Hardy Boys #86 Silver Star, #87 Program for Destruction, and #88 Tricky Business

In Hardy Boys #86, The Mystery of the Silver Star, Frank and Joe have been hired to investigate who is sabotaging Keith Holland's cross-country race.  The situation becomes grim when Keith disappears!

On page 97, Frank and Joe are asked to find Keith after his abduction.  Frank replies, "Kidnapping is a little out of our league.  I think you ought to contact the FBI."  Huh?  Frank and Joe have handled abductions before, and besides, they were on the Space Shuttle in the previous book.  This should be a piece of cake.

The comment about kidnapping being out of the boys' league is an inconsistency caused by having different writers.

This book starts out as the typical sabotage book.  However, partway through the story it becomes apparent that much more is at play, which makes the book very interesting.

This is a very good book.

In Hardy Boys #87, Program for Destruction, someone is sabotaging the CompuCar assembly line.  Frank and Joe are loaned one of the company's cars, and too late, the boys discover that the car's computer has been sabotaged, putting them in grave danger.

I wasn't impressed when I saw the cover, which has archaic computer equipment.  I'm sure the computer looked modern in 1987, but it doesn't now.

On page 6, Frank and Joe introduce themselves to their new client, Arnold Stockard.  Joe asks Stockard what the problem is, and Stockard replies, "Sabotage."  I had to laugh.  This is the second book written by writers from Mega-Books for Simon and Schuster, and the sabotage theme is immediately prevalent. 
 
This is an example of a book that keeps the number of characters down to a bare minimum with adequate characterization of each.  I could keep track of everyone, and the plot is very interesting.

This is an excellent book.  I read it very fast and loved it.

In  Hardy Boys #88, Tricky Business, Chet becomes one of the Trusty Teens, going door-to-door to sell merchandise for Trusty Home Products.  Later, Frank and Joe witness an explosion at the Trusty complex, and a teenager, Jimmy Quayle, is accused of causing the explosion.  Soon, Frank and Joe suspect a conspiracy and investigate the company and its workers.

This book has a twist that is unexpected.  Additionally, the criminals don't like each other, and several of them have turned on each other.  Some of them are blackmailing the others.  For much of the book, the reader isn't sure who all is guilty and who is innocent.  This makes the story very interesting.

This is a very good book.