Hardy Boys #77 Crimson Flame, #78 Cave-In, and #79 Sky Sabotage

In Hardy Boys #77, The Crimson Flame, Frank and Joe travel to Arizona to assist Alfred McVay, a rancher who fears that his valuable ruby will be stolen.  Once in Arizona, the boys notice that several of the McVay's employees are behaving suspiciously, although McVay refuses to believe that any of them could be in on the plot.

As soon as I began reading this book, I felt that this is more like it.  This is the type of plot I enjoy.  While I have read many stories set on ranches with suspicious employees, I never tire of that type of story when it is written well.

I enjoyed this book.

In Hardy Boys #78, Cave-In, Frank and Joe are asked to find a missing Hollywood actor, Richard Chase.  Their search takes them to the an old hotel near Lake Tahoe.  The hotel is the set of Chase's latest movie.  Frank and Joe also find themselves in the middle of a conflict between rival teen gangs and soon suspect that the villains are pitting the teens against each other.

I greatly enjoyed this book from the very first page.  I don't know what it is, but the book had me from the opening paragraphs.  Some books are easier and more fun to read, and this is one of them.

I really like the setting at and near the ski lodge.  I enjoyed the setting with the two rival gangs of boys.

The boys end up staying with Tim because Phil Cohen mentioned him, thinking he works on the set of the movie.  Tim didn't tell the truth and used Phil so that he could get the Hardys to help him fight the rival gang.  The Hardys refuse, and in fact, end up spending time around the rival gang.  Soon, the boys learn that someone is pitting the two gangs together.  It has something to do with the mine, and this is an intriguing mystery. 

Stories like this are so much more engaging to me than reading about Pentagon spies, terrorist organizations, and gambling on football games.  It's a throwback to a simpler type of book that is much more interesting.

I greatly enjoyed this book from start to finish.  Nothing was boring, and nothing dragged.

In Hardy Boys #79, Sky Sabotage, Fenton Hardy believes that a sabotage attempt will be made to prevent the launch of an important satellite from Cape Canaveral.  Frank and Joe go to Florida to investigate.  Meanwhile, the boys also search for some missing pet porpoises. 

One scene in this book is ridiculous.  A loan shark steals an electric eel so that he can use it to torture someone who owes him money.  A metal plate is inside the aquarium and wires run from the metal plate to a chair where the victim is strapped.  Each time the eel comes into contact with the metal plate, the victim is shocked.  This is crazy!  It sounds like the sort of thing that would happen in a Kay Tracey book.

On page 124, Chet has been abducted by the criminals.  Fenton Hardy tells his sons, "Chet's been in tight spots before.  He'll be all right."  Sure Fenton, whatever you say.

The book lost me a little bit in the last several chapters, and I skimmed some parts.  There were a few too many characters, which always causes me to lose interest.  Overall, I enjoyed this book, even though the number of characters took away from my enjoyment.