#115 Cave Trap

[tomswift2002]

Cave Trap
#115 in the Hardy Boys Casefiles
Published: September 1996

Plot: The Hardy's head to Kentucky on an undercover assignment for their father, Fenton Hardy.  An environmental department of the US government has hired the Hardy's to go on an expedition looking for a link between a set of caves 60 miles away from Cathedral Cave and to make sure that everything proceeds legally, because the US government believes the head of the expedition is working for a coal mining company.

Review:  I just finished this story after starting it for the second time about 9 months ago.  I found the story lasted till about Chapter 9........and then spent wa-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y to long wrapping up what should've been completed in 2 chapters.  (The story even spend too long getting to the actual mystery, which it reached by Chapter 6, so out of the 15 chapters in the book, 9 were pointless while 4 actually dealt with the story.  Plus the various gunfights and "cliffhangers" just felt contrived and put in in order to have something to make people turn the page.  Plus I found Joe to be way, way, w----a-------y out of character (sure he was extremely hot-headed in the Operation: Phoenix trilogy to the point where Frank had to say that there were "no rules" on that case, but in Cave Trap Joe just felt like he was "trigger happy" at every turn).

Rating: 0.5 out of 10

[MacGyver]

I just finished this story after starting it for the second time about 9 months ago.  I found the story lasted till about Chapter 9........and then spent wa-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y to long wrapping up what should've been completed in 2 chapters.

I'm glad you escaped the trap but I guess you're still coming out of the cave. I can hear echoes of long, drawn-out plots still.
   I read "Cave Trap" some time ago and so I don't honestly remember too much about it. I don't remember really disliking it necessarily but it wasn't a hugely memorable one either I suppose. I enjoyed it well enough though.
But I wonder if Frank and Joe were exploring Mammoth Cave, since they were in Kentucky? I've never been, but from pictures I've seen of it, it's a really beautiful example of God's handiwork.

[hardygirl847]

OK the plot might not be the best and it might not be the most memorable overall...but Frank almost drowns. Since he's my fave, I have to rate this book at least a 2. That's serious danger there for my guy. Not to mention that Joe falls in a hole or something. It's been awhile since I read this one. Not the greatest though, I will admit.

As for Mammoth Cave, my husband is from KY and has been there. I really want to go back because he says it's one of the best vacations he's been on.

[tomswift2002]

In the book the team was trying to find a connection to Cathedral Cave, so I don't know whether they were in Mammoth Cave, or if Cathedral Cave was just made up by the author.

[Bigfootman]

I give Cave Trap a 3 out of 10. Even if the clifhangers did seem to be random, at least it HAD clifhangers, which is more then I can say for "Deadman In Deadwood", and "Survival Of The Fittest". Also I found the plot to be interesting, even if there were a  few plot holes.

[P. Walker]

i have this one and i have read it but i honestly dont recall that much about it. i will have a chance to revisit it in a few more months....