “Well, I will be glad to introduce it for you, as I have your others. Have you any idea what you’ll work on next?”
“Not yet,” Jupiter said as they all rose. “But we’re keeping our eyes open. We’ll be in touch with you, Mr. Hitchcock.”
They filed out of the living room, and Mr. Hitchcock smiled to himself. A talking skull! What would they come up with next!
March 15, 2022
Jupiter Jones, chief investigator of The Three Investigators detective agency, decides that he wants to attend an auction and brings fellow investigators, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews, along. It's all part of the gathering of experiences so they can be well-informed detectives. While at the auction, Jupiter becomes interested in an old trunk that belonged to the Great Gulliver. The Great Gulliver was a mediocre magician who had one great trick--a talking skull who could predict the future. He is the only bidder and becomes the proud owner for only $1.
He's barely taken possession of the trunk before people start clamoring to buy it from him. There's the elderly lady who reached the auction just moments too late to bid and offers $25 for it, and Maximilian the Magnificent who flaunts $100 and claims to want the trunk of his good friend Gulliver "for old times sake." There's also the mysterious men who keep hanging around The Jones Salvage Yard, owned by Jupiter's aunt & uncle, and who try to steal the trunk. Obviously, the trunk holds a valuable secret--but is it more than just a talking skull magic trick? Once Socrates, the skull, begins talking to him, Jupiter and The Three Investigators just might find out! [synopsis from previous review]
I read this one five years ago in a fit of nostalgia...and because it fit the Birth Year Reading Challenge I was doing at the time (yes, the book is every bit as old as I am...). I read a more recent edition found at our local library and mentioned at the time that I was disappointed that Alfred Hitchcock was no longer the boys' sponsor. Since then I found a 1969 edition and decided to revisit the book (courtesy of another challenge's random selection process). As a collector as well as a reader, it was a very pleasing experience to read this in the original format even though Hitchcock's presence didn't really add much to the proceedings beyond nostalgia. But nostalgia can go a long way sometimes and this made for a nice, cozy morning's read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
He's barely taken possession of the trunk before people start clamoring to buy it from him. There's the elderly lady who reached the auction just moments too late to bid and offers $25 for it, and Maximilian the Magnificent who flaunts $100 and claims to want the trunk of his good friend Gulliver "for old times sake." There's also the mysterious men who keep hanging around The Jones Salvage Yard, owned by Jupiter's aunt & uncle, and who try to steal the trunk. Obviously, the trunk holds a valuable secret--but is it more than just a talking skull magic trick? Once Socrates, the skull, begins talking to him, Jupiter and The Three Investigators just might find out! [synopsis from previous review]
I read this one five years ago in a fit of nostalgia...and because it fit the Birth Year Reading Challenge I was doing at the time (yes, the book is every bit as old as I am...). I read a more recent edition found at our local library and mentioned at the time that I was disappointed that Alfred Hitchcock was no longer the boys' sponsor. Since then I found a 1969 edition and decided to revisit the book (courtesy of another challenge's random selection process). As a collector as well as a reader, it was a very pleasing experience to read this in the original format even though Hitchcock's presence didn't really add much to the proceedings beyond nostalgia. But nostalgia can go a long way sometimes and this made for a nice, cozy morning's read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
July 5, 2023
These were my favorite books in the library when I was in elementary school. They are out of print, but my darling daughter has been finding me some used copies at thrift stores. If you're picking these up for the first time, I doubt you will give them 5 star ratings. Nostalgia plays a huge part in my 5 star review.
November 9, 2015
Not a bad one, just not one of the best.
This one involves an old trunk, a talking skull, some bad guys, and some stolen money. No teen boys show up this time to help, so the international helper trope was tossed out this time. Overall a decent story, but I have some much nostalgia for this series it would have to be pretty bad for me not to like it.
If you enjoy the series, you'll enjoy this one as well.
This one involves an old trunk, a talking skull, some bad guys, and some stolen money. No teen boys show up this time to help, so the international helper trope was tossed out this time. Overall a decent story, but I have some much nostalgia for this series it would have to be pretty bad for me not to like it.
