The Mystery of the Shrinking House

Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators #18

by William Arden

Why did Cameron paint twenty pictures of the shrinking house and where did they go after his death? Three searchers must crack this tough nut if they don't want to disappoint the young countess's trust...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Detective, Adventure, Audiobook

145 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Real name: Dennis Lynds.
Beginning in 1968 with The Mystery of the Moaning Cave and ending in 1989 with Hot Wheels, Dennis Lynds wrote fourteen novels under the pen name William Arden for the juvenile detective series The Three Investigators, which was originated by Robert Arthur, Jr.. Under this same name, he also wrote five novels featuring private eye Kane Jackson, a former military policeman who has become an industrial security specialist after leaving the military. The first Jackson novel, A Dark Power, appeared in 1968. As Arden, Lynds also wrote the highly-regarded espionage short story, "Success of a Mission," which was a finalist for the 1968 Edgar Award for best short fiction.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Three Investigators take on another interesting case as they track down potentially valuable paintings. Several people want these paintings and it’s up to the boys to not only find them, but also determine why they are such a hot commodity. For me, the mystery started out rather unremarkably, but got much more interesting in the second half. I was distracted by the title that didn’t seem to fit the story. It just took a while for the clues to be revealed and then I understood what the title referred to.

I like that these mysteries show the boys using deductive reasoning and research skills to decipher the clues. Readers can follow the clues and see if they can solve the mystery. The explanation of how the case was ultimately solved allows the reader to see which elements they got right and which ones they missed along the way. All in all, a satisfactory entry in this solid detective series for young readers.

[Dean Ryan Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm done re-reading THE MYSTERY OF THE SHRINKING HOUSE. This is one of those books my dad gave me when I was a high school freshman.

Author's Writing Style: 4 stars!!!

Yay: It is an easy and quick read. It is just 184-pages long and it is written for teenagers, narrated in third-person perspective in past tenses. Nay: This is a fast plot-driven story. The depth of the main characters suffer but it is okay. The flow of the story is riveting.

Characters' Development: 3 stars!!!

Yay: They are highly entertaining to read, especially the conversations. Nay: There is an absence of depth in the main characters. Jupiter, Pete and Bob are the three young investigators. They are smart, observant and highly analytical. Yet, I never connect with them on a personal level. I mean, they are always on their garage or on the run. They keep studying clues and evidences though I never heard them go to school or have a little chat with their parents.

The villains are given more back stories than the protagonists.

Plot: 5 stars!!!

Yay: It is excellent. This book is one of those extraordinary detective stories I have read. This is not Hardy Boys. This not Nancy Drew. This is not Sherlock Holmes. This is about The Three Investigators with Alfred Hitchcock as their boss. Its flow is not predictable. Its finale is not forgettable. The twists keep turning upside-down until the final two chapters. Nay: It starts kind of ordinary.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Jupiter Jones's Uncle, Titus, buys some junk from the small estate of a painter, several parties are interested in buying it up.

The Three Investigators are hired to find some art by the painter, and they get embroiled into a deeper scheme. Skinny Norris, of course gets involved on the wrong side.

The Three Investigators get to the bottom of things. There's enough non-violent twists and turns to keep things interesting, and an entertaining guest appearance from Alfred Hitchcock.

[Peter Tkačenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keď mňa to furt baví.

[Nadja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kunstfälle gefallen mir einfach sehr!

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say upfront the cover of this one was very misleading. However, the story itself didn't disappoint as we were left with another good mystery. We had the usual cast of characters, including the boy around the investigators own age.

One thing I have noticed with these books, the investigators never seem to go to school. Im guessing some of the cases are during summer vacation, but that's only been mentioned sporadically. And so far I dont think a single scene has taken place during school. Just found it a little odd. I guess the idea is since the target audience was tweens the last thing they'd want to read about would be school, which makes sense.

