Avoid The Sinister Signpost? (The Hardy Boys: Sinister Sign Post - Franklin W. Dixon)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	The Hardy Boys: Sinister Sign Post - Franklin W. Dixon
Date:	22/06/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Holds the interest

Disadvantages: Weak ending, dated

Frank & Joe Hardy are the teenage sons of famous private detective Fenton Hardy & his wife Laura. Together, (& sometimes from help with family & friends) they investigate all sorts of crimes & strange occurences....

The Sinister Signpost was published in the US in 1936 & was the fifteenth in the series. It was revised in 1968 with an almost completely new story. The book first appeared in the UK in 1972 & was numbered 22 when it was published by Armada. This review is for the Armada edition.

The story begins with Frank & Joe being involved in a road accident with a dragster. By another one of those massive co-incidences that seem to afflict the Hardy boys, the dragster in question turns out to be owned by Mr. Alden of the Alden Automotive Research & Development Company. Oddly enough he's just contacted Fenton Hardy & asked him to take on a case involving stolen plans & accidents to some of his cars.

The boys decide to go undercover at the company, encountering Mr. Alden's suspicious son Roger and a sheet metal worker called Barto whose twin brother walked out of the company some time ago after an argument with Mr. Alden. A further possible connection to the case comes from a stable in Baltimore, Maryland which Aunt Gertrude has just inherited from a friend. Events take a more serious turn when Mr. Alden's horse, Topnotch, is taken & then, later, when Roger is kidnapped & held for ransom......

The usual supporting characters who appear in the story are:-

+ Fenton Hardy
+ Laura Hardy
+ Aunt Gertrude
+ Chet Morton
+ Biff Hooper
+ Tony Prito
+ Iola Morton
+ Jack Wayne
+ Chief Ezra Collig


As with all of the early Hardy Boys books the story is a little dated with the boys relying on landline telephones to communicate with their father & the police. There are no computers & no mobile phones & the criminal gang communicate by letter! Aunt Gertrude features a little more in this story due to the fact that she's inherited the stables & Jack Wayne does more flying than usual. The main problem with the story is the rather contrived ease with which everything is resolved at the end. All in all though, it's a rather average tale rather than a good or mediocre one. It should keep any child who's read any of the other books in the series occupied for a couple of hours but they probably won't be in a rush to re-read it again.

At the time of writing the book is available in hardcover for £7.25 from Amazon Prime. New & used paperback versions can be otained from 1p upwards.

Summary: Fifteenth in the series. Average story