Hardy Boys #164 Skin and Bones, #165 Crime in the Cards, and #166 Past and Present Danger

In Hardy Boys #164, Skin and Bones, Frank and Joe help Cody Chang figure out who has been burglarizing his store.  Cody specializes in the sale of animal skins and skeletons, and some of his incoming orders have gone missing. 

I greatly enjoyed this book.

In Hardy Boys #165, Crime in the Cards, Chet has gone crazy for Creature Cards, the latest fad at Bayport High School.  Many of the students own sets and seek out valuable cards that will help them win games.  When Chet's cards are stolen, Frank and Joe investigate.

The beginning of the story mentions Chet's hobbies and how this is the latest one.  It's been awhile since any of the Digest books have mentioned Chet having a hobby, which is a mainstay of the second half of the original Hardy Boys set.

Page 36 mentions Bombo Bear from Hardy Boys #160, A Game Called Chaos, which is a nice example of continuity.  This doesn't happen often.

On page 50, I was pretty sure that I had guessed the culprit.  I was correct, although a second culprit is involved.

I greatly enjoyed this book.

In Hardy Boys #166, Past and Present Danger, Aunt Gertrude's old friend, Clayton Silvers, shows up in town.  Clayton is a reporter trying to clear himself of false charges.  Gangsters are trying to kill Clayton, which puts Aunt Gertrude and the Hardys in grave danger.  Frank and Joe must solve the case before someone gets hurt.

This book is excellent from the very first page.  Aunt Gertrude is very involved in mystery.  She is even driving her car with Frank, Joe, and Clayton as passengers when the brakes fail, and she must find a way to avoid going off a cliff.

The Hardys' house and phone are bugged and tracking devices are placed on their van and Aunt Gertrude's car.  This causes the boys to have to ride their bicycles as they investigate, which makes the book a throwback to simpler times.  

This is an excellent story.