This series is very nostalgic to me, but honestly they hold up pretty well.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

original 2009 review - The boys are in the right place at the right time when, accompanying Uncle Titus on a buying trip, they chase an intruder seen racing away from a house in a canyon. The house was occupied by an artist and, following his death, three people suddenly appear in Rocky Beach who are very keen on him and his paintings which might - or might not - lead to a long-lost masterpiece. As tightly plotted and well-written as all Arden’s books are, this is quite dry but still entertaining, with all three lads having a clear role to play. The supporting characters are well-rounded and all serve a purpose and there’s some nice interaction with Uncle Titus. The Hitchcock intro is odd though, with the master director suddenly having an attitude similar to the one he had on “Terror Castle”.
2014 update - I agree with my 2009 review, though I should say this time that I enjoyed the interplay with Skinny Norris, the locked room mystery and Maxwell James (none of which I mentioned originally). Nicely written and a good use of location, this also has Professor Carswell (I’d love for that to be a nice nod to “Night Of The Demon”) and a rare slip by Jupiter, as he forgets the phone number for the Ghost-To-Ghost hook-up (though it does lead to a fun sequence as kids swamp the junkyard). Good fun, recommended.
2019 update - completely agree with previous reviews, except to add another little in-joke I spotted, where an address is mentioned as being Rojas Street (Rojas was the main villain in “Silver Spider”).

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich hab das lustige Holländisch-Deutsch von De Groot aus dem Hörspiel beim Lesen etwas vermisst, aber ansonsten gefällt mir auch das Buch sehr gut.

[Guguk · Rating 4 out of 5]

~masih dalam episode "Membaca Buku yang Didapat Lima Tahun Lalu" (＾▽＾) Terima kasih untuk kesabaran Anda, buku! (✧ω✧)❤

Dulu pernah baca pas masih SMP, tapi udah lupa semua ceritanya. Jadi ini kayak baca baru lagi (´♡‿♡`) Tetap terasa seru! Petualangan mereka ini dulu bikin aku pengen punya markas rahasia (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) kalo sekarang aku pengen punya rumah aja~ (^ヮ^)

Dari tiga penyelidik ini sejak dulu favoritku si Pete (≧◡≦) bukan karena doyan pete, apalagi kalo dimasak bareng telor kecap.., bukan! Tapi karena si Pete ini sering ngelucu, yang pas keadaan genting masih sempet mikirin diri sendiri dan ga semata-mata gelap mata demi petualangan memburu penjahat. Rasanya dia yang paling 'manusiawi', apalagi kalo dibandingin sama Jupiter yang kelewat pinter ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡ Tapi aku suka ketiganya saling melengkapi.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amerikanisches Original vs. deutsche Übersetzung mal wieder spannend. Am auffälligsten neben dem Auslassen von einem Wortwitz, der nur krampfig ins Deutsche übersetzt werden könnte ("Tell 'em"/"Tell M."), wird der Begriff "Nazi" in der Übersetzung ausgelassen. Es wird stattdessen nur versachlicht vom Zweiten Weltkrieg geschrieben.

[Jeff Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH&T3I Update: 18 read, 10 hardbacks to go (with 15 additional paperbacks after that!)

Dennis Lynds, aka William Arden, hit his T3I stride with this title--not that the previous Lynds' titles were lacking! This tale is just a good mystery. For quite some pages, the early details of the story did not seem to make much sense. Oh, I knew that all the pieces would fall together into place by the end, I just did not see how it would happen. Then two-thirds the way into the book, things started to gel together. By the end of the book, all of the loose ends were wrapped up and solved. Is that not what a good mystery should do? There was quite a bit of misdirection with this tale; quite a few of the characters turn out to be quite different than they appear to be at first glance. The story reminded me of Nick and Nora Charles solving a Thin Man case, or Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot figuring out the killer in a murder plot, or perhaps the Great Sherlock Holmes exposing a sinister plot by his fiendish rival Professor James Moriarty. Now, all T3I books do this sort of thing to some degree; this title just did it in a more traditional way. As for Three Investigators stories, most of the traditional T3I elements are present including the boys, Alfred Hitchcock, the Salvage Yard, the Secret Headquarters and on and on. Any fan of the series will certainly love this title. And while younger readers might become somewhat distracted before a solution begins to reveal itself, mature mystery readers will really enjoy figuring out this story.

