Where oh where has McFarlane gone? (The Hardy Boys: The Disappearing Floor - Franklin W. Dixon)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	The Hardy Boys: The Disappearing Floor - Franklin W. Dixon
Date:	06/12/08 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Still recommended

Disadvantages: Poor characterisation and plot development

In the third book not written by Leslie McFarlane under the pseudonym Franklin W Dixon, Frank and Joe Hardy help their father investigate an elusive jewel thief. The plot thickens as they learn that it all links to a death many years ago, and the dangers heightens as they realise that there is a secret that someone is keen to keep buried!

The Disappearing Floor is the 19th Hardy Boys book. The books follow the adventures of Frank and Joe Hardy, sons of fictional supersleuth Fenton Hardy, and are written by Franklin W Dixon. This is now the third book not written by McFarlane, and also one of the more disappointing of the series. The books seemed to take a bit of a down turn when McFarlane stopped writing, and the author actually came back to write some more later on in the series.

This books lacks some of the intrigue and suspense the other books are able to give, and while I would still recommend reading it, just as I would any Hardy Boys book, don't be surprised if you find this disappointing. The majority of the books were actually revised to mordernise them a little in the 1950s, and not even this was able to make a better impression on me. I am disappointed with this one, as the characterisation is weak and the main characters of Frank, Joe and their father Fenton just follow the exact same mould as other books. Essentially, there is nothing new here, and the plot is lame and weak.

Although I still recommend reading the book, this is the first of the Hardy Boys books that I am giving a 2 star rating to, as it is significantly lower in quality than most of the other books. Still give it a go, but don't expect things to be as good as the other books.

The books will to many seem a little outdated as they are set in the 1920s and 1930s, the first one having been first published in the mid-1920s and a quick succession of volumes following it. They are aimed at young adults and as such don't make for heavy reading. Dixon's flowing writing style keeps the action coming throughout the books.

The Disappearing Floor is available from amazon.co.uk either as an individual book, part of 3 stories in 1 series or as a hardback copy, and the prices range from 1p to around the £8 mark depending on which version you want.

Summary: A disappointing Hardy Boys book