If you enjoy the series, you'll enjoy this one as well.
November 14, 2011
I really enjoy the Three Investigator series. This one was fun. In the end the boys always discuss the case with Mr. Hitchcook, and the reader discovers how the tricks of the mystery were done. It was clever the way the crook made the skull talk, but I won't tell you....
January 4, 2011
I was fond of mysteries when I was a kid...mostly because my dad has lots of hardy boys and other books like those.
This was definitely one of my favorites.
This was definitely one of my favorites.
April 2, 2020
Die sechste Folge der deutschen Hörspielreihe beginnt damit, dass Justus Jonas auf einer Auktion aus Neugier einen alten Koffer für gerade mal einen Dollar ersteigert. Schon kurz nach seinem erfolgreichen Gebot gewinnt der Koffer offenbar massiv an Wert, denn erst bietet ihm eine Frau 30 Dollar für das frisch ersteigerte Objekt, bevor am nächsten Tag ein Magier sogar 100 Dollar für das alte Stück auf den Tisch legen will. Justus gibt der Verlockung aber nicht nach und stattdessen versuchen die drei Detektive herauszufinden, warum es plötzlich so viele Leute auf den Koffer abgesehen haben. Die Spur führt zu einem früheren Magier, dessen Markenzeichen ein sprechender Totenschädel war...
Die Folge läuft nach dem üblichen Schema ab: Die drei ??? kommen in den Besitz eines geheimnisvollen Objekts und plötzlich ist die halbe Welt hinter dem Gegenstand her, darunter natürlich wieder vorrangig zwielichtige Gestalten. Trotzdem weiß der Fall erneut zu unterhalten: das Rätsel um den sprechenden Totenschädel ist mysteriös und kommt mit einer guten Hintergrundgeschichte daher, zudem müssen die jungen Spürnasen diesmal auch ernsthaft ihre Detektivfähigkeiten unter Beweis stellen, um die Hinweise zu entschlüsseln – auch wenn manche Herleitung vielleicht etwas weit hergeholt ist (Stichwort: Briefmarken). Die Geschichte bietet eine gute Mischung aus Spannung und Humor und zählt bis hierhin zu den besten der Reihe, kommt aber auch nicht ganz ohne die obligatorischen Logikschwächen aus (so ist es z.B. etwas unverständlich, dass Justus Jonas den Koffer, den auf der Auktion niemand haben will, für gerade mal einen Dollar ersteigert, nur damit einen Augenblick später eine Frau am gleichen Ort (!) plötzlich das Dreißigfache bietet...). Dennoch eine gute und sehr unterhaltsame Folge!
Die Folge läuft nach dem üblichen Schema ab: Die drei ??? kommen in den Besitz eines geheimnisvollen Objekts und plötzlich ist die halbe Welt hinter dem Gegenstand her, darunter natürlich wieder vorrangig zwielichtige Gestalten. Trotzdem weiß der Fall erneut zu unterhalten: das Rätsel um den sprechenden Totenschädel ist mysteriös und kommt mit einer guten Hintergrundgeschichte daher, zudem müssen die jungen Spürnasen diesmal auch ernsthaft ihre Detektivfähigkeiten unter Beweis stellen, um die Hinweise zu entschlüsseln – auch wenn manche Herleitung vielleicht etwas weit hergeholt ist (Stichwort: Briefmarken). Die Geschichte bietet eine gute Mischung aus Spannung und Humor und zählt bis hierhin zu den besten der Reihe, kommt aber auch nicht ganz ohne die obligatorischen Logikschwächen aus (so ist es z.B. etwas unverständlich, dass Justus Jonas den Koffer, den auf der Auktion niemand haben will, für gerade mal einen Dollar ersteigert, nur damit einen Augenblick später eine Frau am gleichen Ort (!) plötzlich das Dreißigfache bietet...). Dennoch eine gute und sehr unterhaltsame Folge!
December 28, 2023
The Mystery of the Talking Skull, Robert Arthur [Scholastic, 1969].
The Mystery of the Talking Skull is a juvenile mystery featuring Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators. When Jupiter Jones acquires a vanished magician’s trunk at an auction, a talking skull and a letter from prison points the boys in the direction of some stolen money.
