The Silver Spider (The Three Investigators Mysteries) (3 Investigators Mysteries) [Paperback]

Robert Arthur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 1984 | Series: 3 Investigators Mysteries

Three junior detectives travel abroad to solve a mystery involving a silver spider and a political plot that endangers the life of a young prince.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The prince of Varania must find the royal badge of office, a jeweled silver spider, in order to be crowned. There's just one problem--the silver spider has been stolen! It's up to the Three Investigators to find the spider and save the prince from his deadly political enemies! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Three Investigators were thrilled to meet the crown price of Varania when he toured Los Angeles.  

They were even more thrilled when he invited them to attend his coronation in Europe.

There was just one catch: trouble was brewing in Varania, and the U.S. government needed help in finding out about it.

So when The Three Investigators took off for Europe, they weren't just ordinary tourists--they were secret agents! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; New Ed edition (December 13, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006924433
• ISBN-13: 978-0006924432
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,145,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Web of Mystery, November 13, 2006

By 

Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Silver Spider (Three Investigators Classics) (Paperback)

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!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential Three Investigators Mystery, August 21, 2001

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Silver Spider (Three Investigators Classics) (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book, February 26, 2001

By 

Cheryl L. Flower (Danbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Silver Spider (Three Investigators Classics) (Paperback)

The Three Investigators and Mystery of The Silver Spider is great. It has full of suspense and plot twists. It is my favorite Three Investigators book. The book is written by Robert Arthur, the origanal Three Investigators author. His three investigator books are better than the ones written by the later ones.