Bayport Beat Greetings and welcome to the September edition of The Hardy Boys News with upcoming releases and my review of The House on the Cliff and more!
Adventures #15Con Artist in Paris – September 2017 – For Sale
Brother detectives Frank and Joe follow a crooked trail of artistic deception in the fifteenth book in the thrilling Hardy Boys Adventures series.
The Hardy Boys are visiting Paris! Joe is excited to check out all the street art he’s heard about. And Frank can’t wait to go to all the museums he’s researched.
On their very first day in the city, the brothers are woken up early in the morning by fireworks. But these are no ordinary fireworks. They are a part of elaborate cover for the heist of a priceless artifact. What’s worse, the theft seems to have been orchestrated by Joe’s favorite street artist, an unidentified outlaw and activist that goes only by the name Le Stylo. Everyone seems sure that it’s him, but the Hardys are suspicious. From everything they know about Le Stylo, the crime is out of character. Sure, he makes a habit of provoking the authorities, but he’s an activist; not a thief. Could the artist known for his mystique have been framed? Frank and Joe are determined to find out.
A race to find the real thief has Frank and Joe following clues that lead them all over Paris, where they hobnob with rich art patrons, travel in a car that can only be described as a small Batmobile, and explore the extensive Catacombs under the city. Deep in the world of artistic deception, the boys have to wonder, are they in over their heads?
The Big Lie #6
The sixth and final installment in the story arc.
16: Stolen Identity – 02/18For Sale: Paperback – Hardcover –
A criminal that seems to be straight out of a Sherlock Holmes novel is out to get brother detectives Frank and Joe in the sixteenth book in the thrilling Hardy Boys Adventures series.
An original Sherlock Holmes manuscript was stolen from the Bayport Museum and now pages keep showing up in Frank and Joe’s things: their lockers, menus, even the backseat of their car. It’s clear someone is out to frame them. But who could it be?
The boys try their usual means of deduction, but everything leads to a dead end. They just keep finding unsuspecting people who were paid to hide the pages by a mysterious third party. Frank recognizes this tactic-it’s exactly what Moriarty would do to throw off Sherlock Holmes. So the brothers decide to use one of Sherlock’s signature ideas: The Baker Street Irregulars. Though instead of street kids, Frank and Joe use a group of skateboarding tweens to keep their eyes and ears open around town.
It’s a battle of wits as the brother detectives try to clear their name. But this Moriarty wannabe always seems to be one step ahead. Can the Hardy boys find the real culprit before it’s too late?
Clue Books #6
A Skateboard Cat-astrophe – 11/17
For Sale: Paperback – Hardcover – Kindle
Illustrated by Matt David
Detective brothers Frank and Joe must figure out who sabotaged Skeeter the Skateboarding Cat in the sixth book in the interactive Hardy Boys Clue Book series.
Everyone in Bayport is talking about the first annual skateboard contest. The winner gets free mac and cheese balls from The Easy Cheesy food truck for the whole year! Frank and Joe just wish there was someone to beat the school’s biggest bully, and best skateboarder, Diesel Diffendorfer. Then their best friend Chet shows them a video of Skeeter the skateboarding cat.a cat that happens to belong to the new kid in town, Carlos Martinez. Suddenly, a plan is hatched.
Carlos agrees to enter Skeeter, in the contest. Who wouldn’t want free mac and cheese for a year? But just when Skeeter hits his final trick, a mouse runs across his path! Distracted, Skeeter hops off his skateboard and chases after his furry foe. When Frank and Joe run to catch him, they discover the mouse was a toy. Could someone have sabotaged Skeeter’s big day? It’s up to the Hardy Boys-and you-to find out!
Clue Books #7
The Pirate Ghost – 04/18
For Sale: Paperback – Hardcover
Illustrated by Santy Gutierrez
Detective brothers Frank and Joe work to uncover a pirate ghost hoax in the seventh book in the interactive Hardy Boys Clue Book series.
The Hardy Boys are super excited when their friend Jason Wang wins the “Talk Like a Pirate Contest” at Bayport’s annual Pirate Palooza. Jason’s prize is a map to the legendary pirate, Captain Scurvydog’s buried treasure. Expert detectives Frank and Joe offer to help him find it.
But the next day, Jason tells the brothers that he won’t be doing any treasure hunting. He says the ghost of Captain Scurvydog has been haunting him; his parrot is singing pirate songs he’s never been taught, pirate coins appeared on his windowsill, and there’s a mysterious note in a bottle warning Jason to stay away from buried treasure. To Jason, the message is clear: stay away from Captain Scurvydog’s booty! Frank and Joe don’t believe in ghosts. They’re sure someone is tricking Jason so they can dig up the buried treasure themselves. The only question is, who?
Hardy Boys Adventures Graphic Novel #4 – November 2017 – For Sale
Scott Lobdell (Author), Paulo Henrique Marcondes, Daniel Rendon, Lea Hernandez (Illustrators)
Joe and Frank Hardy, the Undercover Brothers, must devise a “Deadly Strategy” to save A.T.A.C. (American Teens Against Crime)! Plus, the young detectives must defeat the dangerous Hangman at…a spelling bee? And they face a case of “Identity Theft” when they meet a young girl living someone else’s life! Action! Thrills! And over 300 pages of mystery!