***
Robert Arthur was the ghost editor of Alfred Hitchcock story collections for children and a writer of the Three Investigators series, as well as a writer for radio and television. Arthur died in 1969, the same year…The Talking Skull was released.
The Mystery of the Talking Skull is a juvenile mystery featuring Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators. When Jupiter Jones acquires a vanished magician’s trunk at an auction, a talking skull and a letter from prison points the boys in the direction of some stolen money.
***
Robert Arthur was the ghost editor of Alfred Hitchcock story collections for children and a writer of the Three Investigators series, as well as a writer for radio and television. Arthur died in 1969, the same year…The Talking Skull was released.
July 7, 2022
Not my favorite. This awkward racial issue is of gypsies, so there's that.
Read
November 26, 2023Ein paar der verwendeten Termini sind wirklich nicht gut gealtert.
November 11, 2019
While I remember this one fondly, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about this one now. Some of the details were nice, like the lamenting of development taking out neighborhoods. But the Three Investigators seemed rather unconcerned about the skull talking to them and trying to figure out how it worked and who was talking to them through it.
April 9, 2017
Another typical Three Investigators mystery. The kids liked it, though I don't think it lives up to The Secret of Terror Castle. Pete is pretty wimpy, and Jupiter wasn't as sharp this time. We figured out some stuff long before he did. The gypsy angle was fun, and they were super helpful to the main characters, showing up just in time.
Speaking of "just in time." One sixth grade boy said you could tell it was fiction because everything worked out way too smoothly. :)
Speaking of "just in time." One sixth grade boy said you could tell it was fiction because everything worked out way too smoothly. :)
July 20, 2022
Gelesen von Karin Lieneweg.
February 4, 2013
I'm always keen to read new books from the past, especially a series of books that have passed me by. In this case I have Darren to thank from the Book Zone Blog for boys. I picked up this recommendation from one of his tweets a few weeks ago. This is a real hidden gem - I always find it interesting to look back and notice the difference. In this case, the time frame in which it was written is before the internet and the rapidly changing digital world.
Book one was published in 1964 and, 43 books later, the very last book was published in 1987. Due to legal issues (with publishers and such) nothing has happened since 1990 and this may still remain the case in the future.
Whilst I would love to read more books in this series, I don't think this is going to be an easy task - some books appear to be out of print and some were published in the US as part of another series. However, I do feel slightly hopeful that I might be able to find another example as I found this book in a local charity shop. Therefore, I think you know where I'll be looking and what I'll be doing in the next week or so!
Many different authors are featured in this series such as William Arden, Nick West and Robert Arthur (the creator). Robert penned many of the original ideas and edited most of the early books. In fact the book that I've just read was written by the master himself. It is a fantastic introduction to the books. It would appear that all of the authors have written their own introductions and epilogues. These were reportedly dictated by Hitchcock in the early books.
This book entails a classic mystery for three boys to sort out. Centered around their uncle's scrapyard, an absolutely brillant idea, Jupiter Jones buys an unusual old-fashioned trunk in an auction. Looking through the contents of the trunk, they discover a talking skull which sets them off an epic adventure of sinister proportions. It's a classically well told story that every young boy, and even every old boy, would still love to read today.
This is an example of when books were based on pure imagination. Full of good creative ideas which have been told in a simplistic way. By the time I had finished this book, I felt about ten years old. Let the search commence for the next book.
If you remember reading these books, then please leave a comment on the post. I would love to hear what you've got to say.
Book one was published in 1964 and, 43 books later, the very last book was published in 1987. Due to legal issues (with publishers and such) nothing has happened since 1990 and this may still remain the case in the future.
Whilst I would love to read more books in this series, I don't think this is going to be an easy task - some books appear to be out of print and some were published in the US as part of another series. However, I do feel slightly hopeful that I might be able to find another example as I found this book in a local charity shop. Therefore, I think you know where I'll be looking and what I'll be doing in the next week or so!
