[.ca] The Hardy Boys #2: The House on the Cliff (ISBN 0807207691)

The Amateurs Help the Professional:
The Series: In 1927, Franklin W. Dixon launched the "Hardy Boys" books, a series of books telling of the exploits of Frank and Joe Hardy, the sons of a big-city detective. The Hardy boys lived out in the country and, with their friends, loved following in their father's sleuthing footsteps. The result was a set of wonderful amateur detective stories that I read as fast I could find when I was a kid. The Hardy Boys helped launch me on my lifelong reading binge. This book: When the detective father of Frank and Joe Hardy disappears, the boys step up to the plate and begin a thrilling adventure, with their father's life likely at stake. Is the house haunted, or a criminal hideaway, or both? Did Dad get kidnapped or go under cover? This is pure adventure and sleuthing at its best. Enjoy the ride!

Jenner's Review:
The Hardy boys (Joe and Frank) are visiting their father on the second floor study of their apartment. Their father is a famous detective, Fenton Hardy. He asks them to spy on some smugglers, who have a leader named Snattman. Joe and Frank go to an abandoned house on a cliff to do the reconnaissance. They soon save a spy for the coast guard who is also under cover. They take him to a farm to recover. Then they go back later to check on him. He was man napped! They soon learn that their father is missing. They look for him at the smugglers' hideout, at the abandoned house. They almost got away, but the smugglers captured them. Soon they try to escape, but something happened! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries. It deserves a Newbery.

Can the Hardy Boys stop the smugglers?:
This review is of the 1959 revision to "The House on the Cliff". Over the course of 15 years, the first 38 Hardy Boys stories were revised to a slightly shorter format with some changes to the original stories. "The House on the Cliff" is the second Hardy Boys mystery story. The internationally renowned detective Fenton Hardy has asked his two sons, Frank and Joe, to help him on a case involving the smuggling of rare medical drugs. The Hardys enlist their friends and spend some time with their telescope looking out over the bay for suspicious activity. They hear a strange noise coming from the abandoned house, but when they came out they found that the lenses had been stolen from the telescope and the tools taken from their motorcycles. Something is going on, but does it relate to the smuggling case they are working on? "The House on the Cliff" is another fast paced Hardy Boys mystery. It is more of a straightforward story (with twists, of course) than "The Tower Treasure". We are introduced to the main mystery right from the start: there are smugglers and the ringleader might be a man named Snattman. Everything that happens in the book drives towards solving that case. This was an excellent Hardy Boys mystery. -Joe Sherry

A great mystery book:
Mr.Hardy is on a vacation and tells the boys,"So you boys want to help m e on anouther case?" The two Hardy boys answer by telling him," You mean it dad?". Later on, they also get their friends to join in the spying game.The boys are out motorcycling along the mountain road and decide to investigate an abandonded house high up on the cliffs. Once inside, they hear a shriek which scares all but Frank and Joe out. The Boys investigate but find nothing. They leave but a storm forces them all back to the house. They hear more shrieks, get locked in and part of the house starts to collapse! They finally get out but have problems with their motorcycles and find their tool kits stolen. They are distracted by a boat chase out on Barmet Bay. With the starting of a normal day, it turns out to enravell a chilling mystery. I liked the book because it actually made me read it until the end. Other books do not have as much desrciption as this one had. This book was so mysterious that I had been confused whom the kidnapers were and why they had chosen to capture hostages. Plus this book had great action scene and I felt i was one of the charaters in the book. I disliked the book because it had confusing parts to it, also the parts of the book really didnt sum up and make much sence. My favorite scene in the book was when Mr. Hardy and both the Hardy boys had been kept hostages after being captured. Mr. Snattman put threaten them by saying," If i get turned in, your all dead." The story gets really interesting and the ending is a surprise!

A good "CLIFF" hanger:
Frank and Joe are asked by there father to help him with a new case. They are asked by him to survey the waters off the coast of the old Pollit place on the cliff. During their sleuthing they see a two boats come together and then separate. This makes them think this is part of the gangs communication to their customers. They're investigating the smuggling of pharmiceuticals off the coast fo Bayport. During this time at the old Pollit place strange things occur. Their telescope is stolen and weird sounds come from the house. This and the other case come together to make it a great mystery. This book had great plot and great interaction with the criminals. I did not want to put this book down while I was reading it.