#5 A Monster of A Mystery

[tomswift2002]

I just finished reading A Monster of a Mystery in one sitting.  The book was the usually Grade 2-level kids story about a monster movie/comic book signing/appearance at a local store. 

But this time we got a nice batch of Hardy alums in the story, besides just Frank and Joe.  Both Fenton and Laura Hardy make an apperance, along with Aunt Gertrude (although the author apparently decided to go against Hardy history and have Aunt Gertrude actually move into the Hardy home, instead of her coming for just a "visit"). 

Other Hardy alums that show up are Chet Morton, Iola Morton, Biff Hooper and Phil Cohen.  Mimi Morton makes a reappearance since Trouble at the Arcade, although Mimi appears more to be a comic foil than anything else in this story, and half the plot is devoted to her fits of terror and disappearance.

Rating: 8 out of 10. 

[MacGyver]

Cool- thanks for the review. Nice to see others from The Hardy Boys universe show up.

(although the author apparently decided to go against Hardy history and have Aunt Gertrude actually move into the Hardy home, instead of her coming for just a "visit"). 

Well, in the original 58 hardbacks, yes, she just had extended visits. But Aunt Gertrude eventually moves in with The Hardys, does she not? Maybe this is only in the Casefiles or mentioned in the Digests?.... I'll have to research it.

[tomswift2002]

In the Original Continuity books Aunt Gertrude is, at first mentioned as visiting the family, but then that visit turns into her actually living there.  But in the early books there were mentions of Aunt Gertrude having visited before, but while her visits were long, the authors made it out to sound like they were no more than a month or two, since she was always visiting other relatives.