Not quite Josey Wales, but an outlaw nonetheless (The Outlaw's Silver - Franklin W. Dixon)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	The Outlaw's Silver - Franklin W. Dixon
Date:	15/03/09 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written and characterised

Disadvantages: None really

When I was 10 or 11, I started reading the Hardy Boys books, written by Franklin W Dixon. It is only more recently that I discovered that the name is actually a pseudonym for the publication of the books, with the heroes of the piece, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, as well as the Dixon name, being the creation of the Stratmeyer Syndicate back in the 1920s.

The publishing rights for the first 50 years or so of the Hardy Boys' existence lay firmly with Grosset & Dunlap, until 1979, when Simon & Schuster took over. The Outlaw's Silver is the 9th book released under the latter publishers, but the 67th Hardy Boys overall. You may often see the story described as both numbers.

The Outlaw's Silver follows similar plotlines to previous Hardy Boys books. This is no surprise, as there are obviously a limited number of feasible things that a pair of teenage brothers can do in terms of solving crime, particularly when you consider that this is the 67th adventure. The boys themselves are in their late teens, and the stories feature them as captured in time. Each book sees them at the same age, and this is the marvel of fiction and what it can do. It enables the books to appeal to the intended audience of teenage boys, although they are readable and appealing to others, too.

The plot takes the boys on an adventure as they investigate the theft of antique statues from a museum. The trail takes them on a further quest as the myth of the Outlaw of the Pine Barrens rears his head to play a part in the story. The trail is fraught with danger, although it is all rather tame, particularly as the tale is intended for the younger reader and thus toned down a little from that which you may expect from a more adult read.

The characters have been well developed over the years in terms of those who are recurring book after book, but those who are new to the adventures and those who will feature in just this book are described in enough detail to give a good picture in your mind's eye as to what they look like and their actions.

The plot is an enjoyable one, and I have been very impressed with the run of form with this section of Hardy Boys books. The plots can be relatively unbelievable in their conception at times, and this one is guilty of the same thing, with the fact that a couple of teenage boys being recruited to investigate such an important event a seemingly unlikely occurrence. However, this is fiction and is no more unlikely than other books for teens such as the Stormbreaker series. The tale is perhaps not quite as up to date as such modern teen books, but it is in keping with the traditional storytelling of the Hardy Boys books since they began.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read, and one I am happy to recommend. The Outlaw's Silver, as with most of the Simon & Schuster Hardy Boys books, is harder to get in this country than the earlier Hardy Boys books, but is readily available for a low price from amazon.com.

Summary: The 67th Hardy Boys book