The German Three Investigators Series

The 43 original Three Investigators books and the 11 Crimebusters books, as well as the unpublished manuscripts for Crimebusters #12 and #13, were translated into German and published in Germany.  Additionally, over 100 new Three Investigators stories have been written and published in Germany.  23 of those books have been translated from German into English and published as school books for German students to help them learn English.

Here is a list of the translated stories in the order they fit into the German chronology.  There are many German books that fit in between these books, so these stories are just a small sample of what has been published in the German language.  For those of us who cannot read German, they give us an opportunity to read some of the German stories. The titles marked in green are the abridged softcover books.  The rest of the books are hardcover.

Soccer Gangsters, 1995, by B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer, translated by Patricia Wolf
Hidden Fouls, 1998, by Ben Nevis, translated by Melissa Morrow    
The Haunted Ship, 2000, by André Marx, translated by C. Vivien Arnold
Valley of Horror, 2001, by Ben Nevis, translated by C. Vivien Arnold 
The Curse of the Cell Phone, 2001, by André Minninger, translated by Andreas Zantop
Mysterious Testament, 2002, by André Marx, translated by Anneli Jefferson
Poisoned E-mail, 2002, by Ben Nevis, translated by Andreas Zantop 
Dangerous Quiz Show, 2003, by Marco Sonnleitner, translated by Patricia Wolf  
Canyon of Demons, 2003, by Marco Sonnleitner, translated by Verena Bremer  
Evil Games, 2005, by André Marx, translated by Chris Huber
The Mystery of the Ghost Train, 2005, by Astrid Vollenbruch, translated by C. Vivien Arnold 
Soccer Mania, 2005, by Marco Sonnleitner, translated by Andreas Zantop 
The Pharaoh's Message, 2006, Ben Nevis, translated by Chris Huber
Black Madonna, 2006, by Astrid Vollenbruch, translated by Marion Charles    
Hollywood Horrors, 2006, by Astrid Vollenbruch, translated by Chris Huber
Web Phantom, 2006, by Astrid Vollenbruch, translated by Chris Huber
The Pirate's Curse, 2007, by Ben Nevis, translated by Melissa Morrow    
Ghost Village, 2007, by André Marx, translated by Chris Huber
Soccer Trap, 2008, by Marco Sonnleitner, translated by Chris Huber
Vampire City, 2008, by Marco Sonnleitner, translated by Marion Charles    
Arctic Adventure, 2008, by Kari Erlhoff, translated by Anneli Jefferson  
Bite of the Beast, 2009, by Kari Erlhoff, translated by Brian Melican   
Master of Death, 2010, by Kari Erlhoff, translated by John Dalbey

The books can be purchased from the AbeBooks, Amazon's UK site, and Amazon's German site.  Ordering from Amazon's German site is similar to the US site, which helps with the process.  The button used to get to one's account is in the same place on the screen, and a buyer can use one's existing email and password.  While making my way through checkout, I ran some portions of text through an online translator to make certain that I did not make a mistake.

At the time that I purchased the books, I was able to get the best prices from AbeBooks for a few of the books.  Amazon's German site was slightly less expensive than Amazon's UK site due to the currency exchange rates at the time that I made my orders.  That may or may not be the case now.

Running a search by the English title and the author's name is helpful.  Searching for "Die drei ???" on Amazon's UK and German sites will yield multiple results at once.  On the UK site, the results can then be sorted into English versions only.

The books will end up costing between $10 and $20 each.

I will be publishing reviews of the German books.  Many of the books have expletives, which are used sparingly.  I will make note of whether the expletives are mild or not-so-mild, in case anyone is interested in purchasing the books for a child.

Selling Books to Raise Funds Quickly

Recently, a collectible Nancy Drew item was put up for sale on eBay at an exorbitant price.  The item is probably worth around $25 to $35 and was priced at $1,500.  The seller stated that money was being raised to pay for medical bills.  Unfortunately, the item will likely not sell for an amount that will help unless the seller gets very lucky.

This started me thinking about what items I might sell if I were ever in a position to need to raise funds quickly.  The fastest approach would be to sell my most valuable books, but those are not books I wish to sell since I would never find replacements.  I feel that the best approach is instead to sell lots of books that are not of great value that could always be replaced without an incredible amount of trouble.  Ideally, these books should be ones that are not of great importance to me that I don't think about very often.  And of course the books would need to be sold at current market value so that they would sell quickly.

At least half of my collection is double-shelved behind other books.  The books that are of less importance are the ones I cannot see that are hidden behind the books that I can see.  I do not see the hidden books more than once or twice per year, so I could let go of many of them very easily.  All of the books seen in the following photos are some of the books that are shelved behind others.

