Customer Reviews

The Secret of Pirates' Hill (Hardy Boys, Book 36)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It hardly seemed like I had started this story and it was over. Frank and Joe Hardy and their friends Chet Morton and Tony Prito encounter numerous ruthless criminals. The criminals are involved in scams, burglary, kidnapping, and even attempted murder! The criminals in this story are among the most vicious the Hardys have ever met.

The excitement begins immediately. Frank and Joe are scuba diving when they encounter a diver with a deadly aim. Frank and Joe escape, but their escape is narrow. Soon afterward the boys encounter a man named Bowden who asks the boys to search for a cannon called a demiculverin. As the boys search for the cannon they encounter others also looking for cannons and the others are very dangerous, injuring the boys and their friends more than once.

As the investigation continues criminals break into a local museum and steal swords. Unfortunately for the criminals the sword they really want is at the Hardy's home. The crooks eventually get the sword through a clever ruse.

The excitement heats up as the boys realize that Bowden may not be on the level. One of the more interesting aspects of this story is the number of crooks involved. We do not learn for sure who the good guys and the bad guys are until the very end of the story.

One intriguing aspect of the story is the research the author performed relating to cannons. The research appears to be accurate, based on a limited sampling on the internet, but the author had to do his research the good old-fashioned way, in the library. The unfortunate side effect of this research is that the author uses the technical name for the various cannons more than once, and words like demiculverin tend to slow the story when used too often.

This story seems to speed up as the story nears the end. The danger increases, and one of the criminals destroys a valued possession. Even as the Frank Hardy, Joe Hardy and Tony Prito try to keep from drowning, they still do not know whether the culprits are ready to pounce on the boys in the final exciting pages of this story.

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. This particular book is a good fit for both age ranges. I think this Hardy Boys story is above average and I would recommend this story to a first time reader of the Hardy Boys.

Published in 1956 - I must admit I was a little disapointed with this book based on its title. However overall this was a pretty good volume. Set in Bayport the brothers are hired to find an ancient canon buried on Pirates Hill by Bowden who winds up being foe - not friend. Keeping the reader guessing throughout the book as to Bowden's innocence or guilt this volume drags you from chapter to chapter. Great exterior artwork on both the original & revision. RATED B-

The idea of diving and exploring the ocean alone drove me to read this book as a kid, and I wasn't disappointed. I read the entire series as a kid, and loved it. It chronicles two brothers and their friends adventures as they solve mysteries of all imaginable kinds. I only learned as an adult that Franklin W Dixon was a pen name used by several different authors, but the series had some great stories. I still enjoy a good mystery.

Paul Buckner,

author of "From Broke to Broker, and other stories of finding financial freedom."

In a series of hair raising adventures both on land and undersea the teenage brother detectives pit their wits against some of the most ruthless criminals they have ever countered.

It all starts when Frank and Joe are skin diving just for fun and the thrill of exploring the undersea world. Suddenly, deep in the waters that flow near the foot of Pirates' Hill, a mysterious skin diver fires a spear through Frank's air hose.

From this moment on, danger is never far away. The very lives of the boys are at stake as they, with the help of their pals Chet Morton and Tony Prito, uncover a mystery involving an old Spanish cannon and a fabolous sunken treasure.

This book was not as good as the last one. It had less action and the mystery was dull.

This is one of the best hardy boys books ever because Frank and Joe go looking for a cannon.They get followed,captured,and shot at.Three parties want the cannon,and will do anything to get it!

This is one of the best hardy boys books ever,and a must-have for any hardy boys fan!

It all starts when Frank and Joe are skin diving just for the fun and thrills. Suddenly, in deep waters that flow near the foot of a place called Pirate's Hill, dander is always on their trail. A stranger in the waters with Frank & Joe threw a spear into Frank's air hose. This is putting the very lifes of the boys at stake. Read this story, vacuum - packed with thrill & suspence hanging with you at the of each chapter, and I promise this will be the book of your lifetime!!!

The secret of pirates hill was a good book.It is very excit- ing and thrilling.All the Hardy Boys books are great litera- ture.

This review concerns the original 1956 edition and the revised 1972 edition which is a shortened version of the original. Frank and Joe are asked to locate a cannon lost during a battle in the vicinity of Bayport in the 1700s. While this book is not one of the worst of the series, it is definately not one of the best either. The mystery is mediocre and the book lacks much suspence. One thing that I did like about the book was that there were three different people interested in finding the cannon, and you are not sure whether any of them are friends or foes. This is an alright book worth reading, but you probably won't find it to be one of the best.

This book is not as good as it's title might indicate. While it does not rank among the worst of the set, it lacks suspense. I liked the aspect of not knowing whether Bowden was friend or foe and the fact that it it one of the last times the brothers remain in Bayport. Certainly a worth read, but there are other books much better in the set.