The Secret of the Lost Tunnel (Hardy Boys, Book 29)

This book is a great and exciting book leaving you in suspense almost every chapter. It starts off boring and works it's way up to a great book.If you like mysterys than this is the series for you.My favorite part of the book is when chet an old friend of the Hardy boys got shot.So if you like classic mysterys this is the book for you.

The teaser for this book says "The arduous search is full of surprises that will thrill all fans of the Hardy boys." This book fulfills the promise of the teaser as the Hardy boys encounter some of the most callous and dangerous criminals they have ever faced. This mystery begins with a visit by a General Smith. Moments before General Smith arrives, a man identifying himself as Dr. Bush warns the boys to beware of General Smith. Shortly thereafter a woman calls to warn the boys about Dr. Bush. While the boys are discussing the phone calls a person calling himself General Smith shows up at the Hardy home. The boys are concerned about General Smith's animated behavior and act strangely themselves. The boys' behavior becomes more bizarre when Dr. Bush calls again and Joe Hardy and Chet Morton rush off to see if they can intercept Dr. Bush. After Joe and Chet return, the tension between the boys and General Smith threatens to erupt when Fenton Hardy arrives and greets General Smith as an old friend. Frank and Joe Hardy and Chet Morton have become involved in a Smith family mystery that dates back to the Civil War. Beauregard Smith, a cousin of General Smith's great-grandfather, promised to bury his gold and the local bank's gold if enemy troops got too close. Three generations of Smiths have unsuccessfully attempted to discover the hiding place of the gold. General Smith asks Fenton Hardy to take on the case. However, Fenton has other commitments and sends Frank, Joe and Chet to begin the investigation. The boys and General Smith follow a series of clues, hoping that the clues will eventually lead them to the treasure. The boys soon encounter mysterious Professor Randolph and other suspicious characters, including Junior, Hank and Smiley, who may also be searching for the treasure. As the search for the treasure progresses the danger increases. Frank and Joe are kidnapped, Chet is ambushed and someone shoots at the boys in one of the most exciting and interesting Hardy Boys books to this point in the series. The first 29 Hardy Boys books have been a bumpy ride in quality. However, this book fulfills the promise of the teaser and is a thrilling book that even many teens might enjoy. The Hardy Boys series is recommended for ages 8 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. However, this book in the series contains many interesting moments and will keep most readers guessing the answers to the mysteries until the author reveals the final solution.

This review concerns the original 1950 edition. Frank, Joe and Chet travel to the southern U.S. to help a retired general find a fortune lost during the civil war. This was a really good book; it was well written and had a lot of action. Two things that I liked about this book were that unlike some books where Frank and Joe have little contact with the criminals until the last chapters, in this book they were constantly running into the crooks, also, there was actually a mystery to solve in this book (the location of the treasure), instead of some other volumes where Frank and Joe are merely trying to capture a certain gang. This is a great book all Hardy Boys fans will enjoy.

This oddly enough one of my favorite Hardy Boys book because of the post civil war connection and the southern stereotypes that are laughable at best. Obviously the writer had a limited at best knowlege of the south and this makes the book almost as comical to a true southerner as a fake southern accent in a movie or television. This oddly enough is the rule and not the exception in most of the hardy boys series.