I don't care much for the white spine Dana Girls books, so I would sell them if necessary.  I could sell my Whitman books with jackets and my Kay Tracey picture cover books.  I do have a habit of selling books as I tire of them, and some of these books are ones that I have considered selling, which means I would have no trouble selling them if I needed to raise funds.

I could also sell the rest of my Melody Lane books.  I don't like them very much.  I have already sold my assorted Lilian Garis books, because I doubt I will ever read the stories.  I don't keep collectible books that I will never read.  I only keep the ones that I have read or believe that I will read someday. 

I don't like the Nancy Drew Diary that much.

I only have the white one because it was in with some other books that I purchased on eBay.  I have never cared about it and have considered selling it several times.

I have a lot of duplicates of the Nancy Drew books with internals.  Some of those could go.

I don't care much for autographed items, and I am probably one of the few collectors who feels that way.  I have already sold some autographed items.

I am currently selling some Mildred Wirt Benson documents that I purchased 5 1/2 years ago.  This is not to raise money.  I purchased the documents for the information contained within, and a PDF copy of each document is all that I need.  It is true that Benson owned and handled the documents, but that sort of thing doesn't matter much to me.  I regard the documents the same way that I regard autographed items, and I have begun selling what items I own that fall into that category.  They are great items, but it is best if they go to those who care more than I do.

The auctions can be found on eBay and close on November 16.

What items would you sell if you needed the money?   

The Three Investigators Crimebusters #9 Foul Play, #10 Long Shot, and #11 Fatal Error

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #9, Foul Play, accidents plague the set of a local musical.  George Brandon asks the boys to discover who is sending him threats and trying to harm him.

This book grabbed me immediately.  I notice that I seem to like the Crimebusters books better when Bob is not present.  He's useless.  All he does in this series is hang out with girls and work for the talent agency.  He is also a bit obnoxious.  Bob's characterization bothers me a great deal.  I was able to accept Nancy Drew as clumsy in the Girl Detective series, perhaps because I found the situations to be amusing.  Bob's antics don't amuse me.  They just seem so wrong.

This book is outstanding.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #10, Long Shot, Pete is approached by the coach of a local college, who tries to recruit him to play basketball.  Later, Pete is offered a large sum of money to come play for the school.  The Three Investigators work to discover exactly who is behind the scheme.

I greatly enjoyed this book.

In the Three Investigators #11, Fatal Error, a computer virus has stricken most of the computers in Rocky Beach.  The boys track the virus to a computer programmer and then to a special-effects studio.  They learn that the company was the target of the virus and that they have been ordered to pay a large sum of money in order to get the effects of the virus reversed.

Jupiter appears to have found a girlfriend in this book, but why does she have to have a name like Qute den Zorn?

I enjoyed this book.

I overall enjoyed the Three Investigators Crimebusters series and would have greatly enjoyed the series if some major changes had not been made.  The books were made to be too boyish with names of karate moves and automobiles sprinkled generously throughout the texts.  Boring!  Bob's character was destroyed.  I have no problem with the boys having girlfriends, but Bob was given lots of girlfriends and an endless charm that, quite frankly, was highly obnoxious.

I also did not appreciate that Jupiter was made to be afraid of girls.  It would have been more logical for Bob to have retained his original characterization and for him to have been afraid of girls.  Jupiter has always been self-confident and portrayed as an excellent actor, so I find his inability to behave normally around girls to be difficult to stomach.

When I wrote my summary of the Nancy Drew Girl Detective series, I mentioned that a publisher should not change a premise.  I was able to accept the changed premise of the Girl Detective series because I found it amusing.  I did not find the changed premise of the Three Investigators Crimebusters series to be amusing.  While I was able to enjoy the books, I also found them sorely lacking.

Nancy Drew Diaries #7 The Phantom of Nantucket

In Nancy Drew Diaries #7, The Phantom of Nantucket, Nancy, Bess, and George visit Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.  Their friend, Jenna, has an exhibit opening at the museum, but the exhibit is being sabotaged!  Nancy tries to find the saboteur.

This is another of the typical Simon and Schuster sabotage mysteries, of which most modern Nancy Drew mysteries seem to be.  This book reminds me of the Nancy Drew Digest book, The Secret Lost at Sea, which centered around a museum in Connecticut that was being sabotaged.

George is more excited about food than Bess.  I still don't get the George thing with food.  At least quantities are not mentioned, so I will assume that while George loves to eat that she doesn't eat incredibly large amounts like in the first books in this series.  At least I hope not.

