Dad and the boys get mixed up with counterfeiters and a bit of corporate sabotage while mom makes sandwiches. What more can I say, it's the Hardy Boys for crying out loud! ( )

An odd combination of old school crime - counterfeiting - and Cold war crime - defense industry sabotage. Also don't remember the clownish Snuff. ( )

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The third Hardy Boys mystery begins with the boys being duped by a stranger at the rail station. They change a large bill for him, which turns out to be counterfeit. In the revised edition the brothers would never be so daft, so it was their chubby chum Chet who takes the fall.

Counterfeiting, the boys are informed by their father, is becoming a serious issue in Bayport, and up and down the Eastern seacoast. Mr. Hardy suspects that production may be centered near their own city! Meanwhile, the boys went on a fishing trip and discovered a disused mill is being repaired and put back into business. However, they aren't interested in Chet's father's business as their rates for milling are outrageous. A theory is floated about that they're developing a new breakfast cereal and are understandably hush-hush about it. Meanwhile they befriend the lonely young boy (after saving his life, natch) who lives tat the mill, and try to pump him for information. The biggest development is the boys finally getting a sweet motorboat for their very own, and naming it the 'Sleuth'.

There are some interesting chase scenes and additional character studies, but while the original 'Secret of the Old Mill' is superior writing, the mystery was too thin to recommend it very much. The revised book tried jazzing up the story with cleverly delivered threatening notes to the Hardy's, but also fails to gel. The original gets three and a half stars for fun slang and period details circa 1927.

Hardy Boys

Next: 'The Missing Chums'

Previous: 'The House on the Cliff' ( )

Wildly predictable, but still lots of fun due to the great narration, over the top sound effects, and good wholesome adventure. The Hardy boys and their good friend Chet get caught up in a counterfeiting case after getting a phony twenty dollar bill. Their sleuthing (as always) puts them in some tight scrapes and they get into some nasty boat trouble (the teen aged detectives have motorcycles and a boat of their own... color me jealous), but as is the case, they make it out just find and discover that their is more than counterfeiting going on. Cheesy, yet fun. ( )