#48 Rock ‘N’ Revenge (31st Anniversary Review)

[tomswift2002]

Published: February 1991 (single edition), September 1998 (Hardy Boys Collector's Edition #2)
Publisher: Archway Paperbacks (1991-1996), (1998-2001)
Author: Unknown as of April 2022

Plot: Mix hard rock with hard crime -- and danger's bound to hit the top of the charts.

Death Concert!


When Buddy Death brings his heavy metal band to Bayport, danger takes center stage. For while hard rock fans would kill for a ticket, someone's out to kill the star of the show! The Hardys, hired to help set up the concert, soon find themselves working overtime as Buddy Death's bodyguards.

But saving Buddy's skin is not an easy job, and Frank and Joe can't afford to miss a single beat. The hot-shot rock star has ore enemies than he does amplifiers -- and every piece of high-tech equipment onstage is a potential Buddy Death trap.

Review:  So I first read Rock 'N' Revenge on March Break 1999 when I got the Hardy Boys Collector's Edition #2. The CE also had #51 Choke Hold & #52 Uncivil War.  So unlike CE #1, the books included were not numerical.  So it's been about 21 years since this book was last in print in any form. 

But it's interesting, but according to hardyboys.co.uk, in the UK, this book was never released in a omnibus edition or other single edition, than it's February 1994 edition.

[Bigfootman]

Read this in Hardy Boys Collector's Edition #2 too. Remember this being the only one of the three stories includes that I liked, other then that, dont remember much.

[tomswift2002]

In 1999, while I'd had the other 2 books for years, the CE was the only way I could get RNR.  And it would be nearly 20 years until I found a single stand-alone copy. 

Although, it's too bad that S&S didn't put the cover art on the CE books.  But with the CE's I wonder if they were done because S&S had run out of covers for the books, but still had the inner pages.  From what I was told years ago, that's what a lot of omnibuses are, unsold printings repackaged, since the covers and insides of a book are printed separately, and usually not at the same time, so they might print 150k of the innards the first time and 175k of the cover, and when the 150k is close to being sold out, they print up 175k of the innards, etc.

[MacGyver]

In 1999, while I'd had the other 2 books for years, the CE was the only way I could get RNR.  And it would be nearly 20 years until I found a single stand-alone copy. 

Although, it's too bad that S&S didn't put the cover art on the CE books.  But with the CE's I wonder if they were done because S&S had run out of covers for the books, but still had the inner pages.  From what I was told years ago, that's what a lot of omnibuses are, unsold printings repackaged, since the covers and insides of a book are printed separately, and usually not at the same time, so they might print 150k of the innards the first time and 175k of the cover, and when the 150k is close to being sold out, they print up 175k of the innards, etc.

That's interesting to know and makes a lot of sense.

[MacGyver]

I have had the standard release of Rock 'N' Revenge and read it years ago. I don't remember much of it now. However, in thinking about it now, I feel that Buddy Death must have been a stage name.

[tomswift2002]

There's been no mention of Buddy Death being a stage name.  Just a big jerk.

[MacGyver]

Yeah, I didn't recall it being given as anything other than his given name. I just find it hard to believe there is really a family called the Deaths. Lol

[tomswift2002]

Yeah, I didn't recall it being given as anything other than his given name. I just find it hard to believe there is really a family called the Deaths. Lol

Year ago I knew a family that had the last name Beer. 

But I was just reading this afternoon, that in "Rock 'N' Revenge" apparently Joe now knows how to disarm bombs, while Frank is scared to disarm a bomb.  So Frank, disarmed Al-Rousassa's bomb under the Bayport Mall in Dead On Target and a Fellawi loop bomb in Countdown To Terror which most top level bomb experts said could not be defused.  And Frank was afraid of a plastique bomb (same as the bomb in DOT!)

[MacGyver]

Chalk it up to an error in editing or writer inconsistencies.

[tomswift2002]

In April 1991, whoever made up the order sheet for #50 Power Play mislabeled the spot for Rock 'N' Revenge as Make No Mistake, #56 in the Nancy Drew Files that was also released in February 1991.

[MacGyver]

In April 1991, whoever made up the order sheet for #50 Power Play mislabeled the spot for Rock 'N' Revenge as Make No Mistake, #56 in the Nancy Drew Files that was also released in February 1991.

I remember catching that error as a kid when I saw it then. Make no mistake, that is not the title of The Hardy Boys Casefiles #48.

[NZone]

Year ago I knew a family that had the last name Beer. 

But I was just reading this afternoon, that in "Rock 'N' Revenge" apparently Joe now knows how to disarm bombs, while Frank is scared to disarm a bomb.  So Frank, disarmed Al-Rousassa's bomb under the Bayport Mall in Dead On Target and a Fellawi loop bomb in Countdown To Terror which most top level bomb experts said could not be defused.  And Frank was afraid of a plastique bomb (same as the bomb in DOT!)

To be fair, Frank is always (understandably) scared to disarm a bomb - he just does it because he has to. In this case, probably because it was hooked into a car engine, Joe figured out it was there and got there first.

[MacGyver]

To be fair, Frank is always (understandably) scared to disarm a bomb - he just does it because he has to. In this case, probably because it was hooked into a car engine, Joe figured out it was there and got there first.

Joe is usually depicted as the "grease monkey".