[Tantri Setyorini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seperti biasa Trio Detektif selalu menyuguhkan judul yang aneh-aneh. Misteri Naga Batuk, Misteri Setan Yang Menandak, Misteri Singa Gugup, dan sekarang Misteri Rumah Yang Mengkerut.
Apa sih rumah yang mengkerut itu? Ternyata ini adalah lukisan, tepatnya lukisan karya seniman eksentrik yang banyak diburu kolektor. Terdapat serangkaian lukisan yang sama, tapi entah kenapa dalam masing-masing duplikat, gambar rumah di dalamnya tampak lebih kecil daripada yang lain.
Plotnya yah seperti biasanya Trio Detektif. Riset oleh Bob, pengintaian oleh Jupe dan Pete, adegan kejar-kejaran seru dengan penjahatnya, tertangkap bertiga, dan ya, penyelesaian yang lumayan sulit ditebak. Ah, Trio Detektif akan selalu jadi serial nostalgia di masa anak-anak yang tetap seru dibaca meskipun sekarang aku sudah dua puluh enam tahun.

[Tom Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's / young adult book. I read it when I was a kid and just re-read it with my 10-year-old. We couldn't put it down. Great story and plotting, with good, challenging vocabulary for young readers. Jumping between physical danger and cerebral sleuthing, it is well paced to keep a young person's attention. This whole series is excellent.

[Daniel Fuertes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los efectos personales de un artista recién fallecido llegan al Patio Salvaje y los Tres Investigadores descubren que de pronto hay varias personas interesadas en hacerse con ellos a cualquier precio.
Las traducciones de estas primeras ediciones tienen un lenguaje bastante ortopédico, pero aún así el resultado es una novela corta rápida, ligera y sencilla, para los pequeños amantes del misterio y la aventura.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mystery of the Shrinking House was great fun to read again, with so many twists that I had forgotten about. Skinny Norris plays a slightly bigger role in this story, but of course the resourceful detective trio still gets the last laugh! My edition is illustrated by Jack Hearne, with plenty of dramatic angles and action poses.

[Eva]

Gelesen von Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mid-level for the series. All three boys have important roles, rather than just Jupiter, and there are real consequences for kidnapping children and threatening them with guns. But from an adult reading perspective the obvious bits took forever to resolve, and it was a little difficult to care about surprisingly popular worthless paintings.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Justus Jonas ist sich sicher, dass er einen versuchten Einbruch im Haus von Professor Carswell beobachtet hat, doch als er diesen darauf aufmerksam macht, reagiert der Gelehrte eher überrascht – schließlich sind die Carswells keine reichen Leute und haben das Anwesen auch nur geerbt, sodass es laut Aussage des Professors "hier nichts zu holen gibt". Bei einer Durchsuchung des Hauses können die drei Detektive dann aber doch einen Mann beobachten, der vom Gelände flüchtet. Onkel Titus ersteht von Carswell anschließend eine Reihe von Gemälden, die ebenfalls aus dem Nachlass des Verstorbenen, einem eher wenig erfolgreichen Maler, stammen und seltsamerweise alle das gleiche Motiv zeigen. Schon wenig später tauchen mehrere Gestalten bei Justus, Peter und Bob auf und melden ein ungewöhnliches Interesse an den alten und scheinbar wertlosen Bildern an...

