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The Hardy Boys #5
Hunting for Hidden Gold
Timber wolves, a Rocky Mountain blizzard, and a mine cave-in are only a few of the perils Frank and Joe Hardy encounter during their search for the members of a notorious gang responsible for a payroll robbery.
In the old Montana mining camp of Lucky Lode, the young detectives puzzle over a series of mysterious events. A piano-playing ghost haunts the long-abandoned dance hall; eerie blue lights flash from the hilltop cemetery in the dark of night; strange men arrange a meeting at Shadow the Bear, and a suspect disappears through a curtain of frozen ice.
Are these events related to the men who kidnapped the boys in Chicago on their way to Montana? Who booby-trapped the helicopter which flew the young detectives to the ghost town? And what ever happened to Bart Dawson who seemingly deserted his gold-mining partners twenty-five years ago? Frank and Joe cleverly fit the scattered pieces of this dangerous puzzle into place, and come up with an astonishing solution.
In the old Montana mining camp of Lucky Lode, the young detectives puzzle over a series of mysterious events. A piano-playing ghost haunts the long-abandoned dance hall; eerie blue lights flash from the hilltop cemetery in the dark of night; strange men arrange a meeting at Shadow the Bear, and a suspect disappears through a curtain of frozen ice.
Are these events related to the men who kidnapped the boys in Chicago on their way to Montana? Who booby-trapped the helicopter which flew the young detectives to the ghost town? And what ever happened to Bart Dawson who seemingly deserted his gold-mining partners twenty-five years ago? Frank and Joe cleverly fit the scattered pieces of this dangerous puzzle into place, and come up with an astonishing solution.
177 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1928
285 people are currently reading
2217 people want to read
About the author
Franklin W. Dixon
1,489 books982 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 - 30 of 295 reviews
July 7, 2022
Hunting for Hidden Gold was the fifth book in the famous Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series that the Stratemeyer Syndicate produced. It was written by Leslie McFarlane under the house name Franklin W. Dixon and was published in 1928. In 1963, under the direction of Edward Stratemeyer's daughter Harriet Adams, Alistair Hunter wrote a completely new novel under the same name and title to replace the original. The newer book was supposed to update the story for modern readers, remove racial stereotypes, and incorporate more modern tropes and images. I read the revised version as a child, and now have re-read it back-to-back with the original in order to compare the two versions. In the newer book the Boys travel by plane and helicopter rather than by train and automobile, though they go to Montana to search for the titular hidden gold and ride horses in both books. The original book starts with an ice-skating excursion with their pals near home, and they're rather improbably introduced to a character from Montana when his cabin is picked up by a storm that almost lands on top of them like the Wicked Witch. In the new one, they're simply wandering in the woods looking for a likely site on which to build a cabin when they meet the man, but they've been on the lookout for him at the request of their father, detective Fenton. Fenton's been injured while investigating a case in Montana and calls home to ask the Boys to join him in both novels. In the original it's mentioned that both boys have girlfriends, and there is a lot more character development all around, and quite a bit more humor. Aunt Gertrude is much livelier in the original, and the new one just describes Mom as "slim and attractive." The original is 208 pages over 24 chapters, whereas the new one has 177 pages over 20, with several pages of illustrations. McFarlane's book is much more of an adventure story, with the Boys dashing about stumbling across things; with its Western setting, it could well have been home to the original Hardys' spiritual cousins, the X-Bar-X Boys, who had their own series. The newer one pays more lip-service to detection and sleuthing, but is quite a bit shallower, with fewer descriptions and more exclamation points. The vocabulary is more mature in the first edition, too. At one point in the original the Boys are rescued by two Black men, and that scene is wholly missing from the new version. The Boys have been kidnapped, and the two Black men show considerable courage, intelligence, and good citizenship in their rescue. Their dialog is terribly racist, phonetically mush-mouthed silliness, but that could have easily been corrected without removing them entirely; I thought the effort to remove racist content was made worse by removing the characters entirely. The famous, blue-bound editions of the books always said they were for "All boys from 10 to 14 who like lively adventure stories," though I believe that probably almost as many girls read them as boys. I'd rank the McFarlane novel on the high end of the list, and think the revision was aimed at younger readers.