Many different authors are featured in this series such as William Arden, Nick West and Robert Arthur (the creator). Robert penned many of the original ideas and edited most of the early books. In fact the book that I've just read was written by the master himself. It is a fantastic introduction to the books. It would appear that all of the authors have written their own introductions and epilogues. These were reportedly dictated by Hitchcock in the early books.
This book entails a classic mystery for three boys to sort out. Centered around their uncle's scrapyard, an absolutely brillant idea, Jupiter Jones buys an unusual old-fashioned trunk in an auction. Looking through the contents of the trunk, they discover a talking skull which sets them off an epic adventure of sinister proportions. It's a classically well told story that every young boy, and even every old boy, would still love to read today.
This is an example of when books were based on pure imagination. Full of good creative ideas which have been told in a simplistic way. By the time I had finished this book, I felt about ten years old. Let the search commence for the next book.
If you remember reading these books, then please leave a comment on the post. I would love to hear what you've got to say.
September 20, 2024
I knew going in that this point had to come, of course, but it seems to have arrived far too quickly. The creator of 'The Three Investigators' series was Robert Arthur, who was able to bring in Alfred Hitchcock as a gimmick through an existing professional relationship with him. He wrote a couple of screenplays for his TV show, 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and a couple more for a radio show, 'The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'. He also edited quite a few of the short story anthologies published under Hitch's name, some of which featured Arthur's own stories, meaning that I've read some without necessarily remembering them. However, Arthur died in mid-1969, only six years into this series, meaning that this is his final contribution to it.
In fact, I presume that this eleventh book was originally intended to be the tenth, as Arthur wrote the previous titles at the rate of two a year up until the ninth book. I can only guess that he wasn't well enough to finish this one in time to meet that schedule, so another author was brought in for that one and it bumped one down in the series. Fortunately, it has a quintessential setup, perhaps the best one thus far, thus ensuring a memorable swansong.
Here's how it goes down. Jupiter Jones buys a theatrical trunk in an auction. It's an antique but it sells for only a buck because nobody wants it, at least until it's sold. An old lady shuffles in too late to bid and immediately offers Jupe thirty dollars. Journalist Fred Brown senses a human interest story in the trunk, so interviews Jupe about it for his paper. Then, that night, it's stolen from Uncle Titus's junk yard, a day before a stage magician by the name of Maximilian the Mystic shows up to offer a cool hundred bucks for it. It belonged to his friend, the Great Gulliver, who was a magician as well.
Given how gloriously Arthur sets up this story, it's almost inevitable that the mystery that unfolds doesn't quite live up to it, but it's enjoyable enough and it successfully does what Arthur did best, namely to spin a mystery out of cool horror iconography. The cover art for the UK Armada edition is probably my favourite of the entire series, featuring the opened trunk, spilling colourful robes, and Jupe holding up the human skull that they discover inside. Of course, they opened it to see if anything interesting would be inside and it absolutely was. It doesn't talk at this point, but, hey, it is a human skull. That's a pretty cool thing to find in a trunk!
It also underlines one reason why I always preferred Arthur's entries in the series to those of later authors, though I'm happy to revisit that as I progress through it afresh. Re-reading them decades on from my last time through, I realise that they functioned as my gateway into horror, given that I'd already found mysteries through Enid Blyton's 'Five Find-Outers and Dog' series. Arthur had an abiding habit of including overt horror iconography in books like 'The Secret of Terror Castle,' 'The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy' or 'The Mystery of the Green Ghost'. That may not be quite so overt here, but a talking human skull fits right into that trend!
One catch to Arthur's setup is that I couldn't buy into the boys not actually looking for the trunk in the morning, after it goes missing. This is who they are and what they do. Just look at the facts. In the evening of the purchase, they stash it away at the junkyard. Two thieves are seen breaking in overnight. In the morning, the trunk is gone. It's a decent assumption that all those facts connect, but the boys don't do anything about it. It's only when Uncle Titus reveals that he played a prank that their curiosity is engaged and Jupe correctly deduces that he hid a small trunk inside a large one. The thieves didn't get what they were looking for and Jupe is cut down a notch.
