Canoe survive the white water rapids? (Sorry, bad pun, I know!) (The Hardy Boys: The Roaring River Mystery - Franklin W. Dixon)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	The Hardy Boys: The Roaring River Mystery - Franklin W. Dixon
Date:	23/04/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good plot and villains

Disadvantages: Disappointing characterisation of the heroes

Quite often, with books aimed at teenage boys, you find that plot and characterisation are often given over to a bit of action and adventure. Of late, teenage fiction has started to up its game and extend its tales, focusing a lot more on plot, particularly when we look at such books as the Twilight Saga from Stephenie Meyer. The Hardy Boys remain one of the longest running teenage fiction series, but one thing they often sacrifice is their plots.

The Roaring River Mystery pokes its head up above the majority of its fellow Hardys books and gives us a decent plot with convincing villains. Yes, it's predictable, but it's also enjoyable and has a little more depth than a lot of the previous Hardy Boys books. It is the 80th Hardys book.

Brothers Frank and Joe Hardy are the Hardy boys, and are teenage boys who are often sought out to solve crimes and thwart dangerous crooks. In The Roaring River Mystery, their investigation of a million dollar heist from a DC bank takes them up into the mountains and into the world of white water rafting. This, in itself, gives the adrenalin-fuelled feel to the book, and for once, the concentration seems to be on the plot and not necessarily the adventure.

Characterisation is a little confusing. At times, it is good, with the author commendably taking time to give us a good indication as to what the villains look like. However, this is counteracted by relatively disappointing descriptions of the hereos themselves. It's definitely one with the concentration firmly with the bad guys and how the plot develops.

The Hardy Boys books are all written by ghost writers who follow plot outlines. Since the first book was released in the 1920s, they have been published under the pen name Franklin W Dixon, but there are a number of different ghost writers who put pen to paper to give us the stories. As a result, I find the books are often quite different to each other, and the quality can vary. This one gets a thumbs up from me, others often don't.

In 1979/1980, Simon & Schuster won the publishing rights to the Hardy Boys books. Most of the books they have published are tricky to find here in the UK, but this one is readily available from amazon.com for low prices.

Summary: A good Hardy Boys book