July 7, 2022
Hunting for Hidden Gold was the fifth book in the famous Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series that the Stratemeyer Syndicate produced. It was written by Leslie McFarlane under the house name Franklin W. Dixon and was published in 1928. In 1963, under the direction of Edward Stratemeyer's daughter Harriet Adams, Alistair Hunter wrote a completely new novel under the same name and title to replace the original. The newer book was supposed to update the story for modern readers, remove racial stereotypes, and incorporate more modern tropes and images. I read the revised version as a child, and now have re-read it back-to-back with the original in order to compare the two versions. In the newer book the Boys travel by plane and helicopter rather than by train and automobile, though they go to Montana to search for the titular hidden gold and ride horses in both books. The original book starts with an ice-skating excursion with their pals near home, and they're rather improbably introduced to a character from Montana when his cabin is picked up by a storm that almost lands on top of them like the Wicked Witch. In the new one, they're simply wandering in the woods looking for a likely site on which to build a cabin when they meet the man, but they've been on the lookout for him at the request of their father, detective Fenton. Fenton's been injured while investigating a case in Montana and calls home to ask the Boys to join him in both novels. In the original it's mentioned that both boys have girlfriends, and there is a lot more character development all around, and quite a bit more humor. Aunt Gertrude is much livelier in the original, and the new one just describes Mom as "slim and attractive." The original is 208 pages over 24 chapters, whereas the new one has 177 pages over 20, with several pages of illustrations. McFarlane's book is much more of an adventure story, with the Boys dashing about stumbling across things; with its Western setting, it could well have been home to the original Hardys' spiritual cousins, the X-Bar-X Boys, who had their own series. The newer one pays more lip-service to detection and sleuthing, but is quite a bit shallower, with fewer descriptions and more exclamation points. The vocabulary is more mature in the first edition, too. At one point in the original the Boys are rescued by two Black men, and that scene is wholly missing from the new version. The Boys have been kidnapped, and the two Black men show considerable courage, intelligence, and good citizenship in their rescue. Their dialog is terribly racist, phonetically mush-mouthed silliness, but that could have easily been corrected without removing them entirely; I thought the effort to remove racist content was made worse by removing the characters entirely. The famous, blue-bound editions of the books always said they were for "All boys from 10 to 14 who like lively adventure stories," though I believe that probably almost as many girls read them as boys. I'd rank the McFarlane novel on the high end of the list, and think the revision was aimed at younger readers.
August 5, 2023
3 Stars. A good one, close but not up to #1 "The Tower Treasure," or #2 "The House on the Cliff." But a nice read. More of an adventure than a mystery, although figuring out who the 'bad guys' are, the ones not to be trusted by the Hardys, qualifies as an ongoing mystery through-out the novel. So many aliases! There were probably one-too-many obstacles placed in the boys' path for it to be totally realistic. Frank and Joe follow their father Fenton to Montana on the trail of claim jumpers and bank robbers. Up front, they meet a man named Mike Onslow in Clintville, a small town surrounded by the deep woods north of Bayport. He tells them of his gold discovery years ago during which a dangerous gang, led by Black Pepper, may have absconded with 3 to 4 bags of gold he and his friends, the Coulson brothers and Bart Dawson, had mined. The location? The mountainous country around the almost ghost town of Lucky Lode. It just so happens that the boys' father, an eminent private eye himself, is there but injured. He's in much need of his detective sons. After blizzards, haunted cemeteries, wolves, and threats to their lives galore, the boys pull it off. (July 2023)
July 26, 2025
Written in 2015, long looking forward to comments. NOT BLANK LIKE BUTTON CLICKS.
I enjoyed “Hunting For Hidden Gold”, volume 5, infinitely better than the former. We stick to good detective work, struggles and efforts that were quite arduous, and reasonable fear. Suspects and motives weren’t obvious at all. They entailed a back story at a scope that precedes the novel by a decade or more, which a reader couldn’t guess and must await filling in. Best of all, we travel from their community. This presented a fresh panorama of adventures.