And, of course, once Brown visits them to follow up on his story with teasing background details to share, we're off and running. Apparently, the Great Gulliver used a talking skull in his stage act, a trick that nobody could figure out, especially as Socrates, as it was named, sometimes talked even when Gulliver wasn't in the same room. This is only the first example of a potentially supernatural angle that Arthur is happy to tease while keeping his story grounded in reality. What's more, the Great Gulliver, talking skull aside, wasn't the greatest magician, so he drifted into fortune telling, at a time when that was illegal and heavily investigated by authorities. He was locked up and then he vanished.
Even when it evolves into mysterious gypsies, colourfully named thugs and undercover agents, it's always both grounded in reality and draped in supernatural trappings, almost echoing a stage act of a professional magician. I loved that approach, which I found highly appropriate. So the skull is happy to send Jupe a message in the form of an address and a password, but they then have to go there and deal with actual flesh and blood human beings, who just happen to be people like Zelda the Gypsy, a fortune teller. Of course, the story has us wonder not only if the boys are going to find out what the talking skull is all about but also something about Gulliver's disappearance.
I liked this one a lot, even if it doesn't quite live up to its build. The most negative angle is that it's Arthur's final contribution to the series, which is unavoidable. William Arden had written the prior book, 'The Mystery of the Moaning Cave', and he'd return for the next couple, along with a further eleven before the series was cancelled. M. V. Carey contributed fifteen, including the long-awaited final entry that wasn't published until many years later. That leaves a pair each for Marc Brandel and Nick West. At this point, I'm thinking that the heyday of the series is over, but I'm open to the potential for eating my words as I progress through the rest.
Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in June 2024:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Nana-...
Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/
In fact, I presume that this eleventh book was originally intended to be the tenth, as Arthur wrote the previous titles at the rate of two a year up until the ninth book. I can only guess that he wasn't well enough to finish this one in time to meet that schedule, so another author was brought in for that one and it bumped one down in the series. Fortunately, it has a quintessential setup, perhaps the best one thus far, thus ensuring a memorable swansong.
Here's how it goes down. Jupiter Jones buys a theatrical trunk in an auction. It's an antique but it sells for only a buck because nobody wants it, at least until it's sold. An old lady shuffles in too late to bid and immediately offers Jupe thirty dollars. Journalist Fred Brown senses a human interest story in the trunk, so interviews Jupe about it for his paper. Then, that night, it's stolen from Uncle Titus's junk yard, a day before a stage magician by the name of Maximilian the Mystic shows up to offer a cool hundred bucks for it. It belonged to his friend, the Great Gulliver, who was a magician as well.
Given how gloriously Arthur sets up this story, it's almost inevitable that the mystery that unfolds doesn't quite live up to it, but it's enjoyable enough and it successfully does what Arthur did best, namely to spin a mystery out of cool horror iconography. The cover art for the UK Armada edition is probably my favourite of the entire series, featuring the opened trunk, spilling colourful robes, and Jupe holding up the human skull that they discover inside. Of course, they opened it to see if anything interesting would be inside and it absolutely was. It doesn't talk at this point, but, hey, it is a human skull. That's a pretty cool thing to find in a trunk!
It also underlines one reason why I always preferred Arthur's entries in the series to those of later authors, though I'm happy to revisit that as I progress through it afresh. Re-reading them decades on from my last time through, I realise that they functioned as my gateway into horror, given that I'd already found mysteries through Enid Blyton's 'Five Find-Outers and Dog' series. Arthur had an abiding habit of including overt horror iconography in books like 'The Secret of Terror Castle,' 'The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy' or 'The Mystery of the Green Ghost'. That may not be quite so overt here, but a talking human skull fits right into that trend!
One catch to Arthur's setup is that I couldn't buy into the boys not actually looking for the trunk in the morning, after it goes missing. This is who they are and what they do. Just look at the facts. In the evening of the purchase, they stash it away at the junkyard. Two thieves are seen breaking in overnight. In the morning, the trunk is gone. It's a decent assumption that all those facts connect, but the boys don't do anything about it. It's only when Uncle Titus reveals that he played a prank that their curiosity is engaged and Jupe correctly deduces that he hid a small trunk inside a large one. The thieves didn't get what they were looking for and Jupe is cut down a notch.
