Hardy Boys #95 Danger on the Air, #96 Wipeout, and #97 Cast of Criminals

In Hardy Boys #95, Danger on the Air, Frank and Joe are invited to appear on a talk show at a Bayport television station.  The boys learn that someone calling himself the Masked Marauder has been threatening the television station, warning that the station will go off the air unless his demands are met.  Frank and Joe wonder if the threats are connected to a company that is trying to purchase the station.

This is an exciting book.  I greatly enjoyed it.

In Hardy Boys #96, Wipeout, Frank and Joe travel to France to find out who is sabotaging the Almanarre Cup windsurfing competition.  Champion Doug Newman keeps having accidents that could remove him from the competition.  Meanwhile, Doug's girlfriend runs a nearby inn, which has been hit by acts of sabotage.

I had recently read Hardy Boys #168, The Castle Conundrum, which is also set in France.  One specific event in both books is basically the same.  In both books, a heavy object is caused to fall.  Something is placed under the object to make it uneven, then ice is used to balance it.  When the ice melts, the object falls.

Furthermore, both books have more than one culprit, and the culprits have different motives, so the reader cannot guess what is happening and who is responsible.

I enjoyed this book.

In Hardy Boys #97, Cast of Criminals, Callie is starring in a play at Bayport's Grand Theater.  Callie plans to wear a tiara in the play, but the tiara vanishes.  The boys learn that the tiara is valuable.  Meanwhile, dangerous accidents plague the production, and it appears that someone is sabotaging the play.

Chet is a star in the play, but he is awful.  Nothing he does is right, and of course he gets fired.  I can't understand why he was cast.  He is so awful in his delivery that it makes no sense.  It's good comic relief, but it isn't logical.

I like how Callie and Iola are actively involved in the mystery for the duration of the book.  The mystery centers around Callie, who is being threatened.  I always enjoy series books more when members of both genders are actively involved in the plot.

The book has more than one culprit, each after something different.  This book has lots of humor.

The story is brilliant.  This book is excellent, and I loved it.