Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Silver Spider

This book is the eighth in the Three Investigator series. "The Mystery of the Fiery Eye" precedes this book, and "The Mystery of the Screaming Clock" follows. As we learned in previous books, The Three Investigators are Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the intelligent, sometimes inadvertently arrogant member of the group. Pete Crenshaw is typically the muscle of the group. Pete is usually quite fearless. Bob Andrews works at the library and handles records and research for the group. Bob began this series with a broken leg. His leg bothers him during one portion of this mystery. The Three Investigator's Rolls Royce nearly collides with the car of Prince Djaro. The chance encounter soon throws the three boys into the midst of a plot to keep Prince Djaro from taking his thrown. To keep Varania, the home of Prince Djaro, on the side of the United States, the U.S. government enlists the aid of The Three Investigators as junior spies. At the center of the mystery is an ornate silver spider that symbolizes Varania. The silver spider was stolen from a museum and then planted in the boys' belongings. The planted jewel was an excuse to arrest the boys and to discredit Prince Djaro, who has become the boys' friend. The boys quickly find themselves accused of plotting to take over Varania, and their friendship with Prince Djaro threatens the very takeover they were hoping to stop. The Three Investigators are forced to take refuge in the sewers and catacombs beneath the capital city of Varania, hunted by the Regent of Varania. The boys must somehow explain to the citizens of Varania that Prince Djaro has the good of the country in mind, and the Regent of Varania is working for criminals. The boys must make this explanation while keeping from being arrested, deported, or worse! In addition to saving Varania, the boys must learn the location of the silver spider emblem that represents the Kingdom of Varania! This mystery is yet another of the better books in this series. The basic assumption was a little thin, being that U.S. government would enlist the boys as spies, but after that assumption the story was interesting and exciting. As with the previous book, there are hints early in this story that permit an astute reader to solve portions of the mystery. I recommend a first-time reader begin the series with "The Secret of Terror Castle," the first book in this series, but this book was also interest most first-time readers of The Three Investigators. Enjoy!

I know, I know: everyone immediately thinks "What about the Hardy Boys?!" Hardy, shmardy! I have read the Hardy Boys, and they just don't stand up like the Three Investigators series does. While several different authors wrote this series, there is a uniform excellence throughout the original 30 book run. After the 30th book, The Secret Of Shark Reef, Alfred Hitchcock died and was removed from the series, thereby ending an all-time classic series. While the series was continued for a short time without Hitchcock in the stories, it just wasn't the same. The Mystery Of The Silver Spider was one of my favorite Three Investigator books. It is wonderfully written, with suspense, scares, and plenty of fun. Although all of the books were written in the late '60s and '70s, they are timeless stories, so don't be be put off by the age of the series (heck, the Hardy Boys are a lot older than that!). For anyone not in the know, The Three Investigators are: Jupiter Jones (1st Investigator): A stocky (fat) genius of a boy, he has an incredibly analytical mind. The Investigators make their headquarters in Jupiter's Uncle's junkyard (inside an old, hidden mobile home). Pete Crenshaw (2nd Investigator): An athletic boy, Pete is the muscle of the Investigators. Nowhere near as bright as the other two, Pete still manages to make quality contributions toward solving cases. Pete is fiercely loyal to the Investigators. Bob Andrews (Records & Research): Bob is the organizational genius in the group. While not possessing the deductive capabilities of Jupiter or the athleticism of Pete, Bob keeps all the records and does the extensive research that is often required to solve cases. He also wears a leg brace, which can be inconvenient when trying to run away from bad guys! Sadly, these books have been re-edited to remove some non-PC elements from the stories (which is RIDICULOUS, because having an Arabic villian in one of the books, for example, is wrong HOW?? Changing him to a WHITE GUY makes it acceptable for today's audiences?!) I recommend seeking out the ORIGINAL versions published through the mid 1980s. They can be found on auctions sites and garage sales. An EXCELLENT read for young boys through their early teenage years.

The Mystery of the Silver Spider is in many ways the quintessential Three Investigators book in my mind, mainly because this title stands out the most from my childhood memories. It really is a good, exciting story, full of political intrigue, international espionage, a dastardly conspiracy, very real danger, a mad flight to safety, and other thrills along the way. After a chance meeting with the young prince of Varania, the boys find themselves invited to the prince's coronation in his home country. They are ostensibly contracted by the U.S. government to serve as secret junior agents--while the feds know some type of trouble is brewing in the small yet important European nation, they have been unable to ferret out the information they need themselves and thus turn to our intrepid young heroes for help. Once in Varania, the prince confides in them the fact that the invaluable silver spider, the symbol of Prince Paul, the most important leader in their history, and the symbol of the very nation, has been stolen and replaced with a fake; without the true silver spider, the prince will be disgraced and his coronation will be postponed--perhaps permanently. Much to the boys' surprise, Bob finds the precious spider stashed among his handkerchiefs. Realizing that the evil plotters mean to blame them--the young prince's friends--for the theft, Jupe, Pete, and Bob are forced to make a run for safety; fortunately, they are aided by some Varanians loyal to the young prince. Poor Bob bangs his head during the escape and cannot remember where he stashed the real spider. As events build to a climax, the boys race to free themselves from capture and somehow alert the Varanian people to the prince's danger. With Bob still suffering partial amnesia, it is up to Jupiter to find the silver spider and thus save not only the prince but the entire nation of Varania.This one is action-packed from front to back and may well be the best book in the series. If you have not yet been introduced to the Three Investigators and are wondering which book to try reading first, I would recommend this book. You might as well buy the other available titles, though, because you are surely going to want to keep reading these adventures. For the life of me, I can't figure out why there has never been a Three Investigators movie--this story in particular would be terrific on the big screen.

This was an excellent novel by Arthur and one of the best in the series. It details the exploits of the three sleuths as a chance encounter with royalty leads them to another nation where they become embroiled in an attempted governmental coup. Everything hinges on the Silver Spider--the key to the throne--and the suspense is immense when the only one who knows where it is can't remember! Mystery,suspense,and more action than in most of the books, The MYstery of the silver SPider takes you on a rollicking ride that culminates in an explosive climax.It will keep you glued to your seat and sweating with the characters! Absolutely reccomended. Maverick

Any three investigators novel will inspire kids to reach for the sky! This stuff is now available to be compulsory reading for my kids (Yup! even in Australia!) I am rapt that my kids can now enjoy the thrills and clean adventure that I was able to... YOU BEAUTY!!