And, of course, once Brown visits them to follow up on his story with teasing background details to share, we're off and running. Apparently, the Great Gulliver used a talking skull in his stage act, a trick that nobody could figure out, especially as Socrates, as it was named, sometimes talked even when Gulliver wasn't in the same room. This is only the first example of a potentially supernatural angle that Arthur is happy to tease while keeping his story grounded in reality. What's more, the Great Gulliver, talking skull aside, wasn't the greatest magician, so he drifted into fortune telling, at a time when that was illegal and heavily investigated by authorities. He was locked up and then he vanished.
Even when it evolves into mysterious gypsies, colourfully named thugs and undercover agents, it's always both grounded in reality and draped in supernatural trappings, almost echoing a stage act of a professional magician. I loved that approach, which I found highly appropriate. So the skull is happy to send Jupe a message in the form of an address and a password, but they then have to go there and deal with actual flesh and blood human beings, who just happen to be people like Zelda the Gypsy, a fortune teller. Of course, the story has us wonder not only if the boys are going to find out what the talking skull is all about but also something about Gulliver's disappearance.
I liked this one a lot, even if it doesn't quite live up to its build. The most negative angle is that it's Arthur's final contribution to the series, which is unavoidable. William Arden had written the prior book, 'The Mystery of the Moaning Cave', and he'd return for the next couple, along with a further eleven before the series was cancelled. M. V. Carey contributed fifteen, including the long-awaited final entry that wasn't published until many years later. That leaves a pair each for Marc Brandel and Nick West. At this point, I'm thinking that the heyday of the series is over, but I'm open to the potential for eating my words as I progress through the rest.
Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in June 2024:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Nana-...
Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/
December 31, 2020
(re-read) : i don’t care how long its been, or how different i perceive the book now, the nostalgia that a book carries would always be enough for me (a deeply-sentimental, ruled-by-emotions kind of person) to give it 4-5 stars! this book is not an exception.
the three investigators (amongst other mystery books) deeply influenced my daydreams of becoming a detective, thus resulting in me and my cousin’s routine of running around my neighborhood picking through trash to find a ‘mystery’. definitely a fond memory from my childhood!
★★★★☆
4 stars.
the three investigators (amongst other mystery books) deeply influenced my daydreams of becoming a detective, thus resulting in me and my cousin’s routine of running around my neighborhood picking through trash to find a ‘mystery’. definitely a fond memory from my childhood!
★★★★☆
4 stars.
May 18, 2017
Jupiter Jones, chief investigator of The Three Investigators detective agency, decides that he wants to attend an auction and brings fellow investigators, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews, along. It's all part of the gathering of experiences so they can be well-informed detectives. While at the auction, Jupiter becomes interested in an old trunk that belonged to the Great Gulliver. The Great Gulliver was a mediocre magician who had one great trick--a talking skull who could predict the future. He is the only bidder and becomes the proud owner for only $1.
He's barely taken possession of the trunk before people start clamoring to buy it from him. There's the elderly lady who reached the auction just moments too late to bid and offers $25 for it, and Maximilian the Magnificent who flaunts $100 and claims to want the trunk of his good friend Gulliver "for old times sake." There's also the mysterious men who keep hanging around The Jones Salvage Yard, owned by Jupiter's aunt & uncle, and who try to steal the trunk. Obviously, the trunk holds a valuable secret--but is it more than just a talking skull magic trick? Once Socrates, the skull, begins talking to him, Jupiter and The Three Investigators just might find out!
I've got a lot of nostalgia for this series. I first discovered them when I went with my then best friend and her family on a shopping trip to the big malls in Ft. Wayne. I was the one insisting on stopping at all the bookstores and had never heard of "Alfred Hitchcock & the Three Investigators," but I couldn't resist a new mystery series and grabbed up two or three of the novels. This is one of the titles that I missed reading back in the day. I have to say that I miss the Alfred Hitchcock connection--I mean, I know that Hitchcock just lent his name to the series and Random House decided to change the host when he died, but it was fun having him as the mentor for the boys. This newer edition has some guy named Hector Sebastian (apparently, after a little Google research, a fictional mystery writer)--not nearly as interesting to me.
