Dr. Doom: Superstar and Doris Fein: Superspy

The Doris Fein series consists of eight books written by T. Ernesto Bethancourt.  It is a young adult mystery series.

1.  Doris Fein: Superspy, 1980
2.  Doris Fein: Quartz Boyar,  1980
3.  Doris Fein: Phantom of the Casino, 1981
4.  Doris Fein: The Mad Samurai, 1981
5.  Doris Fein: Deadly Aphrodite, 1982
6.  Doris Fein: Murder is No Joke, 1982
7.  Doris Fein: Dead Heat at Long Beach, 1983
8.  Doris Fein: Legacy of Terror,  1984

Doris Fein (pronounced FINE) was actually introduced in Dr. Doom: Superstar, which was published in 1978.  Dr. Doom: Superstar is not part of the Doris Fein series, since the book is not narrated by Doris, but the book does introduce the characters and sets the premise for the Doris Fein series.

Doris Fein lives in Santa Amelia, California.  Doris' boyfriend from high school, Larry Small, works for the town's newspaper.  Harry Grubb is an eccentric millionaire who owns the newspaper.  Doris' other suitor is Carl Suzuki, a New York police officer and later assistant district attorney who appears in a few of the books.

Doris is feisty, independent, and overweight.  Doris is quite into women's rights, and she is quick to let the men around her know what she thinks.  Doris' weight is depicted in a positive fashion, and men find her attractive.  I am unclear about how overweight Doris really is, but I assume that she is at least 25 pounds overweight.  Also, Doris' weight fluctuates up and down throughout the series, which is quite realistic.

In Dr. Doom: Superstar, Larry Small hopes to land a job writing for Rolling Stone magazine.  Larry plans to interview Danny Breckinridge, known as Dr. Doom, when he performs in Santa Amelia.  If Larry can get a good interview, then he might be able to land his dream job.  With the help of Harry Grubb, wealthy newspaper owner, and good friend, Doris Fein, Larry gets the chance for his interview.  As the friends get to know Danny Breckinridge, they learn that someone is planning to kill him.  Can they prevent a murder?

Harry Grubb calls his dogs the Rover Boys.  Both of them are named Rover, so together, they are the Rover Boys.

This is a good book.

In Doris Fein: Superspy, Doris Fein travels to New York to stay with her aunt and uncle.  Plans go awry when her aunt and uncle disappear!  Doris suspects foul play, since Uncle Claude is a diplomat in a country that is having a revolution.  Doris goes to the police to get assistance, but they don't believe her.  Fortunately, Carl Suzuki overhears the story and decides to assist Doris during his off-duty time.  Doris and Carl find themselves in the middle of dangerous intrigue.

This book is full of pop culture references, many that I didn't get.  I was too young at the time this book was published to be aware of most of them.

I really like Carl Suzuki and wish that he had been in all of the books in the series.

The Hardy Boys are mentioned on page 153.

This is a very good book.