Even though this is the typical sabotage mystery, I enjoyed it.  I guessed the culprit rather early in the story.  I have noticed a trend in the Nancy Drew Diaries books where the stories tend to take unexpected turns.  I knew exactly who the culprit was by keeping that in mind along with noting some obvious clues that were presented early in the text.

This is an enjoyable book.

The Three Investigators Crimebusters #6 Thriller Diller, #7 Reel Trouble, and #8 Shoot the Works

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #6, Thriller Diller, actor Diller Rourke disappears while filming his latest movie.  Pete decides to solve the case by himself, and when he fails, he finally tells Jupe and Bob about the actor's disappearance. 

I suppose that the book is interesting enough, but I don't care for it a great deal.  I find it odd that Pete wants to solve a case on his own to prove himself.  The series is trying to bring in some conflict that doesn't need to be there.  The Three Investigators have always been a team, and messing with that formula is just wrong.  It is annoying.

In the Three Investigators #7, Reel Trouble, the boys work on a case involving the piracy of compact discs.  Meanwhile, Bob is busy helping a new band, the Hula Whoops, make it big.

I had trouble getting into this book due to the subject.  I quickly associated this book with Nancy Drew Digest books that contain too many characters, in particular, The Riddle of the Ruby Gazelle, which had a band with members I couldn't keep straight.  In this book, I couldn't remember all of the members of the Hula Whoops, nor did I care. Significant text was devoted to the Hula Whoops and the soap opera-esque romance between two of the members.  It was so boring!

This book has too many villains.  I skimmed the last few chapters so that I could move on.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #8, Shoot the Works, the boys become interested in paintball.  While playing paintball, a brief conversation is overheard, and the boys draw the conclusion that a robbery is being planned.

This book has way too many characters that are introduced way too quickly.  I gave up trying to keep them straight and plowed through the book, little caring about all of these people I couldn't keep straight. 

The boys' suspects are people who take paintball very seriously, and how they feel about paintball seems to be the major reason they end up suspects.  Um, I have a newsflash.  People who are interested in a particular recreational activity do tend to take it seriously.  That does not necessarily make them criminals.

The books now contain too much boy stuff.  What was so great about the original Three Investigators series is that it was not loaded with overtly boyish activities and language.  This series has a completely different premise, and that is the problem.

On page 32, Jupe recites the names all the paintball players they met and gives the names of their teams, which, by the way, is not that relevant.  Pete protests, "Give me a break!  I can't remember all that!"  Exactly.  That's what is wrong with this entire book.

On page 80, Bob whips out his pocket photocopier so that he can make a copy of a map.  Oh, that splendid 1990s' technology!  This struck me funny.

The book was good once I got more than halfway through.  However, I don't consider the book to be overall good since I had so much trouble with the first half of the book.

Nancy Drew Game: Labyrinth of Lies

In the Nancy Drew game, Labyrinth of Lies, Nancy Drew has been asked to investigate the disappearance of artifacts from a museum in Greece.  One of the performers in a Greek drama that is being performed in an amphitheater nearby might be involved.

A free download to the strategy guide is included with purchases of the game from Her Interactive's website.  My strategy guide had a typo in it that caused one puzzle not to be solvable.  I have heard varied reports about whether all of the strategy guides were affected.  Some people have stated that their guides are fine.

The mistake has to do with a puzzle that involves names that have to be entered in Greek characters.   A name given in the guide as "ΓPHΓOP" should instead be "ΓPIΓOP."

I found most of the puzzles in this game to be to my particular liking, which enhanced my enjoyment of the game.  How much I like the puzzles varies from game to game, and I was pleased that the puzzles matched my abilities.

The game flows quite well from event to event, and I did not have much difficultly advancing in the game.  There is something about the ending of the game that is interesting and a little different from other games. 

This game is a solidly good game and falls into the upper one-third of Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games.

Three Investigators Crimebusters #3 Rough Stuff, #4 Funny Business, and #5 An Ear for Danger

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #3, Rough Stuff, the Three Investigators travel by plane with Mr. Andrews to a remote lake.  While in an unpopulated area, the plane crashes, stranding the travelers.  The situation worsens when Mr. Andrews disappears, and people begin shooting at the boys from inside the woods.

This is the kind of book I really like.  Since the boys are isolated from other people, Bob is not surrounded by his usual entourage of girls.  This story comes close to being similar to the original series.

This book is outstanding.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #4, Funny Business, the Three Investigators attend a comic book convention hoping to sell some valuable comics.  Many of the comics get stolen, and the boys begin an investigation.  Soon they learn that the thievery is but a small part of the crime.

