German Three Investigators Pharoah's Message, Black Madonna, and Soccer Mania

In The Pharaoh's Message, Rubbish George has disappeared.  Peter finds a strange message in George's shack.  The message gives clues to a hidden treasure.  The boys travel to Egypt in pursuit of the treasure.

On page 36, a cell phone is locked in a safe at the hotel because Justus does not like cell phones.  I'm not surprised, since the boys tend not to use cell phones in these books.  It's like the authors wanted the books to be similar to the older ones when the boys didn't have phones.

On page 38, a picture reminds Peter "of a good friend."  The man in the picture has a "large, half-bald head, cheeks that drooped..."  Although not mentioned by name, Alfred Hitchcock follows the boys on their adventures in spirit.

This book is very suspenseful and fast-paced.  Although I grew a bit bored towards the end, I still consider the book quite good.

In Black Madonna, the boys are witnesses to an attack on a dealer in a flea market.  As the victim loses consciousness, he asks that the boys find the black Madonna. 

On page 7, the book states that Uncle Titus manages a used car business, but on page 10, the boys are selling junk in a junk stand.  The statement about the used car business had to have been a mistake in the translation.

I enjoyed this book.

In Soccer Mania, Peter trains for a local soccer team.  Meanwhile, a boy asks the Three Investigators to help his grandparents, who are being threatened.  No connection appears to exist between soccer and the threats to the grandparents, but we soon learn that the threats have everything to do with soccer.

Soccer is very popular around the world, so I understand why so many of the books feature soccer.  However, I am getting tired of all of these soccer stories.

I find the cover art disturbing.  The picture is of a soccer ball with insects on it, but to me, it looks like a skull with insects crawling inside and out. 

I overall enjoyed this book, although the parts about soccer bored me.