Hong Kong this time is it, boys? (The Hardy Boys: The Clue of the Hissing Serpent - Franklin W. Dixon)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	The Hardy Boys: The Clue of the Hissing Serpent - Franklin W. Dixon
Date:	08/03/09 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not a lot

Disadvantages: Most things

Once more we return to the same situation where the Hardy Boys inadvertently come across an international crime ring whent hey 'stumble' into a mystery crying out to be solved. Dragging faithful and loyal friend (read 'dog') Chet Morton along, the Hardys find themselves travelling to more far off locations to locate a vase with a particular design on it. Antique theft seems to be the name of the game this time as they become embroiled in yet another dangerous mission.

The Clue of the Hissing Serpent is the 53rd in the series of popular Hardy Boys books written predominantly for teenage boys. The books are released under the pseudonym Franklin W Dixon but are written by a number of different ghost writers. This particular writer seems to have lost a bit of originality as our heroes, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, sons of supersleuth Fenton Hardy, wind up once more going off to far off locations (Hong Kong this time) on daring missions. It is completely unfeasible that two teenage boys would be the ones chosen to solve this particular crime, and while I accept that this is fiction and the Hardys are meant as icons for teenage boys to look up to, there is a limit to the unlikelihood factor, and this book has crossed it.

The Hardy Boys books are written with teenage boys in mind, and when I was part of the intended audience I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Now I am a little older, I find the storylines tend to be rather unbelievable. The fact that two teenage boys could be 'hired' to sole international and dangerous crimes seems unlikely, but then, this is fiction and I try not to let this element of it spoil it for me. Sadly, there is not enough characterisation and plot effort in this book to stop it being spoilt, and it remains one of the worst of the original Hardy Boys books.

The Clue of the Hissing Serpent is currently available from amazon for next to nothing, as are most of the Hardy Boys books.

Summary: Unfeasible and seemingly minimum effort from this writer