It was still fun to revisit a childhood favorite and I enjoyed following along with the boys as they tracked down clues, entered their Headquarters through the secret tunnels in the junkyard, and ultimately discovered the secret hidden in the trunk and in Socrates's mysterious messages. Good solid adventure for young readers with a mystery that they can solve even before Jupiter does (I did!).
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
He's barely taken possession of the trunk before people start clamoring to buy it from him. There's the elderly lady who reached the auction just moments too late to bid and offers $25 for it, and Maximilian the Magnificent who flaunts $100 and claims to want the trunk of his good friend Gulliver "for old times sake." There's also the mysterious men who keep hanging around The Jones Salvage Yard, owned by Jupiter's aunt & uncle, and who try to steal the trunk. Obviously, the trunk holds a valuable secret--but is it more than just a talking skull magic trick? Once Socrates, the skull, begins talking to him, Jupiter and The Three Investigators just might find out!
I've got a lot of nostalgia for this series. I first discovered them when I went with my then best friend and her family on a shopping trip to the big malls in Ft. Wayne. I was the one insisting on stopping at all the bookstores and had never heard of "Alfred Hitchcock & the Three Investigators," but I couldn't resist a new mystery series and grabbed up two or three of the novels. This is one of the titles that I missed reading back in the day. I have to say that I miss the Alfred Hitchcock connection--I mean, I know that Hitchcock just lent his name to the series and Random House decided to change the host when he died, but it was fun having him as the mentor for the boys. This newer edition has some guy named Hector Sebastian (apparently, after a little Google research, a fictional mystery writer)--not nearly as interesting to me.
It was still fun to revisit a childhood favorite and I enjoyed following along with the boys as they tracked down clues, entered their Headquarters through the secret tunnels in the junkyard, and ultimately discovered the secret hidden in the trunk and in Socrates's mysterious messages. Good solid adventure for young readers with a mystery that they can solve even before Jupiter does (I did!).
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
December 12, 2025
The Mystery of the Talking Skull” by Alfred Hitchcock (1970)
Overall Rating 9/10 – A real no-brainer!
Plot
Jupiter Jones buys an old trunk for a dollar at an auction and is stunned to find a talking skull inside. Strange people start following him and the other two investigators, some even making approaches. The talking skull alludes to a mystery wrought with danger … that’s all Jupiter needs to start an investigation …
Writing Style
Easy, flowing, short sentences. Very juvenile, with virtually no flowering at all. Pretty basic script that, just now and again, shows its age. Just a couple of irritating uses of the word “For” as in … “They shivered, for it was cold”. Tolerable.
Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)
Critique
I loved this series of books as a youngster. Reading these now brings back a huge amount of nostalgia, and I have relived some of the feelings and sensations I experienced when I first read them. For a boy setting out on his life voyage of reading books, this is absolutely perfect. It is a wonderful world of basic script with a not-too-difficult plot wrapped in simple adventure. As an adult of 58 years, I was catapulted back in time, and I was once more 12 years old. I never want these books to end.
Another wonderful adventure steeped in mystery, twists and skullduggery (see what I did there? lol). Not too dissimilar to an adventure of Scooby-Doo, but with a more grown-up platform (even though the book is for teenagers) and a deeper plot.
Brilliantly written and an utter joy to read.
Overall Rating 9/10 – A real no-brainer!
Plot
Jupiter Jones buys an old trunk for a dollar at an auction and is stunned to find a talking skull inside. Strange people start following him and the other two investigators, some even making approaches. The talking skull alludes to a mystery wrought with danger … that’s all Jupiter needs to start an investigation …
Writing Style
Easy, flowing, short sentences. Very juvenile, with virtually no flowering at all. Pretty basic script that, just now and again, shows its age. Just a couple of irritating uses of the word “For” as in … “They shivered, for it was cold”. Tolerable.