You would think the opening camping scene was extraneous but a man they met in those woods was instrumental in explaining an old mining claim that met with controversy and a missing partner years ago. Carson Drew asked his sons to interview him, before meeting their Dad in Montana. It is quickly established that the thugs Carson is monitoring there have a large network of crooks because the teenagers are waylaid perilously in the first city, where they transfer airplanes. It is fun to observe travel in 1928. These are colourful side notes that are the benefit of older novels. This widespread, tricky mistrust puts us on the edge of our seats because the teens must scrutinize everyone they meet, all the way to their Dad’s location and decide how to proceed every time.
The mining town, not deserted but with many buildings and locations in disuse, is one of the most fun places a book could possibly have an adventure and I will ask my Dad if he remembers reading this one. It is up his ally too. This case’s level of difficulty is the most complicated thus far, with constantly-varied scenery that had me enthralled. Danger was realistic to those environments; no typical gimmicks to create near-misses. The whole journey was an achievement in creativity, including a well-crafted identity twist.
I enjoyed “Hunting For Hidden Gold”, volume 5, infinitely better than the former. We stick to good detective work, struggles and efforts that were quite arduous, and reasonable fear. Suspects and motives weren’t obvious at all. They entailed a back story at a scope that precedes the novel by a decade or more, which a reader couldn’t guess and must await filling in. Best of all, we travel from their community. This presented a fresh panorama of adventures.
You would think the opening camping scene was extraneous but a man they met in those woods was instrumental in explaining an old mining claim that met with controversy and a missing partner years ago. Carson Drew asked his sons to interview him, before meeting their Dad in Montana. It is quickly established that the thugs Carson is monitoring there have a large network of crooks because the teenagers are waylaid perilously in the first city, where they transfer airplanes. It is fun to observe travel in 1928. These are colourful side notes that are the benefit of older novels. This widespread, tricky mistrust puts us on the edge of our seats because the teens must scrutinize everyone they meet, all the way to their Dad’s location and decide how to proceed every time.
The mining town, not deserted but with many buildings and locations in disuse, is one of the most fun places a book could possibly have an adventure and I will ask my Dad if he remembers reading this one. It is up his ally too. This case’s level of difficulty is the most complicated thus far, with constantly-varied scenery that had me enthralled. Danger was realistic to those environments; no typical gimmicks to create near-misses. The whole journey was an achievement in creativity, including a well-crafted identity twist.
April 25, 2020
When their dad requests their help, Frank and Joe Hardy are only too happy to jump on a plane to Montana. Fenton Hardy is on the trail of a gang of thieves, but before they leave, Frank and Joe also hear about some gold that’s been lost in the area for years. With danger attacking even before they land in Montana, the brothers have to figure out who the mole in town in, where the gang is hiding, and possibly find time for a treasure hunt. Can they do it?
It’s fun to revisit these characters even as an adult. The action starts almost immediately and never really lets up, not that I’m complaining. There was even one part of the plot that the Hardys couldn’t figure out right away, which was a nice change. The characters are thin, and we don’t see much of the usual supporting players. There are definitely some dated references, but as long as kids know the book is older, they should be fine with it. I know I had fun revisiting these characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
It’s fun to revisit these characters even as an adult. The action starts almost immediately and never really lets up, not that I’m complaining. There was even one part of the plot that the Hardys couldn’t figure out right away, which was a nice change. The characters are thin, and we don’t see much of the usual supporting players. There are definitely some dated references, but as long as kids know the book is older, they should be fine with it. I know I had fun revisiting these characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
August 9, 2016
The Hardy boys are out skiing in the mountains near home when a snow storms comes up. They hear a crash and see that a cabin has just fallen from a cliff, and they hear a man yelling for help. His gold has been stolen, so now the Hardy boys are off on another mysterious adventure.