Wie schon der vorherige Fall "Die drei ??? und der grüne Geist" beginnt auch die neunte deutsche Hörspielfolge etwas holprig und zeichnet sich auch im weiteren Verlauf nicht unbedingt durch eine besonders originelle Geschichte aus. Wie so oft jagen mehrere Parteien einem (bzw. in diesem Fall mehreren) Objekten hinterher und es geht hauptsächlich darum, wer am Ende die Oberhand hat. Leider können auch die Nebenfiguren diesmal wenig überzeugen, was auch an teilweise durchwachsenen Sprecherleistungen liegt – so sind die hier gebotenen niederländischen bzw. französischen Akzente alles andere als eine Glanzleistung. Die Auflösung erfolgt dann auch etwas aus heiterem Himmel, weil Justus Jonas mal wieder mehr oder weniger im Alleingang die Erklärung für die Vorkommnisse aus dem Hut zaubert. Insgesamt also eine der schwächeren Folgen bisher.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this one after convincing my 10 year old to pick it up for his mystery book report. Not the best Three Investigators book, but even a mediocre Three Investigators mystery is worth four stars.

[Martina V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tieto staré klasiky sú proste prudko čitateľné, či máš 10 alebo 40 :-)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

original 2009 review - The boys are in the right place at the right time when, accompanying Uncle Titus on a buying trip, they chase an intruder seen racing away from a house in a canyon. The house was occupied by an artist and, following his death, three people suddenly appear in Rocky Beach who are very keen on him and his paintings which might - or might not - lead to a long-lost masterpiece. As tightly plotted and well-written as all Arden’s books are, this is quite dry but still entertaining, with all three lads having a clear role to play. The supporting characters are well-rounded and all serve a purpose and there’s some nice interaction with Uncle Titus. The Hitchcock intro is odd though, with the master director suddenly having an attitude similar to the one he had on “Terror Castle”.
2014 update - I agree with my 2009 review, though I should say this time that I enjoyed the interplay with Skinny Norris, the locked room mystery and Maxwell James (none of which I mentioned originally). Nicely written and a good use of location, this also has Professor Carswell (I’d love for that to be a nice nod to “Night Of The Demon”) and a rare slip by Jupiter, as he forgets the phone number for the Ghost-To-Ghost hook-up (though it does lead to a fun sequence as kids swamp the junkyard). Good fun, recommended.
2019 update - completely agree with previous reviews, except to add another little in-joke I spotted, where an address is mentioned as being Rojas Street (Rojas was the main villain in “Silver Spider”).
2022 update - Agree with the previous reviews, though it’s odd that I often think of this as a lesser entry in the series (it really isn’t) and I wonder if that’s driven by the use of the big cat on the paperback covers (a startling element of danger, certainly, but a very small part of the story). A fun and entertaining read.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jupiter accompanies his Uncle Titus on a buying trip for the salvage yard that Titus owns. There, Jupe is convinced he saw someone in black climbing up the side of the house. Everyone assures him he must have merely seen the play of light and shadow, but when several people show a keen interest in the several paintings that Titus buys, Jupiter senses a mystery and gets his friends involved. The paintings were all the same, except that the house in each of them seemed to become smaller and smaller. Convinced the series of paintings hold the key to something far more valuable, The Three Investigators turn their attention to solving the mystery of the shrinking house.

The books in this series are difficult to find, so reading this one was a delight. My enjoyment was tempered somewhat by the rather serious scrapes the boys got into, however, including being abducted and tied up, and getting locked into rooms or buildings at various times. At what point do you call the police?! Nevertheless, it was a fun read.

I wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars, but I'll be magnanimous and round it up to four.

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's becoming difficult to differentiate whether I have been picking up on some subtle hint in these books or if some of the plot points are coming back to me subconsciously. But with this book, we have a rather convoluted case of false identities and a dead man's scheme to hide his untold riches.

The title of this book is a little misleading, there is no shrinking house per se. But it is a key element to unraveling the mystery here. Plus, the mystery of the 20 paintings doesn't really draw the attention.

With that said, this book will feel familiar to faithful readers of the series, because there are many similarities to be found with the Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot.

