Hardy Boys Adventures #14 Attack of the Bayport Beast

In Hardy Boys Adventures #14, Attack of the Bayport Beast, Frank and Joe attend a cryptozoology convention in Bayport.  Comic shop owner Benny Williams is obsessed with the legendary Bayport Beast, which supposedly lives in the nearby forest.  He takes Frank, Joe, and their friend, Hector, on an expedition in the forest in search of the beast.  Frank is a skeptic and is shocked when he actually sees something.  The boys return on their own in search of the legendary creature.

I have mixed feelings about this book.  The book is pretty good overall, but it is weaker than some of the Hardy Boys Adventures books.  The book reminds me somewhat of the Nancy Drew Diaries series, which is not good.  I have this suspicion that a certain Nancy Drew Diaries author wrote this book.

This is because Frank and Joe finally start going to the restroom in this book.  They had managed to avoid that up to this point.  As I have previously written, at least one Nancy Drew Diaries author is obsessed about restroom needs.  In this book, either the Hardy Boys or someone else has to answer the "call of nature" on pages 17 and 72. Fortunately, this book is not stupid like some of the Nancy Drew Diaries books.

A strength in this series is how well Frank and Joe are depicted as having completely different personalities.  Frank is such a skeptic of the Bayport Beast while Joe is ready to believe in it.  The difference in personalities has been consistent through the entire set, and I love how distinctive the two boys are.

The culprit is pretty obvious in this story just like in the most recent Nancy Drew Diaries book.  I also guessed the truth about the Bayport Beast partway through the story.

While I like some of the earlier books in the series better, this is still a pretty strong story.  I enjoyed it.