Now, I love the Hardy Boys mysteries, but this one was over the edge in regards to reality, and that is what put this book in the 2 star range. So, what I didn't like about this book is the fact that the Hardy boys are really smart enough to not go into a mine without others with them and without anyone knowing where they are. We all know how dangerous mines are. They are also smart enough to not stay out in a blizzard where they could easily get lost and actually freeze to death. But we are to believe that they just did these foolish things. Well, actually they knew better in regards to both of these unwise choices, talking about the dangers and doing both anyway. Twice for each I might add. And last of all they are confronted by vicious wolves. Wolves rarely attack humans, and the fear of wolves has just been built up by fairy tales.
On wolves: http://www.wolf.org/wolf-info/basic-w...
Frank Hardy lassos a tornado in the Midwest in their next adventure, "The Mystery of the Missing Cow,"
Note: 1928 edition.
Now, I love the Hardy Boys mysteries, but this one was over the edge in regards to reality, and that is what put this book in the 2 star range. So, what I didn't like about this book is the fact that the Hardy boys are really smart enough to not go into a mine without others with them and without anyone knowing where they are. We all know how dangerous mines are. They are also smart enough to not stay out in a blizzard where they could easily get lost and actually freeze to death. But we are to believe that they just did these foolish things. Well, actually they knew better in regards to both of these unwise choices, talking about the dangers and doing both anyway. Twice for each I might add. And last of all they are confronted by vicious wolves. Wolves rarely attack humans, and the fear of wolves has just been built up by fairy tales.
On wolves: http://www.wolf.org/wolf-info/basic-w...
Frank Hardy lassos a tornado in the Midwest in their next adventure, "The Mystery of the Missing Cow,"
Note: 1928 edition.
April 25, 2023
يخوض الشقيقان فرانك و جو مغامرة جديدة
بعيداً عن المدينة وسط الغابات
يطلب والدهم مساعدتهم للبحث عن عصابة خطيرة
كانت القصة مسلية و خفيفة كالعادة
أنصح بالسلسلة
بعيداً عن المدينة وسط الغابات
يطلب والدهم مساعدتهم للبحث عن عصابة خطيرة
كانت القصة مسلية و خفيفة كالعادة
أنصح بالسلسلة
May 23, 2017
If these books weren't so quick to read, I don't know if I would continue reading them. ;) I much prefer the Nancy Drew series. Lol! This story was kind of fun though with the whole hunting for gold part.
January 16, 2023
Action packed.
October 8, 2024
"Hunting for Hidden Gold" was less fun than the usual Hardy Boys mystery. It really should have just been called "A Series of Insane Coincidences." I did enjoy the cave exploration (I'm a sucker for a scary cave.) It is also always comically wonderful how the criminals don't just kill the Hardy Boys when that would clearly be the easiest solution.
March 28, 2020
I wonder back in the day if kids found this so exciting. I just have to keep reminding it's a kids book lol. I did like the ending. Ok I liked the whole book lol!
July 9, 2020
The title says it all. There's hidden gold, and the Hardy Boys, along with their friends, hunt for it. You know it's a good one when Chet is involved.
May 17, 2024
2024 reads, #27-29. These are the latest Hardy Boys books in the public domain to be released by the excellent nonprofit organization Standard Ebooks, which exists to take the sometimes clunkily laid out files of Project Gutenberg and instead present a clean, modern, beautiful, Kindle-style design and layout. (See my review of the first three novels to learn more about who exactly the Hardy Boys are, and why they’re so important to American popular culture.) I found these latest three to be just like the first three -- that is, fun for a lark, but not particularly great novels, and certainly not the kinds of books you would hand to a contemporary teen and expect them to get a contemporary sense of enjoyment out of them -- although I will say that book #5, Hunting for Hidden Gold, officially begins the tradition of the Hardy Boys having exotic adventures in foreign lands, even if in this case it means an abandoned gold mine in rural Montana, and that you can clearly see that ghostwriter Leslie McFarland (who notoriously hated writing these books, only doing so in order to pay his family’s bills) actually enjoyed himself this time, which is likely what led to more and more of these kinds of adventures in the series as the years and then decades wore on. (Plus, of course, as this series’ critics have pointed out, you can only have so many major crimes committed in the Hardy Boys’ small Atlantic Seaboard town of Bayport before the whole thing starts becoming ridiculous; here in just the first six books, for example, we’ve had five different rings of fugitive criminals who just happened to randomly choose Bayport as their location for hiding out from the manhunt trying to find them.)
To be honest, what’s the far most interesting detail of these books now in the 2020s is simply the reminder of how amazing and science-fiction-like the entire subject of internal combustion engines still was in the 1920s when these were originally published, with the Hardy brothers along with their various “chums” absolutely obsessed with the brand-new “motorbikes” and “motorboats” that had just started getting released to the general public in these years. (Also amazing, the fact that average teens could easily afford motorcycles and speedboats in these years, yet another aspect of popular culture we’ve entirely lost in the 21st century.) Unlike the Tom Swift books from these same years, though, the Hardy Boys largely didn’t rely on technological gadgets for actually solving the crimes they always seemed to accidentally stumble into; so apart from their constant chases by boat and motorcycle, the stories primarily revolve around good old-fashioned procedural police work, greatly helped by their father supposedly being a nationally famous private investigator who to the chagrin of his wife is always quietly egging his boys on into such a life themselves. (Also interesting -- it’s this second batch of books that first make it clear that the 1970s children’s cartoon Scooby-Doo nakedly stole its most famous line from the Hardy Boys: “And I would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for these meddling kids!”)
These books are fun but inessential, and should be read this way, with the understanding that the crime solving is laughably clunky and basic, the stories themselves full of outdated slang (“Well, if that don’t beat the Dutch!”) and formerly innocuous words that have now taken on saucy meanings in modern times (“‘Thanks for saving me!’ Frank ejaculated”). They come recommended in this warm but limited spirit.
To be honest, what’s the far most interesting detail of these books now in the 2020s is simply the reminder of how amazing and science-fiction-like the entire subject of internal combustion engines still was in the 1920s when these were originally published, with the Hardy brothers along with their various “chums” absolutely obsessed with the brand-new “motorbikes” and “motorboats” that had just started getting released to the general public in these years. (Also amazing, the fact that average teens could easily afford motorcycles and speedboats in these years, yet another aspect of popular culture we’ve entirely lost in the 21st century.) Unlike the Tom Swift books from these same years, though, the Hardy Boys largely didn’t rely on technological gadgets for actually solving the crimes they always seemed to accidentally stumble into; so apart from their constant chases by boat and motorcycle, the stories primarily revolve around good old-fashioned procedural police work, greatly helped by their father supposedly being a nationally famous private investigator who to the chagrin of his wife is always quietly egging his boys on into such a life themselves. (Also interesting -- it’s this second batch of books that first make it clear that the 1970s children’s cartoon Scooby-Doo nakedly stole its most famous line from the Hardy Boys: “And I would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for these meddling kids!”)
These books are fun but inessential, and should be read this way, with the understanding that the crime solving is laughably clunky and basic, the stories themselves full of outdated slang (“Well, if that don’t beat the Dutch!”) and formerly innocuous words that have now taken on saucy meanings in modern times (“‘Thanks for saving me!’ Frank ejaculated”). They come recommended in this warm but limited spirit.
February 26, 2023
Needed to have more of Chet.
March 1, 2023
I liked this book because the book is not boring for one second and has many turns also was a quick read and I finished in 1 day.
January 16, 2023
This review refers to the blue hardback edition of the novel. For the first time in the series, Frank and Joe travel out of the Bayport Area to investigate a mystery. Their father is investigating criminals who robbed an armored car in the west and Frank and Joe are called out to assist him. While changing planes in Chicago, there is an attempt to kidnap them to put pressure on their father to back off, but they escape.
Running along side the current mystery is an historical one involving the theft of gold years before when criminals attempted to rob a group of miners. One of the miners escaped with the gold and disappeared, presumably running off with the treasure, but the action was outside the man’s character and the idea that he is a thief doesn’t sit well with his surviving partner. So while Frank and Joe are looking for the bad guys out in the Rockies, they are also looking for some sign of what happened to the missing miner and the gold.
The boys make a lot of mistakes in this book. Some are quite understandable like believing a man who says he has a message from their father. Others, prying at the walls of a mineshaft with a crowbar and causing a cave in made the young men seem a lot stupider than their detective exploits would make credible.
By midway through the book there have been multiple attempts to kill Frank and Joe—a serious level of danger that doesn’t seem to cause their father (who is laid up with broken ribs) to do anything more than advise them to be careful. I have to admit that this bothers me. Yes, they are the heroes of the story, but Fenton Hardy really must be cold to not be more concerned about the safety of his sons.
In many ways, the plot of this novel doesn’t make sense except to give the Hardy boys a chance to have an adventure that feels like an old western. There are pistols and rifles (not in the hands of the Hardys), horses, rugged terrain, an old gold mine (or two), etc. The question is: Why is the armored-car-robbing gang here? Yes, they have a connection to the 25 year old gold robbery, but there really was no reason for them to hang out in this area while Fenton Hardy was looking for them—other than to give the Hardy boys a chance to investigate in the west.
Running along side the current mystery is an historical one involving the theft of gold years before when criminals attempted to rob a group of miners. One of the miners escaped with the gold and disappeared, presumably running off with the treasure, but the action was outside the man’s character and the idea that he is a thief doesn’t sit well with his surviving partner. So while Frank and Joe are looking for the bad guys out in the Rockies, they are also looking for some sign of what happened to the missing miner and the gold.
The boys make a lot of mistakes in this book. Some are quite understandable like believing a man who says he has a message from their father. Others, prying at the walls of a mineshaft with a crowbar and causing a cave in made the young men seem a lot stupider than their detective exploits would make credible.
By midway through the book there have been multiple attempts to kill Frank and Joe—a serious level of danger that doesn’t seem to cause their father (who is laid up with broken ribs) to do anything more than advise them to be careful. I have to admit that this bothers me. Yes, they are the heroes of the story, but Fenton Hardy really must be cold to not be more concerned about the safety of his sons.
In many ways, the plot of this novel doesn’t make sense except to give the Hardy boys a chance to have an adventure that feels like an old western. There are pistols and rifles (not in the hands of the Hardys), horses, rugged terrain, an old gold mine (or two), etc. The question is: Why is the armored-car-robbing gang here? Yes, they have a connection to the 25 year old gold robbery, but there really was no reason for them to hang out in this area while Fenton Hardy was looking for them—other than to give the Hardy boys a chance to investigate in the west.
February 7, 2017
In the book, the Hardy brothers Joe and Frank get caught in one of their father's cases and end up risking their and their father's lives. They get caught up in the mist of Big Al and his gang who want the Hardy boys and their father out of the way of their plans. Joe and Frank's case about finding missing gold end up connecting a lot with their father's case on trying to catch the gang.
One of my favorite characters was Dawson, or really Dodge. Dawson was with Black Pepper, before he was Big Al, and Mike Onslow, and they found a bunch of gold, but when they try to run off with the gold, the plane crashes and no one can find it. After this happens, Dawson gets hit and the head and can't remember who he is. He somehow gets the alias Dodge and that's what he's known as for the next 25 years! After that, he gets in a fight with Big Al, and gets clonked on the head with a flashlight, and his memory comes back as Dawson, but he can't remember his life as Dodge. I like Dodge and Dawson because he stays calm through all this and he shows his emotional side when he realizes how long it's been since he was Dawson.
The only think I didn't like about the book was that the plot was slightly confusing. I usually read Hardy Boys books and have no problem, but I was kind of lost in the plot. I loved the plot, or at least the parts I could connect. Still a great book though, and I do plan on reading more Hardy Boys books!
One of my favorite characters was Dawson, or really Dodge. Dawson was with Black Pepper, before he was Big Al, and Mike Onslow, and they found a bunch of gold, but when they try to run off with the gold, the plane crashes and no one can find it. After this happens, Dawson gets hit and the head and can't remember who he is. He somehow gets the alias Dodge and that's what he's known as for the next 25 years! After that, he gets in a fight with Big Al, and gets clonked on the head with a flashlight, and his memory comes back as Dawson, but he can't remember his life as Dodge. I like Dodge and Dawson because he stays calm through all this and he shows his emotional side when he realizes how long it's been since he was Dawson.
The only think I didn't like about the book was that the plot was slightly confusing. I usually read Hardy Boys books and have no problem, but I was kind of lost in the plot. I loved the plot, or at least the parts I could connect. Still a great book though, and I do plan on reading more Hardy Boys books!
March 10, 2023
Grew up reading these books, so been re-reading a few out of nostalgia. In this one, the Hardy Boys go to Montana to help their dad on a case involving a haul of gold which went missing 25 years ago, with a dastardly gang also on the hunt for the loot.
This mainly gives the writer the chance to throw in lots of outdoorsy plot situations, as the boys camp out in the snow, investigate caves and mines, and ride horses a lot. It’s never mentioned how and where they learned to ride horses and don’t remember it being mentioned in the previous books. But given these multi-skilled teenagers can already ride motorbikes, drive speedboats, carry out forensic science experiments and solve crimes that baffle actual policemen, horse riding probably just comes naturally to them.
It’s mostly action driven with landslides, face offs against the baddies, chases and following escaping gang members. All fun, but obviously for younger readers as there’s no actual real sense of danger. Plus, people must have talked REALLY loudly in those days as several times the boys are in hiding and overhear the bad guys explaining the plot.
It gets a bit silly / Scooby Doo like towards the end, especially one character who conveniently recovers from a 25 year amnesia. But overall, it’s fine for what it is, an adventure yarn for boys.
This mainly gives the writer the chance to throw in lots of outdoorsy plot situations, as the boys camp out in the snow, investigate caves and mines, and ride horses a lot. It’s never mentioned how and where they learned to ride horses and don’t remember it being mentioned in the previous books. But given these multi-skilled teenagers can already ride motorbikes, drive speedboats, carry out forensic science experiments and solve crimes that baffle actual policemen, horse riding probably just comes naturally to them.
It’s mostly action driven with landslides, face offs against the baddies, chases and following escaping gang members. All fun, but obviously for younger readers as there’s no actual real sense of danger. Plus, people must have talked REALLY loudly in those days as several times the boys are in hiding and overhear the bad guys explaining the plot.
It gets a bit silly / Scooby Doo like towards the end, especially one character who conveniently recovers from a 25 year amnesia. But overall, it’s fine for what it is, an adventure yarn for boys.
April 2, 2017
A lot of action, danger, excitement, and mystery! Thrilling read, awesome brothers, cool cover and internal illustrations (some of my faves!)! Frank and Joe do a great job looking out for each other - the blizzard's particularly intense, well, so are a lot of other scenes!
Check out my more detailed, but without spoilers, review for this action-packed mystery starring brothers Frank and Joe Hardy @ Hardy and Drew Mysteries. :)
Check out my more detailed, but without spoilers, review for this action-packed mystery starring brothers Frank and Joe Hardy @ Hardy and Drew Mysteries. :)
June 21, 2021
ocr errors:
p29: Frank and ,joe, greatly excited by this challenge, discussed it all during a supper of thick western steaks, beans, and biscuits.
p30: "A warning from Big All" Frank said grimly.
p51: "'All'" Joe read.
p70: "...Now let's get gain'!"
p73: The killer must have arrived before theml But where had the victims been taken?
p75: "Instead, I discovered Bob Dodge nosin' around with a Hashlight--"
Less boats and more horses this time. But also less of Chet and the rest of the gang, too.
p29: Frank and ,joe, greatly excited by this challenge, discussed it all during a supper of thick western steaks, beans, and biscuits.
p30: "A warning from Big All" Frank said grimly.
p51: "'All'" Joe read.
p70: "...Now let's get gain'!"
p73: The killer must have arrived before theml But where had the victims been taken?
p75: "Instead, I discovered Bob Dodge nosin' around with a Hashlight--"
Less boats and more horses this time. But also less of Chet and the rest of the gang, too.