On page 18, the Three Investigators discover that their old business cards are considered collectible by a comic book dealer.

On page 21 one person comments that people ruin collecting by selling comics for high prices.  I have heard this same statement from series book collectors about series book prices.

A few negative comments are made about comic book fans, for instance saying that they are fat.  Perhaps lots of comic book fans are fat, but lots of people in the general population are fat these days.  Statements are also made about collectors being weird and crazy.  On page 42, Jupiter adds, "And I don't think it helps that what they collect is something as childish as comic books."  I know enough about comic books to be aware that many have subject content that is far from childish.

I enjoyed this book.

In the Three Investigators Crimebusters #5, An Ear for Danger, Jupiter wins a free trip to a ranch in Mexico.  The contest was suspicious, and Jupiter suspects that more is at play.  Bob and Pete travel with Jupiter to Mexico, where they learn that someone is after a hidden treasure.

Jupe has yet another new diet.  I think he needs Hector Sebastian's cook, Don.  If Jupe had to deal with Don's cooking, he wouldn't have any trouble losing weight.  Speaking of Don and Hector Sebastian, Jupiter calls Sebastian on page 39.  

Just like in Rough Stuff, the boys are in an environment that does not include Bob's endless parade of girls and the other stupidity brought forth in this series.  With those qualities absent, the book is much more enjoyable than the others.

This book is outstanding.

Observations about the Valerie Drew Stories

It took me reading at least a dozen Valerie Drew stories before I fully understood the premise and was able to appreciate them completely.  Now that I've read quite a few Valerie Drew stories, I can make some observations.  Valerie is extremely well known, and people often recognize her on sight.  Flash is also well known.

Valerie's mysteries often start by someone coming to Valerie to request her services.  Other times, Valerie stumbles upon the mystery.  Valerie only helps girls or young women.  She does help men, but only if the man has a sister, daughter, or granddaughter who is the main person who gets Valerie's attention.

While that is a bit sexist, the stories were written for Schoolgirls' Weekly.  Of course the magazine kept the stories centered around girls.

I consider the 1930s to be the golden age of series books.  I dearly love the plot elements of books that were published in those years.  These stories have all of those plot elements, including hidden passages, haunted places, strange noises, and odd footprints.

I especially like books where the events are a bit far-fetched, because I find them entertaining.  These stories have that, too.  Here are some examples.

In a 1934 story, a house has a Dictaphone.  Flash's paw goes down on the pedal accidentally, starting it up.  An important conversion is recorded, providing Valerie with evidence.  I find it hard to believe that an average house in 1934 would have a Dictaphone, allowing for voice recording.

I checked on what a Dictaphone might have cost.  I did not find a 1934 price, but I did see where one cost $190 in 1924.  Running $190 through an inflation calculator gave me $2,560.  I'm off by ten years and don't know the price for 1934, but I feel confident that a Dictaphone is not an item many homes would have owned in 1934.  Also, the people Valerie helps are almost always poor.  No Dictaphone for them!

In a 1936 story, a telephone is present inside a tent in a camp in the middle of the country.  Say what?  It was explained that the telephone was installed because the camp was permanent for the summer.  It sounded like the camp was a least a few miles from the nearest town, so we are expected to believe that telephone poles were erected up to the campsite so that a phone could be placed inside a tent.  I find this hard to believe.  And remember, we are talking about 1936.

In a 1937 story, a television set is rigged with a film projector inside.  When the television is turned on, the film projector plays a film of an event, then automatically rewinds, playing it again.  It stretches believability to say that the villains would be able to rig a film projector inside a television in 1937 and then get it to behave like a modern device set on repeat.  Hmm...

We also have the usual array of stunning disguises where men masquerade perfectly as women and where young people pass themselves off as elderly people.  Valerie manages to pull off a few amazing disguises which always work flawlessly, including the following case in which she disguises herself as an Indian.

Last, Valerie's dog, Flash, is unbelievably smart.  In fact, he is easily smarter than Judy Bolton's cat, Blackberry, and is the most capable animal I have ever seen outside of a cartoon.  Flash can think and reason out what to do in various situations!  He is a perfect partner for Valerie, even better than a human!

When I read my first Valerie Drew story, I was taken aback by Flash.  He thinks in words, and at first, I thought he could speak, which would be silly.  Fortunately, the words are just his thoughts, and while Valerie knows he is smart, she doesn't know exactly how smart.  At the same time, the stories make reference to Flash's "doggy brain," indicating that he doesn't fully understand everything Valerie tells him. 

I find these stories to be really fun.