Point of View/Voice
Written in the 3rd Person / Past Tense (standard convention)
Critique
I loved this series of books as a youngster. Reading these now brings back a huge amount of nostalgia, and I have relived some of the feelings and sensations I experienced when I first read them. For a boy setting out on his life voyage of reading books, this is absolutely perfect. It is a wonderful world of basic script with a not-too-difficult plot wrapped in simple adventure. As an adult of 58 years, I was catapulted back in time, and I was once more 12 years old. I never want these books to end.
Another wonderful adventure steeped in mystery, twists and skullduggery (see what I did there? lol). Not too dissimilar to an adventure of Scooby-Doo, but with a more grown-up platform (even though the book is for teenagers) and a deeper plot.
Brilliantly written and an utter joy to read.
March 1, 2021
This was my first book in this series, featuring the Three Investigators, Jupiter Jones, Peter Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. It turned out to be an interesting mystery, one that will certainly appeal to its target audience.
Jupiter bids $1 on an unclaimed trunk at an auction and wins it. But there are many who want the trunk. It turns out that the trunk belonged to the Great Gulliver, a reputed magician whose bag of tricks included a talking skull called Socrates. The magician had reportedly disappeared into thin air some years ago.
When two men make an unsuccessful attempt to steal the trunk, Jupiter sells it to another magician, a rival and friend of the Great Gulliver, who meets with an accident. It is now up to the Three Investigators to resolve the mystery of the talking skull.
Each chapter ends on a minor cliffhanger. And that was nice.
What wasn't so interesting was that Jupiter did the bulk of the heavy lifting when it came to solving the mysteries. Peter, in particular, was the least enthusiastic about solving the mystery, and the keenest on winning the award.
There is a message that adults should not dismiss the opinions of children as they may have a fresh viewpoint. There is also a hidden lesson about not trusting anyone blindly. And the final message was the one that should impress children. "Luck helps people who've got their eyes open."
Jupiter is too naive, ready to spill his secrets to anyone who exudes the slightest bit of authority.
Jupiter bids $1 on an unclaimed trunk at an auction and wins it. But there are many who want the trunk. It turns out that the trunk belonged to the Great Gulliver, a reputed magician whose bag of tricks included a talking skull called Socrates. The magician had reportedly disappeared into thin air some years ago.
When two men make an unsuccessful attempt to steal the trunk, Jupiter sells it to another magician, a rival and friend of the Great Gulliver, who meets with an accident. It is now up to the Three Investigators to resolve the mystery of the talking skull.
Each chapter ends on a minor cliffhanger. And that was nice.
What wasn't so interesting was that Jupiter did the bulk of the heavy lifting when it came to solving the mysteries. Peter, in particular, was the least enthusiastic about solving the mystery, and the keenest on winning the award.
There is a message that adults should not dismiss the opinions of children as they may have a fresh viewpoint. There is also a hidden lesson about not trusting anyone blindly. And the final message was the one that should impress children. "Luck helps people who've got their eyes open."
Jupiter is too naive, ready to spill his secrets to anyone who exudes the slightest bit of authority.
January 29, 2020
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 Talking Skull is #11 in the series. Lots of forced coincidences here as the boys randomly visit an auction and purchase a piece of luggage that many shady characters want to acquire. A somewhat silly story overall but not bad. I read an online ebook version of this since most of these books are out of print.
The Mystery of the Talking Skull is #11 in the series. Lots of forced coincidences here as the boys randomly visit an auction and purchase a piece of luggage that many shady characters want to acquire. A somewhat silly story overall but not bad. I read an online ebook version of this since most of these books are out of print.
August 21, 2025
In this 11th volume in the series, Jupiter Jones buys a mystery trunk at an auction for one dollar that was once owned by a magician who has now disappeared. Inside the trunk is a supposed talking skull named Socrates that the magician used in his act. As soon as Jupiter gets the trunk, however, a lot of other people start showing an interest. They offer large sums of money or just try to steal it. The mystery leads Jupiter and his pals to a group of gypsies and then on the trail to find out where the magician who owned the trunk has disappeared too. Along the way, they find a connection to a bank robbery, which may be why so many people are after the trunk. This one had a lot of twists and turns and some surprises that would have been very cool to my kid self even if my adult self figured it out fairly easily. I still enjoyed it.
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