The Three Investigators #27 Magic Circle and #28 Deadly Double

In the Three Investigators #27, The Mystery of the Magic Circle, the boys work in the mail room of Amigos Press.  The publishing company has a series of tragic setbacks when its offices burn, and the manuscript of famous actress Madeline Bainbridge is stolen.  Meanwhile, all of Bainbridge's films were just sold to a business next door to the publishing company, and the films vanish at about the time of the fire!  The boys are convinced that the events are connected.

It's now summer again, specifically August 1.

I reflected as I read this book how interesting I found the story, which centers around a retired actress and her past associates.  The feeling I had is so different from how I felt while reading Nancy Drew #123, The Clue on the Silver Screen, which I couldn't stand.  Perhaps the use of the Alfred Hitchcock name and the setting of the series near Hollywood helped.  Perhaps the fact that Bainbridge is a recluse and not attending public functions helped make the story more plausible.  For whatever reason, this book is more believable to me.

This is a very engaging book.  It is outstanding.

In the Three Investigators #28, The Mystery of the Deadly Double, Jupiter is kidnapped!  Bob and Pete struggle to find him with few clues.  Later, Jupiter gets free, but the villains still think Jupiter is the boy they want.  The Three Investigators learn that Jupiter looks just like Ian Carew, the son of an African leader.  Political opponents are trying to abduct Ian in order to hold him as leverage.  The boys must try to keep Jupiter safe while they try to find Ian.

On page 46, mention is made of the emergency signals "which Jupiter had built for their work many years ago."  The boys are still not old enough to drive, and this statement makes it sound like the boys have been solving cases for many years.  It is a mistake in the text, since the boys have not aged since the first book in the series.

I also greatly enjoyed this book.