January 12, 2017
A better than average Hardy Boys mystery. There was an actual mystery in this one and it had several layers to dig through. This edition updated some of the language and elements from the original version, but it still a bit of a nostalgia trip.
No Chet or any of the usual sidekicks, so it was a little more serious than most of the early books. Still, my youngest enjoyed it and I'd recommend it for any young reader (or parent who reads with one) who enjoys mysteries.
No Chet or any of the usual sidekicks, so it was a little more serious than most of the early books. Still, my youngest enjoyed it and I'd recommend it for any young reader (or parent who reads with one) who enjoys mysteries.
February 2, 2012
Ok, so i am a very ADHD kinda person, so that really doesn't make me an avid reader. I would rather search the web and play games. But this very book got me into this series. It is a fast paced, action packed story, for even the people with the shortest of attention spans! I recommend his book and its series to anyone! I REPEAT ANYONE!
August 7, 2014
Exciting Hardy Boys adventure with incidental music and sound effects. Old mine shafts, hidden gold, wolf pack, blizzard and a ghost town to name a few of these events/things which occur in this story.
This would be a great story for a young boy, or in my case, a bored commuter.
This would be a great story for a young boy, or in my case, a bored commuter.
November 30, 2016
This was sort of your average Frank and Joe Hardy story. Less compelling than #2 or #6 but still will lots of cliff-hangers and gasps and adventure. Fun to read but after you hit the other high adventures of Fenton's sons.
September 21, 2024
It is fun to read this one in the original. More attention to detail than the original, and even if it might be a little slower--they aren't in danger of being killed every chapter, just every other chapter--it still has plenty of action.
September 29, 2015
Great reding the Hardy Boys again after all these years.
December 21, 2023
This is so much better than all the previous books. The myriad characters, the fast paced plot, the thrill, the danger, unexpected plot twists. Interesting read.
May 17, 2025
I borrowed this book from a friend, it was his dad‘s when his dad was a kid, and what a great ride back in time for me. The Hardy boys books helped me learn to love reading, along with Tarzan books out on the farm as a wee lad. I had to give it five stars because even though the plot is silly in places, the Hardy boys getting into dire trouble every time they turn around, including bandits, a pack of wolves, chiselers, and and being lost in blizzards, they always come out on top. The intro says it is targeted toward boys ages 10 to 14 but I’m sure the fans expanded beyond those parameters, and I’m sure plenty of girls loved the Hardy boys in addition to Nancy Drew.
The author is listed as Franklin Dixon, but in actuality a number of writers wrote the HBO books but all under that same name.
And, I will never read another one, one was enough 😊
The author is listed as Franklin Dixon, but in actuality a number of writers wrote the HBO books but all under that same name.
And, I will never read another one, one was enough 😊
August 10, 2017
Ugh, I really wanted to like this one but this is most likely the worst installment I've read yet. They are constantly getting outrun by Big Al who is the slipperiest, most obnoxious, biggest pain in the behind of an outlaw you will ever read about. I didn't care for the "Wild West" setting, nor the random snow that seemed to be consistent and was always threatening their lives. Their dad could've been more involved but the writer was like "eh, never mind". The suspense was predictable, there were times it was so boring I literally put myself to sleep. Not the best out of the series, skip it if you can.
August 11, 2024
I was stuck in Rome due to Delta’s system issues so I downloaded this book to kill some time in my hotel.
I read the 58 original books when I was a kid, and this edition was the original from 1928 - I had read the updated edited version many years ago, so this was a first for me! Exactly what I needed on an unexpected Sunday in Italy.
I read the 58 original books when I was a kid, and this edition was the original from 1928 - I had read the updated edited version many years ago, so this was a first for me! Exactly what I needed on an unexpected Sunday in Italy.
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