Hardy Boys Adventures #15 A Con Artist in Paris

In Hardy Boys Adventures #15, A Con Artist in Paris, Frank and Joe stay in Paris while Fenton Hardy attends the International Professional Association of Detectives (IPAD) convention.  The world's most expensive pen is stolen from the boys' hotel, and famous graffiti artist Le Stylo is suspected of being the culprit.  Frank and Joe aren't so sure, and they begin an investigation.

IPAD?  Seriously?  I knew as soon as I saw the abbreviation for the detective organization that I would not like this book very much.  It did not bode well, and my assumption about the story was correct.

This book is chock full of gimmicks just like the Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers series.  I strongly suspect that this story came from an unused manuscript for the Undercover Brothers series.

I did not like this book.  This book definitely ranks in the bottom two or three Hardy Boys Adventures books.  It's an okay story, but it reads like the Undercover Brothers series.

I now have reservations about the Hardy Boys Adventures series.  Previously, I stated that it is much better than the Nancy Drew Diaries series.  I now fear that the Hardy Boys Adventures series is going down in quality and will soon be a lost cause.  If Simon and Schuster can stay away from unused Undercover Brothers stories, there might be hope.  If not, then the series is doomed.