The Hardy brothers interrupt their investigations of jewelry-store holdups to answer a plea from their cousin on a New Mexico cattle ranch.

Selected review:

With the “Secret of Skull Mountain” the Hardy Boys series picked up in quality. The most noticeable feature of the last couple of books is the simpler mystery as compared to the previous books where the mysteries were often very complicated. The author (a fellow by the name of Andrew Svenson wrote the original, and Priscilla Baker-Carr wrote the revised version) also improved the pacing of the stories, with the action helping to move the book along reasonably briskly.

This mystery begins with the boys investigating the mystery of a car that was left at Slo-Mo’s garage in Pleasantville. Slo-Mo has asked Fenton Hardy to find the owner of the car. The car is missing its license plates and the engine serial number is gone. The boys call in the local police, and then search the car, finding a portion of a watch band and a tie clasp with a crooked arrow design on it. After the boys complete their search of the car they are about ready to leave when a man attempts to take the car from Slo-Mo.

Shortly thereafter the boys witness two men in conversation. Suddenly, one of the men slumps to the sidewalk, apparently passed out. When the boys assist the man, they learn the other man robbed him. Frank and Joe learn from their father that there is a gang robbing people along the East Coast by using a similar technique. Before the investigation can proceed further Fenton Hardy is shot with an arrow!

The trail leads the boys to a tobacco shop where they are able to buy “Arrow” cigarettes for $5 each. The boys learn that a man by the name of Arrow Charlie brings the cigarettes around from time to time. Before the boys can pursue the lead further, an urgent letter from their Cousin Ruth in New Mexico causes Fenton Hardy to send Frank, Joe and Chet Morton to investigate. Cousin Ruth runs Crowhead Ranch, and her cowboys have been disappearing without a trace one at a time.

Another airplane follows the boys as they travel to the ranch. They also encounter engine trouble. To their surprise, the boys also see the same crooked arrow symbol formed by trees as they fly toward the ranch. It appears that Arrow Charlie and the robberies in Bayport may somehow be related to the mysteries on Cousin Ruth’s ranch.

As Frank, Joe and Chet continue their investigation, someone tries to shoot them with a poisoned arrow. The boys also encounter a flash flood. Someone sets fire to their Cousin Ruth’s ranch. The boys also learn where the missing cowboys went in an action packed ending for this book.

The increasing pace of the action in this book, with the nicely focused mystery, make this book a good read and one of the better entries in this series. I recommend this book for those looking for a sample of how interesting the Hardy Boys can be.

The Hardy Boys series is recommended for ages 8 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. However, the series still contains some interesting moments and will keep most readers guessing the answers to the mysteries until the final solution is revealed.

People who bought this item also bought:

1. Footprints Under the Window (Hardy Boys #12)
2. The Flickering Torch Mystery (Hardy Boys #22)
3. The Secret of Skull Mountain (Hardy Boys #27)
4. The Secret of the Caves (Hardy Boys #7)
5. While the Clock Ticked (Hardy Boys #11)