The classic boy detectives by Frank Dixon--I read ALL of them in my younger years, one I ran out of Nancy Drew books. The Hardy Boys are brother amateur detectives, aspiring to follow in their famous father's footsteps. Frank Hardy is the elder of the two and has dark hair. Joe Hardy is the younger brother, and has blond hair and blue eyes. The stories are an unaging series, in which Frank and Joe are always 18 and 17 years of age, respectively. In the original series the brothers were a younger 16 and 15 years of age, but their ages were increased during the revision process that began in 1959. The series utilizes a "floating timeline", in which events always take place in the present day.The two boys live in the fictional city of Bayport (on Barmet Bay) with their famous father, Fenton Hardy, a private detective formerly with the New York Police Department, their mother Laura Hardy (erroneously called Mildred in The Flying Express), and their Aunt Gertrude, a character often used for comic relief.
Probably one of the better in the series - not sure, as I've only read a half-dozen or so of these books.The premise of the secret room(s) in the house was fascinating. The idea of how easily the innocent inventor, Amos Wandy, could be duped was less satisfactory.It was interesting to see how the character of Mr. Dalrymple could be placed in contrasting lights - I wish more could have been done along that angle.Recommended for young readers who think that Harry Potter (or worse, Twilight) are the be-all and end-all in YA literature.
