Ken Holt #5 Coiled Cobra and #6 Hangman's Inn

In Ken Holt #5, The Clue of the Coiled Cobra, Ken and Sandy give a ride to a man who appears to be down on his luck.  Later, the boys learn that the man is a convicted bank robber and that an insurance company is searching for the missing money.

On page 57, the boys plan to search for a thirteen-year-old Hudson automobile.  Ken remarks, "After all, how many cars like that do you think there could be in one town?"  Sandy replies, "With our luck, we'll probably discover that Brentwood is currently playing host to an international convention of thirteen-year-old-Hudson owners."  This is a shrewd observation about how series books usually play out.  This book also has a character named Fenton, which could be a nod to Fenton Hardy of the Hardy Boys books.

I recall that this book was not a great favorite over four years ago, and I enjoyed it less this time.  Once again, it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what it is that I don't like.  I think it has to do with the great detail in the story and the large amount of time spent making deductions.  It's great detective work, but it doesn't do much for me.  I don't care for this story.

In Ken Holt #6, The Secret of Hangman's Inn, Ken and Sandy search for Joe, who does cleaning work at the newspaper.  Joe didn't clean the office the night before, so Ken and the Allens think Joe is in trouble.  They tell the police chief, who doesn't take them seriously.  Since he refuses to investigate, the boys must uncover the clues on their own.

On page 77, Sandy comments that the boys are "so conspicuous in that red car."  I'm glad Sandy finally has realized this.  How can the villains not notice the boys following them?

I enjoyed this book better than The Clue of the Coiled Cobra, but some parts of it dragged for me, particularly towards the later part of the story.