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| 18. THE TWISTED CLAW |
| FOREWORD |
| A series of museum thefts launch the Hardy Boys on this baffling mystery. Rare collections of ancient pi- rate treasure are being stolen. Who is doing it? And how is the loot being smuggled out of the United States? Frank and Joe's celebrated detective father if work- ing on the case and asks the boys to stake out the Black Parrot, a suspicious freighter docked in Bayport Harbor. Disguised as crewmen the teen-age sleuths board the ship, determined to investigate its cargo hold. Clues that the boys unearth take them on a whirl- wind chase after a self-styled pirate king - a chase that leads to their imprisonment in the fantastic Carib- bean island stronghold of the Empire of the Twisted Claw. How Frank and Joe cleverly outmaneuver the pirate king and his cohorts makes a gripping tale of suspense and high adventure. |
| A blind peddler's warning and a weird glass eye plunge Frank and Joe Hardy into one of the most baffling cases they have ever tackled. The young detectives investigation takes them to a walled estate guarded by savage dogs, where a wealthy businessman is hiding out in fear of his life. Later, a midnight telephone tip leads to a strange encounter on a lonesome hillside - and a hair-raising escape from death at the bottom of Barmet Bay. The theft of a valuable Oriental idol called the Jeweled Siva, a daringly designed hydrofoil speedboat the Sea Spook, the strange disappearance at sea of a prime suspect, and a walking mummy all figure excit-ingly in this complex case. In a climax that will hold the reader spellbound with suspense, Frank and Joe find themselves trapped in a sinister house of mystery from which there seems to be no escape! |
| STRANGE events involve Frank and Joe Hardy in a mystery which shrouds an ancient treasure - the golden head of the Pharaoh Rhamaton IV. First, a cryptic un- signed warning from Egypt; second, the ghost of a blood- thirsty pirate of the eighteenth century, who, according to legend, haunted nearby Whalebone Island years ago and recently has reappeared. The owner of the million-dollar golden Pharaoh's head claims it was aboard the freighter Katawa, which sank not far from Whalebone Island. But suspicious developments indicate that Mehmet Zufar may be trying to defraud the shipping line's insurance company. Frank and Joe enthusiastically accept the challenge of their famous detective father to assist him in investigating the complex case for Transmarine Underwriters. A puzzling clue leads the Hardys to Whalebone Island, where they almost lose their lives in a violent explosion. Someone desperately wants to get rid of them. But who? Is it the ghostly pirate? Frank and Joe's perilous scuba-diving search in the ocean depths off the island yields electrifying discoveries that cap the climax of this exciting mystery. |
| Once again Frank and Joe Hardy accept the challenge of a puzzling case when their famous detective father asks the boys to assist him in tracking down a notorious jewel thief and his accomplices. The trail leads to the outskirts of the Hardys' home town and to a weirdly guarded mansion on the old Perth estate. With their chubby, ever-hungry friend Chet Morton, Frank and Joe tackle another mystery - one which has baffled the town of Bayport for many years: What caused the sudden death of Old Man Perth's nephew who in- herited the mansion when his uncle died? A disappearing floor, a huge, savage-looking hound, a galloping ghost, a college professor's startling invention are just a few of the strange elements that complicate the boys' efforts to solve both mysteries. Before Frank and Joe finally discover the mysterious circumstances under which Perth's nephew died and also bring the jewel thieves to justice, the young detectives need all their sleuthing instincts to extricate themselves from one of the most harrowing situations they have ever faced. |
| A sleek new hydrofoil is scheduled to start ferrying passengers between Bayport and Cape Cutlass. But busi- ness enemies of the hydrofoil owner have stirred up a hornets' nest of violent opposition among small boat owners. Fearing sabotage, he begs Frank and Joe Hardy to guard the Flying Express on her maiden trip. Startling developments plunge the teen-age detectives into a dangerous chase by sea, air, and land in pusuit of a gang of hardened criminals who operate by the signs of the Zodiac. The Hardys' close pal Chet Morton tries to help them by using his newly acquired knowl- edge of astrology. Tension mounts when the Flying Express vanishes - and so does Sam Radley, Mr. Hardy's skilled operative. Has Radley been kidnapped? Is he a prisoner aboard the stolen hydrofoil? Peril stalks Frank and Joe's every move as they hunt down the terrifying gangleader Zodiac Zig and his vicious henchmen. |
| FOREWORD |
| FOREWORD |
| FOREWORD |
| FOREWORD |
| 16. A FIGURE IN HIDING |
| 17. THE SECRET WARNING |
| 19. THE DISAPPEARING FLOOR |
| 20. THE MYSTERY OF THE FLYING EXPRESS |
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