The Flickering Torch Mystery

The 1971 revision of this mystery is perhaps the first nod to the changing culture of the 60s and early 70s, as Frank and Joe Hardy become members of a rock band. The mystery also involves a radioactive substance, which foreshadows some of the concerns we have several decades later. Fenton Hardy, the boys' father, has run into difficulties in trying to solve the crashes of two light planes into the cliffs adjacent to Marlin Crag Airport near Beemerville. Both pilots were landing from the sea in bad weather using instruments. However, both pilots were experienced. Fenton asks the boys to look around Marlin Crag airport to see if they can learn anything. In the meantime, Fenton will be investigating a ring of freight thieves who have been stealing from airports. As you might guess, there is a connection between the cases. Frank, Joe and their friend Chet Morton soon find their lives in danger when they ask questions that concern certain individuals they encounter. Things become more interesting when the boys get jobs playing in the band at a local night spot. It quickly becomes evident that someone wants the Hardys and Chet out of the way, permanently! During the investigation the boys discover a radioactive plane engine. Chet Morton purchases a plane fuselage, only to have it stolen. Why does the night club use only its own amplifiers, and what is the interest certain individuals have in the amplifiers? What is the relationship between smuggled diamonds and the radioactive isotopes? The most quickly solved mystery is what the "flickering torch" is. I enjoyed this mystery. While I am unsure of some of the science, it was sufficiently plausible that I was able to overlook any weakness in the science to focus on the mystery. I was also sufficiently puzzled by the purposes of the criminals that I found myself reading this book from cover to cover quickly. This story is one of the better stories in the Hardy Boys series. Though the Hardy Boys series was written in a relatively archaic fashion, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are excellent. The stories were once recommended for children ages 10 to 14. As children are exposed to more violence and seem to require greater levels of stimulation, the recommended age range has move to 9 to 12. I think any child capable of reading some of the challenging words in these books will enjoy them, regardless of how tame most of the action may be. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

After a brief absence, Leslie McFarlane returns for his second stint with "The Hardy Boys". He begins with a bang. The brothers are asked to investigate strange happenings at an Experimental Farm in Bayport. The majority of this book takes place at night and in part in underground tunnels. Unknown figures roaming about the farm hidden beneath black cloaks add an element of suspense. This book has a spooky feel and one that draws the reader from page to page. This book ranks among the series elite. RATED AREVISION: The 1971 totally altered revision of this book with a completely new story was excellent, packed with pure suspense and a tough case to crack about two murders. Even the revision of this book ranks among my favorites and one of the best revisions in the series.

This review concerns the revised 1971 edition. Frank and Joe investigate the deaths of two pilots after the planes that they were flying crashed into the cliffs at a nearby airport. This is a very interesting book with a really good plot. I enjoyed learning what the flickering torch really is and how it was connected to the rest of the case. This book is loaded with action and it kept me interested from the first page to the last. Ignore the awful cover on this book and read it anyway; you won't be disappointed.

This is one of the greatest Hardy boy bnooks. It is about a scientist who comes to the Hardy's house and wants Fenton to find his stolen silkworms. Fenton however has tpo got away on another case and so Grable reluctantly lets the boys on the case. The boys are also working at the Experimental Farm where they meet some suspicoous characters. Then the Hardy's chum Dick Ames (who does appear in the Secret of Skull Mtn.) may come under suspiciion for a crime he didn't do. Read the rest to find out!!!!

I loved this one. Don't judge it by it's cover. It sounds not very interesting, but it is one of the few volumes that has sort of a murder mystery at the heart of it's plot. The whole book keeps you in suspense trying to figure out what happened to two pilots killed in a plane crash from the first chapter on.