Hardy Boys #107 Gull Island, #108 Fear on Wheels, and #109 Prime-Time Crime

In Hardy Boys #107, Panic on Gull Island, Iola has disappeared while vacationing on an island off the gulf coast of Florida.  The Hardys and Chet travel to the island to find Iola, where they discover that no one on the island is willing to help.  The boys suspect that Iola has fallen victim to a sinister plot.

This book has the feel of the higher-numbered original books.  What stood out is the usage of the word "goon" to describe the villains and the word "quipped" when one boy makes a remark in jest.  And of course, the boys and Fenton are on two separate cases that turn out to be the same case, and this does not happen as often in the Hardy Boys Digest books as it does in the original series.

I expected this book to be quite good since the title mentions a place with an interesting name, Gull Island.  I tend to like books set in picturesque locations.  Unfortunately, the book disappointed me, and I liked it less than many other Hardy Boys Digest books that I have read recently.

I enjoyed around two-thirds of the book.  The book began to bore me around 40 to 50 pages from the end.  I began skimming and finally quit reading the book by 20 pages from the end.  The culprits are obvious from the beginning.  It is also obvious from the start that the two cases are connected.  I didn't need to know the ending details since there was never much suspense.

While I enjoyed the first part of the book, I doubt I will ever want to read this book again.

In Hardy Boys #108, Fear on Wheels, Frank and Joe are hired to find out who is sabotaging a monster truck show.

This is the typical boring sabotage book.  There are too many characters who all blend together.  The text gives the reader no reason to care.  If one of the Hardys had actually been participating in the monster truck show, I would have had a reason to care.  They are merely observers who go around and question people who are of little interest to the reader. 

This book is so boring!  Everything about the book bored me.  I began skimming the book by page 40.  I quit halfway through.  I did turn to the end to see the villain's name, but I didn't care.

I did not like this book at all.

In Hardy Boys #109, The Prime-Time Crime, Frank is a contestant in a local teen quiz show that airs on WBPT.  The show's host disappears.  The boys investigation is difficult, because two other teen quiz show contestants decide that they are better detectives and can solve the case before the boys.

This book is better than the previous book because the Hardys are involved in the plot.  They are in danger.

The two other teens who decide to work on the case are rather annoying.  At the same time, this plot twist is interesting, since Frank and Joe do not usually have to deal with others making their work difficult. 

I enjoyed this book.