#80-Dead of Night

[HB@1718]

Yeah, I guess I'm just going to stay in suspense until I read it.

[tomswift2002]

Anyone reading this spooky book this Halloween?  I am and it is really great.  Are Frank and Joe going insane?

[hardygirl847]

OK this is why I should ban myself from coming on here! Yes this post is over a month old but it intrigues me nonetheless. I have this book but haven't been able to read it yet. I'm already juggling a few others but I have to add this one to the pile. Thanks a lot guys. 

[hardygirl847]

I finally got to read Dead of Night and LOVED it!! Poor Joe though...and poor Frank. Thinking your loved ones died is horrible. However, I thought Frank took Callie's death a little too well...or better than one would expect. This brings me back to the topic of whether or not he would be the first one of the brothers to kill someone....and frankly (haha), I still don't think he would. He saw his longtime girlfriend die and remained pretty rational. OK so he did "lose it" a little but nothing like Joe's reaction to Iola or Vanessa. Hmm...makes you wonder.

All in all though...this book deserves to be read. It's entertaining, even a little sad, but still a good suspense thriller. I didn't read the trilogy that came before it just yet but it really didn't matter. It's still a good stand alone book. Definitely an 8.5-9 on my scale.

[MacGyver]

You should definitely read the "Ring of Evil" trilogy too. That's a great set of books in its own rights. And "Dead of Night" is an awesome epilogue to the whole thing. I don't really celebrate Halloween, but I must say- this is one book that is fun to pull out and read at that time. ("Trick or Trouble" is also good too, from the Digests series- I like that one well, but it's not nearly as up there on the scary/suspense level as "Dead of Night".)

[tomswift2002]

The Ring Of Evil trilogy isn't as good as Operation: Phoenix or even it's epilogue.

[MacGyver]

Well, as I've said before, though I don't really celebrate Halloween per se, one thing I like to do sometimes on this day is to pull out some of my favorite spooky Hardy Boys books- and Dead of Night has got to be one of my all time favorites. It's by far the most intense Hardy Boys book I've ever read (though Brother Against Brother would also be in that number too... The Lazarus Plot probably third. And others- the first few books in the series- maybe the first 14 or so- all seem to be so explosive in action. But that's true throughout the series.) Anyway- I noticed one thing in flipping through this book last night. I may have mentioned it before; I'm not sure. If not, though- I can't believe I didn't catch this before. In the start of the book, when Frank, Joe and Callie are talking about their Halloween plans for a party in the haunted house- after detailing their sailing plans, Frank says this exact phrase- that they will go up to "the house on the cliff".
A pretty obvious reference to the second book in the original series! I just thought that was pretty cool!
        Also- I was wondering too if anyone can identify the various enemies Joe mentions seeing during his graveyard battle with Frank. I recall some of the books they're from, but I'm not sure if I remember all of them- it's been a long time since I've read some of these books.

[tomswift2002]

Yeah the Casefiles were great and having Joe mention the various Assassins was like a scene from a flashback episode.  I didn't read the book this year, but I think Joe says one of the dead guys was Al-Rousasa, the first Assassin they ever faced.

[MacGyver]

I didn't read the book this year, but I think Joe says one of the dead guys was Al-Rousasa, the first Assassin they ever faced.

Yes, that may well be true. I don't want to put any potential spoilers here for those who haven't read it, but I can confirm that Al-Rousasa definitely makes an appearance of sorts in the book.
         And yes- that was a pretty neat way to do a flashback in the books. I think Brother Against Brother does something similar, as far as flashbacks go. (Though speaking of flashbacks- in Dead of Night, Con Riley also references an earlier case of The Hardy Boys, when he asks if Frank and Joe are working on a case involving Patagonian tomb robbers or something to that effect- ala Grave Danger (#61).)
Another thing I love about this book- it's probably the Casefiles book that features the most Hardy Boys chums in one book- Chet, Phil, Tony, Biff and Callie and Vanessa all make appearances. (Even Iola makes an appearance of sorts. )
        Mrs. Hardy plays an important role in the book and while Fenton and Aunt Gertrude don't appear, they are at least mentioned. Chief Collig doesn't show up either, but Con Riley does appear and he has some important scenes as well.
And of course, we also have The Gray Man and the Network appearing- along with the Assassins. And all the characters are balanced pretty well to have a good amount of coverage (though it's true Biff has no lines and Tony only says like one line in the book- but at least they're there.)

[tomswift2002]

Actually Vanessa makes 2 appearances.

[goldie3]

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

A compact, action packed caper. I'm usually not fond of full on action books (eg The borderline case), because they generally have the boys falling into clues, instead of them applying their brains and there's zero mystery solving.

This one managed to be action packed and also have the boys solving the mystery. I liked how the boys actually applied their minds, and linked the whole thing to the upcoming trial. And that cross country chase through the woods was super exciting to read through.

On the cons side, idk, it seemed too much trouble for the assassins to go through. Usually, terrorists don't worry about the outcome for their fallen compatriots. They usually are more worried about the information leaking. Also, I found Joe's reactions a bit ott, he's in fact, I feel, would have been stronger and it should have been harder to break him. But these are minor quibbles.

Rating: 9.5/10

[MacGyver]

Frank and Joe's reactions seemed pretty well done to me because it seemed both were in keeping with their general characterizations- Frank being calm and rational and Joe being more hotheaded and impulsive. In any case, yes- I also LOVED this book.

[goldie3]

Oh no, I meant the reaction types were correct, but the intensity was ott. While Joe is extremely impulsive, he does apply his brains, usually

[MacGyver]

Okay. I don't know how much more intense the book could be for that age level, but it worked perfectly for me when I was younger and even now through multiple readings.

[tomswift2002]

Anyone reading this book this Halloween?  Will Frank and Joe be able to survive he Terror of the Assassins?