Hardy Boys #146 Blue Tattoo, #147 Trial and Terror, and #148 Ice-Cold Case

In Hardy Boys #146, The Mark of the Blue Tattoo, Chet has taken a job as an ice cream truck driver.  Chet gets into trouble immediately when two thugs hijack his truck on his very first day at work!  Frank and Joe soon discover that Bayport has a teen gang problem and that many of the gang members work for the ice cream company.

On page 63, a reporter tries to convince the Hardys to give him information.  He wants to write stories about them.  He tells them "it'll be a big hit.  In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the publishers decided to do a whole series of books about you."

On page 107, Chet tells Frank and Joe that Iola feels left out and that she wants to help them investigate.  Since when?

The crime being committed is a bit lame and not lucrative.  It would have made more sense for the culprits to have been selling drugs, but I guess we can't have that in a Hardy Boys book.

I enjoyed this book.

In Hardy Boys #147, Trial and Terror, Frank and Joe attend a trial in New York City as part of a school project.  They soon take an interest in the case and want to help clear Nick Rodriguez of the charges of attempted murder.

On page 102, Alex enthusiastically tells the Hardys, "You know what I should do?  I should write a book about you guys.  A real-life profile of the Hardy brothers, teenage detectives.  A book like that could really take off.  And I'm talking best-seller here.  I could make you guys famous!"  Um, I think someone has already done that.

I enjoyed this book.

In Hardy Boys #148, The Ice-Cold Case, Frank and Joe work on solving the case of the robberies on Pineview Lake.  Homes have been burglarized and ransacked and not one clue has been found!

I liked this book from the very first page.  This is a normal mystery without a bunch of gimmicks.  The setting is great.  The boys spend nearly the entire book in the vicinity of the lake.  I like books best when they are set in a small area with lots of exploring.  In fact, as I read this book I thought of the Nancy Drew games by Her Interactive and how this story would work perfectly as a game.

On page 97, Joe has just been rescued after having fallen through the ice and been underwater for several minutes.  Mrs. Kwan, who is a nurse, gives Joe a hot bath.  I knew immediately that this is wrong.  I ran a search online and verified that victims of hypothermia should never be given a hot bath.

This is an excellent book.