Hardy Boys #18 Twisted Claw and #19 Disappearing Floor

In the original text of Hardy Boys #18, The Twisted Claw, Frank loses his wallet, which contains a paper with a special code for communication that was created by Fenton Hardy.  Soon, the boys learn that criminals got ahold of the code, since they send false coded messages to the boys.  The boys realize that their father might be in trouble so they journey to Canada to search for him.  And a bunch of other stuff happens involving a crazy Twisted Claw society.

I don't understand why Frank doesn't tell his father about the missing code, since it makes the method of secret communication to be risky.  Of course we know why.  By not telling Fenton, a mystery develops, but this is so stupid.

This book has the same tone as the previous book, and I don't like it.  The stories are a bit similar.  The coincidences are too ridiculous.

I noticed choppy transitions beginning with the previous title.  The authorship of the series has changed, and it shows.  A good example occurs on pages 81 and 82.  The boys are walking in the town.

"We'll make the rounds of all the lumber camps in the vicinity.  Sooner or later we should find out something.  Maybe Mr. Hendrick can help us."

After an hour of rummaging in the loft of the old hotel, the proprietor descended with an ancient, dog-eared map of the region.

It's confusing when the author leaves out transitions between scenes.

Frank reads a pirate book he finds in a store.  He believes that the criminals read it as well.  Of course they did!  The book helps the boys solve the mystery.  How convenient!

I did not enjoy a large part of the story, with the exception of the portion in the middle where the boys have to rescue Fenton.  Otherwise, I found this book to be difficult to enjoy.  The purpose of the story was not clear to me, and I never enjoy books as much when I don't understand the purpose.  I ended up skimming a lot of the last part of the story.

In the original text of Hardy Boys #19, The Disappearing Floor, the Hardys and Chet go camping and then get trapped in a cave, where they are rescued by Fenton Hardy, who just happens to be investigating bank robbers in the middle of the woods.  And the story just gets crazier from that point.

It is stupid for the boys keep going back the cave where they keep getting caught or nearly caught every single time.  And Fenton Hardy encourages their stupid behavior!

At one point, the boys trap the culprits in the cave.  They know there is a secret exit that Fenton Hardy knows about, but they are somehow certain that the culprits don't know about it.  When the boys arrive with law enforcement, they are shocked that the men have vanished. 

Even though strange and improbable, I greatly enjoyed the first half of the book. From page 100 on, I did not enjoy the story.  On page 100, the book becomes science fiction.  A strange light can freeze people, causing ice to form on them.  This is a bit too weird for me, and that's not all of it.

The old inventor is similar to the insane man from While the Clock Ticked.  That man was miraculously cured of his insanity and so is the old inventor in this book. 

Too much back and forth chasing and searching goes on in the old house towards the end of the story.  In fact, this part reminds me of the excessively lengthy chase scene through the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  I felt like I was having a bad flashback as I read the last part of The Disappearing Floor. 

I skimmed a lot of the last part of the book.