Speaking of that earlier book, one nitpick I have is that the Mynah bird that the trio "adopted" during that adventure seems to be randomly in their office or not permanently living there.

And despite the fact that Skinny Norris should have learned his lesson after so many close calls with shady characters, he still is used in this case to appear as a nemesis to the Three Investigators.

[David Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

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. Unfortunately it seems only a handful are available in Kindle format at this point.

The Mystery of the Shrinking House is #18 in the series. The story involves a painter whose death prompts various characters to be very interested in his belongings including his various paintings. The Three Investigator's enemy Skinny Norris has a large role in this book too. I read an online ebook version of this since most of these books are out of print.

[sonofabook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zum Inhalt:
Die drei Detektive wollen gerade einem Mann mehrere Bilder abkaufen, als just in diesem Moment jemand bei dem Mann einbricht. In einer Verfolgungsjagd versuchen sie den Täter zu schnappen, er entwischt ihnen aber knapp.
Als die Tage darauf, nachdem die drei ??? die Bilder bereits wieder verkauft haben, mehrere Interessenten für die Werke auftauchen werden sie hellhörig. Zumal die Bilder an sich keinen Wert haben. Von einer weiteren Verfolgsgungsjagd durch die Stadt über Gefangenschaft der drei plus dem Sohn des ursprünglichen Verkäufers, nimmt die Geschichte dann ihren Lauf.

Ich würde behaupten es ist bis jetzt die beste Folge.
Sie enthält Spannung, coole neue Musikelemente und eine sehr schöne Auflösung. Mit der ich zwar nicht zu 100% zufrieden bin am Ende (deswegen der 1 Stern Abzug), aber die Charaktere der drei werden immer besser ausgearbeitet und es hat Spaß gemacht die Folge zu hören.

Klare Empfehlung!

[Paritosh Vyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first edition was in 1973 and I have a 1976 edition of this book.

I am re reading this book probably after more than 20 years.

The Three Investigators solve a case involving an international gang of art forgers.

Worthless old junk - but it belonged to the Countess's dead brother, and she wants it all back!

Unfortunately, everything has been sold - the old leather suitcases, the stuffed owl, even the strange paintings showing a house getting smaller and smaller. So the Countess hires the Three Investigators to track down her brother's belongings.

The boys never dream that the "junk" might be valuable. But they soon discover that someone else is desperate to find the dead man's things - and will stop at nothing to get them!

Read on and enjoy.

[FlySirius · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all started with appearance of a kind-of-shadow. Jupe feel suspicious and it's proved to be true. Thats's the beginning. Then the Three Investigator and their clients got involved with robbery, stalker, intruder, painting and so on, as their usual habit. And all of that lead to that 'shrinking house'.
At first I thougt the story would focused in a house, but actually it's not how I saw it. Quite unpredictable, but I just love that!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" ... Immagino che non riusciremo mai a sapere esattamente che cosa volesse quell'individuo - aggiunse Pete. - Suppongo di no - approvò Jupiter e sospirò , ma entrambi si sbagliavano.
Una investigazione intensa e non priva di pericoli per i Tre investigatori alle prese con un'eredità strana, contesse, esperti d'arte e l'immancabile Skinny Norris, ma Jupiter Jones dimostra di essere sempre un passo davanti a tutti.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book as our three young friends meet a fourth young man and solve a rather hodgepodge mystery. Much of the book seems almost random before it comes together late in the book. The title and the plot don't work so well, but the interaction between our investigators along with a fun reappearance of the ghost-to-ghost network help save the book.

[Joaquin del Villar · Rating 3 out of 5]

El misterio de la casa que se encogía no es mas que una serie de cuadros que son vendidos, ya que pertenecían a un hombre que murió y dejó deudas, los cuadros son de la misma casa, cada vez ms pequeña. En este libro se abusa del recurso de dejar atrapados a los investigadores, y Skinny el molesto compañero de los Investigadores, cobra un especial protagonismo. Nada nuevo bajo el sol.