Hardy Boys Adventures Graphic Novel #5 – March 2018 – For Sale
Scott Lobdell (Author), Paulo Henrique Marcondes (Illustrator)
Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: The New Case Files – December 2018 – For Sale
by Stefan Petrucha (Author), Sarah Kinney (Author), Gerry Conway (Author), Sho Murase (Illustrator), Paulo Henrique (Illustrator)
Some of literature’s most famous detectives team-up in a feature length story! Plus zombies, vampires, this one’s got everything! Five thrilling graphic novels are collected here featuring world famous teen sleuths Nancy Drew and Frank and Joe Hardy. First, see them like you’ve never seen them before-teaming up! Plus, Nancy Drew is off slaying vampires and the Hardy Boys call it quits…after crawling with zombies.
Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie Paperback Omnibus – November 2017 – For Sale
A Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery unlike any other you’ve ever read! When the teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy are accused of the murder of their father – a detective in the small resort town of Bayport – they must team up with Nancy Drew to prove their innocence (and find the real guilty party in the process) in a twisting noir tale, complete with double-crosses, deceit, and dames. Writer Anthony Del Col (Assassin’s Creed, Kill Shakespeare) and artist Werther Dell’Edera (Batman: Detective Comics, House of Mystery) bring the iconic teen detectives into the modern age, and redefine noir for a new generation of readers!
New Cover Art For October 2017
Hunting for Hidden Gold
Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won’t want to miss! In Hunting for Hidden Gold, the fifth book in the incredibly popular, long-running series, Frank and Joe Hardy pursue a notorious gang responsible for a payroll robbery. A special treat for Hardy Boys fans and any reader who’s new to the series!
The Shore Road Mystery
Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won’t want to miss! In The Shore Road Mystery, the sixth book in the incredibly popular, long-running series, Frank and Joe Hardy encounter a perplexing set of mysteries when they agree to help their friend Jack Dodd and his father locate a family treasure. A special treat for Hardy Boys fans and any reader who’s new to the series!
The Secret Of Caves
Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won’t want to miss! In The Secret of the Caves, the seventh book in the incredibly popular, long-running series, Frank and Joe Hardy discover the secret of the Honeycomb Caves while searching for a missing professor. A special treat for Hardy Boys fans and any reader who’s new to the series!
The Mystery of Cabin Island
Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won’t want to miss! In The Mystery of Cabin Island, the eighth book in the incredibly popular, long-running series, Frank and Joe Hardy encounter several dangerous setbacks as they search for Johnny Jefferson and some antique stolen medals. A special treat for Hardy Boys fans and any reader who’s new to the series!
Hardy Boys Jigsaw Puzzles
For Sale
Hardy Boys Review
The House on the Cliff
The Plot: One day shortly before summer vacation, the Boys, along with Chet, Biff and Jerry, are out motorcycling along the Shore Road and decide to investigate the spooky old abandoned Polucca house, high on the cliffs overlooking Barmet Bay. Once inside, they hear a shriek which scares all but Frank and Joe out. The Boys investigate but find nothing. They leave but a storm forces them all back to the house. They hear more shrieks, get locked in and part of the house starts to collapse! They finally get out but have problems with their motorcycles and find their tool kits stolen.They are distracted by a boat chase out on the bay. There are shots from one boat and the other boat explodes! The Boys row out to save the pilot of the boat. Finding him injured, they bring him to a nearby farmhouse to recuperate. The man gives his name as “Jones” and claims “Snackley got me – the rat!” The Boys return home and Fenton tells them that Snackley is an infamous smuggler.
The next day, the Boys return to the farmhouse only to find the farmer and his wife bound and gagged. “Jones” is missing and the Boys give chase but lose him. Returning home, they find that Fenton has disappeared and a forged note left behind. They start a search and a truck driver reports he saw Fenton walking out by the Polucca place.
The next day, the Boys, accompanied by Chet, Biff, Tony and Phil, go out to the old home but find it’s now occupied by some seedy characters. The occupants claim ignorance but Franks spots Fenton bloodied cap hanging inside the house!
They report their findings to Chief Collig, the fat, pompous leader of the Bayport PD, and his moronic sidekick, Det. Smuff. The cops dither and the Boys have to shame them into making an investigation. Reluctantly, the Chief agrees to go the next day and, of course, discovers nothing.
Fed up, the Boys take matters into their own hands and go out with Tony on his boat, “The Napoli”, to explore the cliffs by the Polucca place. They find a hidden cove but are chased away at gunpoint by Snackley. Hanging around nearby till after dark, they overhear the smugglers. Frank and Joe go ashore and find a hidden cave entrance. They discover that it leads all the way to the cliff top and the smugglers are stashing their booty there.
Overhearing Snackley threatening Fenton, they attempt a rescue and are captured. Snackley threatens to send the Boys out to a watery grave with his partner-in-crime, Li Chang.
Later, Fenton overpowers the guard and they escape, only to be spotted and chased into the Polucca house. There’s a running gun battle and Fenton and the Boys are recaptured. Suddenly, the state police show up and everything is thrown into turmoil. Fenton and Snackley have a life-and-death struggle and the gang is finally rounded up.
The Boys and Fenton split a $5,000 reward, we find out that Snackley was Polucca’s nephew and that he had murdered the old man. With some of that 5 grand, the Boys throw a big dinner party for their pals in the barn behind the Hardy home.
Comments: The best story in the canon! A dark, violent tale of smuggling, drugs, kidnapping and murder! None of the other stories can match this one for sheer exciting adventure! I’ve always thought this tale would make a great Hardy Boys movie. The Boys show plenty of guts and good detective ability in this one. Fenton plays a major role here and he works well with his sons. The gun battle and fight at the climax is the most thrill-packed prose in any Hardy story. If you read only one Hardy Boys book, it should be this one.
Rating: Original: A+
Applewood edition of the original text version The House on the Cliff For Sale
Original Outline for “The House on the Cliff”
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