Kidnapped! (The Hardy Boys: Wailing Siren Mystery - Franklin W. Dixon)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	The Hardy Boys: Wailing Siren Mystery - Franklin W. Dixon
Date:	06/07/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Pacy, fairly exciting

Disadvantages: Slightly dated, poorly plotted

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 Wailing Siren Mystery was published in the US in 1951 & was the thirtieth in the series. It was revised in 1968. The book first appeared in the UK in 1972 & was numbered 12 when it was published by Armada.

Frank & Joe are heading towards Barmet Bay in their boat, The Sleuth, when a storm breaks. They have engine trouble & there's a near collision with a yacht. They also hear the sound of a helicopter, as well as a wailing siren & see something falling into the sea. This proves to be a wallet which is full of money. On reaching Bayport Frank & Joe place an ad in the newspaper in an attempt to track down the owner of the wallet.

Meanwhile, Chet Morton has purchased some high powered rifles for his Uncle Tyler, who is a famous big game hunter, along with some camping equipment for a possible future camping trip that has been discussed. Unfortunately, when Chet stopped to get some food the truck was stolen with the rifles & camping equipment still inside. It doesn't take long for the Hardy's to work out that the truck has been driven to North Woods, although when they find the truck the rifles & camping equipment have vanished.

Fenton Hardy is, as usual, working on his own case. This time around it concerns American money that's being stolen in South America & later turning up in the US. The government aren't sure what the money is being used for but it's likely to be something illegal. Events take a sinister turn when the Hardy's friend, pilot Jack Wayne is kidnapped & the boys find themselves at the mercy of a gang who also claim to have captured their father.......


The usual supporting characters who appear in this book are:-

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


There are seven books out of the first thirty that I never got when I was a child so I can comment on those. Of the remaining twenty three this particular story has to be just about the worst of the bunch. It's pacy enough but the story structure leaves a great deal to be desired. Characterisation is dire, particularly in the case of Aunt Gertrude who seems to have suddenly gone all "gung-ho" with her attitude towards her nephew's safety. Having said that, I'm not entirely sure that this is something that a child would pick up on, particularly if they were reading the books out of sync. This one will probably keep the reader occupied for a couple of hours as the "excitement factor" is fairly high but, as I said, in terms of plotting & characterisation it rather lets itself down.


At the time of writing the book is available in Hardback for 7.19 from Amazon Prime. New & used paperbacks are available from 1p upwards.

Summary: Thirtieth book in the series