The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure (Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators Series #5) [Paperback]

Alfred Hitchcock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1980

The three investigators take on two mysteries: the disappearance of an ancient jeweled Japanese belt from a museum exhibit and the strange antics of a group of gnomes around an elderly woman's house.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; 1st Random House paperback ed edition (April 12, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394844521
• ISBN-13: 978-0394844527
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,241,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I always wanted to be Jupiter!, January 22, 2003

By 

C. Maynard (Saline, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure (Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators Series #5) (Paperback)

This is the best juvenile seried there is. I only owned 4 books as a kid, but I read them over and over and over. Now I am trying to buy the rest of them and some are out of print! Oh that I had bought them wheni could (especially since they used to be $$$). I tried to pick up (being a girl) the babysitter's club, but that just didn't do it for me. They were so shallow and predictable. The three investigators series are quality literature, which is rare nowadays. PLEASE reprint all the out-of-print titles. Judging from others comments, many people would buy them! It would be a shame to let these go because there isnt the same calibur of books to replace them!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you can ask for in a juvenile mystery, November 26, 2009

By 

Jim Davis (St. Charles, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

The Three Investigator series have that necessary attribute that all good juvenile books have - the ability to be enjoyed by adults. The mystery in this book is quite good.

This is #5 in the series. Interestingly, #2 through #5 have each featured a boy tied to the plot of different nationalities - #2, Mexico, #3, Egypt, #4, China, and #5, Japan. One wonders if the streak will continue in #6?

These books can't really hold up when compared to the current Harry Potter or Twilight series but they have a charm all their own. They are dated somewhat, but not horribly. If you know a child who likes to read you might point him in the direction of these books.

4.0 out of 5 stars 2 mysteries in one, November 19, 2010

By 

J. Green (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in the Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure (Hardcover)

I was a big fan of the Three Investigators as a kid, and now my own kids have enjoyed reading them as well. I tried reading a couple of Hardy Boy mysteries when I was young, but found them uninteresting in comparison. Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews always had much more interesting cases to solve and they seemed more like real kids than the Hardy Boys.

While visiting a local museum the lights go out and a jewel-encrusted belt is discovered missing. Jupiter forwardly offers the assistance of the Three Investigators, but of course is turned away. But Alfred Hitchcock calls with another case - an elderly friend who is seeing gnomes (she had written and illustrated books with gnomes before she retired). It's not the high-profile case the boys would like but it sounds interesting. But when the boys start seeing the gnomes too, they stumble into an even bigger mystery and wind up tangled in a situation more dangerous than they could have imagined.

The connections between the two mysteries might feel a bit contrived to an adult but the plot is very clever. Jupiter makes a few mistakes in this fifth book in the series but he always manages to figure everything out in the end. And the stories are never condescending toward the adults in them, even though Jupiter usually outwits them in the end. This is a great series for kids who aren't the most eager readers.