The Three Investigators #19 Phantom Lake and #20 Monster Mountain

In the Three Investigators #19, The Secret of Phantom Lake, a museum sells its relics to the Jones Salvage Yard.  As the boys load the relics into the truck, a man named Java Jim arrives and tries to threaten the boys into letting him have an old trunk.  Little do the boys know that the trunk holds a clue to a hidden treasure, and Java Jim is determined to find it before anyone else can!

I notice that the boys are on winter vacation in this book.  They have been on a perpetual summer vacation for most of the series.  The cold winter weather ends up playing a role in the plot, which is nice for a change.

I really enjoyed this book.

In the Three Investigators #20, The Mystery at Monster Mountain, the boys travel with Hans and Konrad to Slalom Inn to visit their cousin, Anna, whom they have not seen in years.  Anna has recently married, and her husband, Mr. Havemeyer, is not very welcoming.  The boys soon learn that a monster has been spotted on the nearby mountain.  Two of the inn's guests quarrel about animal's rights, and Anna is strangely nervous. 

I really enjoyed this book.  I made an educated guess as to the solution of part of the mystery, and it was fun looking for additional clues to support my conclusion as I continued reading.  The clues were sprinkled throughout the book, so I was able to solve the mystery right along with the Three Investigators.  Outstanding!

The solution to the mystery of the monster is left open-ended, and this adds to the intrigue.  Some readers will find that part annoying, but I didn't mind.  I have my own solution as to what I think the monster is, so I am fine with the book not explaining it.

This book is outstanding.