The Short-Wave Mystery (Hardy Boys, Book 24) [Hardcover]

Franklin W. Dixon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1945 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When thieves hijack a collection of stuffed animals from a country auction, Frank and Joe Hardy pursue the getaway car and are drawn into a thrilling mystery. The recently acquired interest of their best pal, chubby Chet Morton, in taxidermy as a hobby adds fresh twists to the puzzle.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap; Revised edition (March 1, 1945)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448089246
• ISBN-13: 978-0448089249
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( D ) > Dixon, Franklin W.
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Mystery & Detective > Hardy Boys

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ho Hum, June 22, 2005

By 

Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Short-Wave Mystery (Hardy Boys, Book 24) (Hardcover)

Up to this book in the series, each of the stories was relatively consistent. Even when the stories were weak, they still had a measure of interest. However, this story is the weakest yet in the series. There are some problems with the way the story was written, and the entire premise is not fully exploited.

Chet Morton, the Frank and Joe Hardy's best friend, has started yet another hobby. This time he is into taxidermy. Chet convinces the brothers to attend an auction at the Elias Batter Estate. Elias was well-known for his abilities as a taxidermist, and Chet is hoping to purchase samples of his work.

No sooner does the trio arrive at the auction when they encounter a station wagon roaring away from the auction and someone yelling "Stop, thief." The two Hardys jump into their car to give pursuit, leaving Chet with his auction purchases. The boys finally lose the car after encountering a deer that was hit by the escaping car. The Hardy Boys have encountered another mystery!

We soon discover that someone is stealing animals stuffed by Elias Batter from all over the place. We also encounter Elias Batter's nephew, and his greedy wife is hovering in the background. We are given a tantalizing tidbit that there may be something hidden in one of the animals, and that something may have been the result of a crime committed by Elias Batter. We also learn that there may be some sort of spies involved in stealing secrets from a number of industrial plants. The question is: what does that have to do with the stuffed animals?

The problem with this mystery is that it never really takes off. The pace of the story just seems to plod along. Even near the end, from the time the boys learn who the criminals likely are to the time the boys encounter the criminals and the criminals are captured only requires five pages of description. There is no time to build any suspense or to place the boys in any danger. Even at the end of the story Mrs. Batter gets one line, and then the author ignores her completely. I get the feeling from the writing that the author was just trying to wring a story from a concept, and did not want to put any effort into really developing the plot.

This story is nearly so weak to deserve two stars, but I only give two stars to things that I could not recommend to anyone. I will say that this book is worth having for a fan of the Hardys, especially those collecting the series. However, this story is not the place to begin reading the series, and if you are seeking the better books in the series, you can definitely pass this one by.

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Out Of The Golden Age, April 17, 2004

By 

Scott Thiel (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Short-Wave Mystery (Hardy Boys, Book 24) (Hardcover)

This book continues the feel of the series that had been present since The Mark On The Door of 1934. After this volume however, the writing style would change. McFarlane wrote the original version of the book during his second stint with the Syndicate. I think the Syndicate had other ideas and let him finish The Melted Coins and World War II end before letting the hammer fall. In 1945 when the war ended this book was published then the heat was put on the author to bring the Hardy's into the scientific age. Like any of us at work, when change is implemented, we react with negativity. McFarlane at this point I feel became uninterested in the series and wrote his worst book to date only to be surpassed in 1947 by The Phantom Freighter. The book was medicore by Hardy Boys standards but subpar by McFarlane standards. Taxidermy becomes the sub plot and fingerprinting is performed for the first time in the series with this volume. The child like innocence held in the earlier volumes is now gone. I find this book somewhat difficult to rate. To me it is a 2.4 - Still it is worth reading and not among the worst of the series by any means. RATED C

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars McFarlane in decline, August 15, 2001

By 

k - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Short-Wave Mystery (Hardy Boys, Book 24) (Hardcover)

McFarlane wrote the original version of the book during his second stint with the Syndicate. I think the Syndacate had other ideas and let McFarlane finish The Melted Coins and World War II end before letting the hammer fall. In 1945 when the war ended this book was published then the heat was put on the author to bring the Hardy's into the scientific age. Like any of us at work, when change is implemented, we react with negativity. McFarlane at this point I feel became uninterested in the series and wrote his worst book to date only to be surpassed in 1947 by The Phantom Freighter. The book was average by the sets standards but sub par by McFarlane's standards. The revision was not much worse. Taxidermy become the sub plot and fingerprinting is performed for the first time in the series in this volume. The child like innocence held in the earlier volumes is now gone.

ORIGINAL Rated C+ Revision: Rated C