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The Hardy Boys Casefiles #5
Edge of Destruction
VOICE OF DOOM
In the middle of a gala political banquet, Fenton Hardy is kidnapped, Then a mysterious caller outlines his terrifying demand: unless he receives twenty million dollars, Fenton Hardy - along with many thousands of innocent victims - will be infected with a fatal virus. New York City will turn into a ghost town!
Police Chief Sam Peterson, Hardy's ex-partner in the NYPD, immediately takes charge. His first official act is to order Frank and Joe off the case. But the brother detectives are too worried about their father to heed the chief's warning - even if it means entering a strange underground world far below the city streets. A world where darkness rules, the mob is the only law, and murder lurks behind every shadow. . . .
In the middle of a gala political banquet, Fenton Hardy is kidnapped, Then a mysterious caller outlines his terrifying demand: unless he receives twenty million dollars, Fenton Hardy - along with many thousands of innocent victims - will be infected with a fatal virus. New York City will turn into a ghost town!
Police Chief Sam Peterson, Hardy's ex-partner in the NYPD, immediately takes charge. His first official act is to order Frank and Joe off the case. But the brother detectives are too worried about their father to heed the chief's warning - even if it means entering a strange underground world far below the city streets. A world where darkness rules, the mob is the only law, and murder lurks behind every shadow. . . .
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
5 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Franklin W. Dixon
784 books1,001 followersFranklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 8, 2025
Fenton Hardy is invited to a fancy fundraiser party for his old partner who is now running for Mayor. Frank and Joe also attend. But suddenly there's an attack with smoke bombs and in the confusion, Fenton is kidnapped.
Frank and Joe investigate, trying to get their father back and fall into a society below New York called Underground New York. And yes, that did strongly remind me of the 1980s TV Series "Beauty and the Beast". It's an interesting concept at least.
The kidnapper threatens to deploy a deadly virus on New York unless he gets a large ransom for Fenton Hardy. As proof of concept he releases a video tape of Fenton in a coffin but he is merely unconscious and not dead.
Frank and Joe discover the bad guy is a mobster that Fenton and his partner, Sam Peterson caught years ago when Fenton was a rookie cop. The mobster has been released from prison and he's out for revenge.
Frank and Joe get captured and taken to the same underground cell as their father. They discover the virus is bogus and with help from the Underground People the three Hardys escape and the mobster gets captured.
The storyline in this book was predictable and somewhat derivative but that would have been OK if it wasn't for the serious lack of editing.
Someone needed to edit and proof read this book.
There is a consistent grammatical error that's one of my pet peeves.
In grammar, there is the plural, the possessive, and the plural possessive. Whoever wrote Edge of Destruction (this series used ghostwriters) had no idea when to use which form and consistently used the wrong one. In a published novel!
The plural is more than one, indicated by a simple "s" (or es but this doesn't apply here). The Hardys - as in more than one of them.
The Hardys walked down the tunnel.
This is correct because there are two Hardy brothers and with their father there are three. Word processing spell check will often flag a plural name as an error but you have to out think your dumb spell check program. If there are two people with the same last name: Hardys - it is correct.
Second, possessive - shows ownership, eg. Frank Hardy's car. Anytime you are showing Frank, Joe, or Fenton has or owns something it's the possessive.
Then there's the plural possessive - this is when Frank AND Joe or Frank and Joe and Fenton have or own something. It's the name + s + ' (apostrophe).
The Hardys' vehicle. The Hardys' escape plan.
This means said item belongs to all of the Hardys.
For a solid chapter possessive and plural were reversed. And there were multiple places where it was wrong.
It was irritating.
Frank and Joe investigate, trying to get their father back and fall into a society below New York called Underground New York. And yes, that did strongly remind me of the 1980s TV Series "Beauty and the Beast". It's an interesting concept at least.
The kidnapper threatens to deploy a deadly virus on New York unless he gets a large ransom for Fenton Hardy. As proof of concept he releases a video tape of Fenton in a coffin but he is merely unconscious and not dead.
Frank and Joe discover the bad guy is a mobster that Fenton and his partner, Sam Peterson caught years ago when Fenton was a rookie cop. The mobster has been released from prison and he's out for revenge.
Frank and Joe get captured and taken to the same underground cell as their father. They discover the virus is bogus and with help from the Underground People the three Hardys escape and the mobster gets captured.
The storyline in this book was predictable and somewhat derivative but that would have been OK if it wasn't for the serious lack of editing.
Someone needed to edit and proof read this book.
There is a consistent grammatical error that's one of my pet peeves.
In grammar, there is the plural, the possessive, and the plural possessive. Whoever wrote Edge of Destruction (this series used ghostwriters) had no idea when to use which form and consistently used the wrong one. In a published novel!
The plural is more than one, indicated by a simple "s" (or es but this doesn't apply here). The Hardys - as in more than one of them.
The Hardys walked down the tunnel.
This is correct because there are two Hardy brothers and with their father there are three. Word processing spell check will often flag a plural name as an error but you have to out think your dumb spell check program. If there are two people with the same last name: Hardys - it is correct.
Second, possessive - shows ownership, eg. Frank Hardy's car. Anytime you are showing Frank, Joe, or Fenton has or owns something it's the possessive.
Then there's the plural possessive - this is when Frank AND Joe or Frank and Joe and Fenton have or own something. It's the name + s + ' (apostrophe).
The Hardys' vehicle. The Hardys' escape plan.
This means said item belongs to all of the Hardys.
For a solid chapter possessive and plural were reversed. And there were multiple places where it was wrong.
It was irritating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2024
I was not impressed with this. It would have almost been okay if they hadn't tried to pass it off as the Hardy Boys, but it didn't fit them at all. They made Joe a reckless teen, and Frank steady and somber, their mom is an amazing fighter, and it overall felt off. I won't be trying any more of the case files.
February 2, 2026
This book made no sense. Far too many gangs to keep track of. The boys spent the last six chapters being continuously held at gunpoint. Weird villain plot. Bad writing. And for the love of all that is holy, STOP USING THE PHRASE “RUBBED OUT” TO DESCRIBE MURDER.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2024
3.75 stars!⭐
January 2, 2026
Seemed pretty standard but the setting of unground NYC was pretty cool.
June 6, 2019
When I first read Hardy Boys, I think I was in class 5, I had such a crush on Frank Hardy. I liked the brainy one over the brawny one and that sums up my first impression of Hardy Boys.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.
July 18, 2014
Poor Fenton Hardy.The boys did face an impossible challenge!
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September 20, 2007Dixon, Franklin W.
April 18, 2017
With this being the seried I grew up reading, a bit of nastalsia plays a role. Of the 3 of read they're always some huge organization to come up against. Reading the orginal deals with common crooks for the most part and have more detective skills going on rather than a constant stumbling onto events.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews