October 2010 Book Club Discussion- Dead of Night

[MacGyver]

Okay, this month's book is Dead of Night (#80 in The Hardy Boys Casefiles).
Though I don't really celebrate Halloween as such, one thing I like to do around that time of year is reread this book. By far, this is one of the scariest and coolest Hardy Boys books I've ever read. There are so many ways it could have been nothing more than a spooky story with no real reason for things happening other than the writers wanted a Halloween story- but this book manages to transcend that with an intelligent plot that makes sense and gives a reason for the seemingly supernatural events.
I've read it a number of times, but I still remember the first time I read this shortly after getting it at Christmas in 1997. Until I saw how everything came together at the end, I was definitely genuinely spooked for a bit reading this book- which goes to show how well it's written. I'm not generally a fan of horror stories (or movies), but this one had just the right mixture of horror and mystery and suspense and intrigue- similar to The Three Investigators, which almost always does a masterful blend of supernatural twists, a bit of horror/terror and mystery mainly.
      So anyway, the main things I noticed in this book was that there are lots of great descriptions. The writer does a nice job of explaining the intensity of the events going on. I also noticed that Frank and Joe and the gang are going to "the house on the cliff" for their haunted house party. I wonder if this is meant to be the same one as in the second book in the original series? In any case, nice nod to that book anyway. And I also wondered if Greengage Mills was meant to be the mill Frank and Joe explored in "The Secret of the Old Mill".
Maybe not- but again, nice subtle reference if so.
And then there's all the emotional weightiness of the matter- wow! This one ranks right up there with "Dead on Target", "The Lazarus Plot" and "Brother Against Brother" (all of which I would recommend reading beforehand, though it's not absolutely necessary.) Also, can anyone help with naming the various books that are referenced toward the end? I'm pretty sure "Collision Course" is one and possibly "Hostages of Hate"? Also, even if they don't all have a huge part, I love that Callie, Vanessa, Phil, Biff, Tony and Chet all have a part in the book. And Iola is prominently mentioned of course. (Trying to be somewhat spoiler-free here for anyone who hasn't read it yet.)
I will say that the emotional heaviness of the book is on the same deep level of "Brother Against Brother" and that's pretty intense when matching it up with a Halloween backdrop where you already have a heightened edge up due to the supernatural happenings. And the Network and the Assasins are involved- that's always make for an intense book. And it ties in nicely to some of the most previous books too, so I like that. There's a lot of good stuff here that all has a satisfactory conclusion at the end. Even though they don't make an appearance, Fenton and Aunt Gertrude are mentioned too and Con Riley does have an appearance as well, though Chief Collig isn't mentioned but that's okay. It's just nice to have a mystery in Bayport with so much of the supporting cast on hand. I really like that Phil had a good supporting role and especially Chet's talk with Joe- that was great. There's so much I could go on about with this book- there's even things I didn't remember here from previous reads and it was neat to notice little things that really helped drive the plot along as well as symbolic things that served well as omens. Overall it was an intense read and a great mystery and one that is a favorite of mine for Halloween or really any time you're in the mood for a spooky good mystery.

[Mattie]

I think it was the best book in that series right after "dead on target"

[hardygirl847]

I think it was the best book in that series right after "dead on target"

I hope you mean that there are a lot more good ones in the Casefile series! Dead on Target was the first one but there are tons in between that are just as good, if not, better. Well, IMO.

MacGyver, nice review and references to the book without being spoilerish! I am in the midst of rereading the book. So I will come back later to add to your thoughts. I definitely enjoy this book. Now I have to go back and check for those references you mentioned. I will admit that the first time or two that I read Dead of Night...I had never read a bluespine book. Sad? I know!! But now that I have, I can actually understand some of those nods to past stories. Nice catch too, btw.

OK...I am going to go finish reading and will return. Keep discussing people!

[Mattie]

Wat does IMO mean?

[MacGyver]

If Martians Overtake.
Kinda like saying, my opinion would be valid "when pigs fly" or the ilk. It's sort of a self-defeating statement, really.

[Mattie]

Oh i would have never thought of that

[MacGyver]

um, you know I was joking, right? Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Seriously- it stands for "In My Opinion"

[Mattie]

:  ) u'll never know

[hardygirl847]

LOL!!! At first I was thinking "NO that's not what I meant!" hahaha Yes, "in my opinion". If you see IMHO that means ''in my humble opinion".


Spoilers are possible. I tried REALLY had not to spoil anything, but if I let something slip...you are forewarned.

Okay...so back to this AWESOME book! I seriously just plowed through that book because it's such a page turner. I think I enjoyed it much more than the first or second time. Not sure why....However, I do wish I had read the Ring of Evil trilogy first because I haven't read it in so long, I was kind of lost with the references to it. Oh well. It didn't impair the story.

Anyways, I did catch those references more than before. I don't know if they were intentional or not...but nice find. Poor Joe really gets the brunt of "the bad things" in the book. The reasoning behind why made sense though...sad to say.

Frank's reaction to his side of it all (trying not to spoil anything) is justified. I know he gets some flack for being more unemotional, especially in this book. However, the book mentions several times where he almost loses it but anger helps fuel his quest for justice. He's not cold or not emotional...he just was dealing with it in a different way or just in shock. He was also very happy and relieved when things were resolved. Something Joe said towards the end made his heart almost break. So, there are several instances where Frank is emotional. Most of the time in the canons, neither one of them breaks down completely. Joe is the more emotional of the two, but Frank shouldn't get accused of not being emotional. I found him to be very emotional but turned it into more anger and revenge than sobbing. He didn't have time for that either. His focus was on how he had to help Joe and solve the rest.

Btw, I also liked the talk with Chet. Joe didn't mean to sound selfish or forget that Chet lost someone too...but I think it was a good time for Chet to express his side...and that he originally blamed Joe for what happened. When bad things happen...we usually try to blame someone or rationalize it somehow. I thought this was a very real moment between them in the midst of all the chaos.

I love the Assassins...Yes, I know they are bad guys but come on! They are probably the BEST villains in the Hardy Boys books. Just look at what they can do and the plans they come up with. They hold nothing back and put everything into getting the Hardys. So as villains go, they are the best and most connected/resourceful. Sure, some things seem so easy when it comes to the Assassins. They had such sophisticated this or that...why? Because they are Assassins! Duh! lol They get away with a lot more...and so does the Network. Assassins are not you're average bad guys!

Get rid of the ATAC and bring back the Assassins/Network!

Anyways, this really is a good book. If you have an issue with Halloween themes, it's much deeper than that...so don't worry about that being a centralized plot point. It just adds to the rest of it. Oh! And I am not really big into horror movies or shows...Somehow I married someone who loves zombies! ICK! Okay..."loves" is a strong word. He definitely likes them though. Anyways...this book  definitely has a spooky vibe, but is more suspenseful than anything.

Some really horrible things happen in this book too so it was nice to breathe a sigh of relief towards the end. But anyways...I'm going to call up a friend and have him get my plane ready. Be back in a few hours . lol Must be nice. 


Did anyone else think of the new GN coming out (that's been pushed back to Oct 26) while reading this book?? I'm curious if there will be any overlapping or anything similar at all....It's called Crawling with Zombies after all...


SPOILER WARNING!!

The obvious references were to Dead on Target with Iola's murder, and Al-Rousasa, and the Ring of Evil trilogy (this was more in the beginning).

As for Joe's ramblings and references....here we go (page 120)

Assassin who tried to kill him on the airplane = Hostages of Hate (I agree)

Race car driver who crashed = Collision Course (I agree)

Guys in van with guns who were ran off the road =  hmm...not sure on this one.

Joe trying to kill Frank is kind of a reference to Brother Against Brother.

Did I miss any??

Overall, one of my faves and definitely a good book to read around this time of year!

My last comment with this post....I had to agree with what Joe said about kids these days not being scared by "lame" ghost stories. 17 yrs ago this book was published and I think his comments are true now...maybe even more so. Kids today are exposed to SO much more violence, harsh language, sex, etc than I remember from when I was a kid. Joe seemed to be a little disappointed that this was the case...and so am I. It makes me worry about when my kids grow up...What will be the norm then??!

[MacGyver]

Frank's reaction to his side of it all (trying not to spoil anything) is justified. I know he gets some flack for being more unemotional, especially in this book. However, the book mentions several times where he almost loses it but anger helps fuel his quest for justice. He's not cold or not emotional...he just was dealing with it in a different way or just in shock. He was also very happy and relieved when things were resolved. Something Joe said towards the end made his heart almost break. So, there are several instances where Frank is emotional. Most of the time in the canons, neither one of them breaks down completely. Joe is the more emotional of the two, but Frank shouldn't get accused of not being emotional. I found him to be very emotional but turned it into more anger and revenge than sobbing. He didn't have time for that either. His focus was on how he had to help Joe and solve the rest.

I about cried at this point- that was really great. The writer did such a good job of expressing Joe's emotional torment and anguish and Frank's concern and desperation to get through to Joe- the whimper and longing in Joe's voice nearly broke Frank's heart. Wow- that was a great line!
And it definitely was a great relief to have things all resolved finally at the end.

My last comment with this post....I had to agree with what Joe said about kids these days not being scared by "lame" ghost stories. 17 yrs ago this book was published and I think his comments are true now...maybe even more so. Kids today are exposed to SO much more violence, harsh language, sex, etc than I remember from when I was a kid. Joe seemed to be a little disappointed that this was the case...and so am I. It makes me worry about when my kids grow up...What will be the norm then??!

Very true- Joe was kinda prophetic here really. Or at least he reflected something that was true in 1993 and is sadly more so now if anything.

[tomswift2002]

Dead Of Night is a very good Hardy Boys book.  I thought that I had posted a review of it on here a year or two ago, but I can't seem to find it.  Anyway, I'll have to get the book out and re-read it again.  But it rates an A++.

[MacGyver]

Yeah- no complaints on lack of action for this book. It hardly lets up for a second. And considering that it all happens over the course of Halloween evening/night. It's definitely pretty fast paced, but still allows time for Frank and Joe to think through what's going on as they try to puzzle out the mystery.

[hardygirl847]

I think we've covered how much we love this book (or at least I have)...so let me ask you this....

What other Hardy Boys book do you think is as "dark" as this one?? I don't mean the Halloween or ghosts, etc...I mean the emotional aspect, supposed tragedies, etc.

3 very important people are "killed"....Are there any other books you can think of that beat that in the "dark" category??

[MacGyver]

I don't know if this would beat it, but the only other book offhand I can think of that gets to this level on being deep emotionally and a dark theme overall would be "Brother Against Brother" (another one of my absolute favorites in The Hardy Boys Casefiles.)
After that one- I might also include "Cult of Crime" (I suppose the whole thing reminds me some of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"- not plotwise really of course- but for the dark tone. But I love both that book and that movie in any case.)
I would think the "Operation: Phoenix" trilogy could be in there too, along with "Thick as Thieves". One other factor that adds in to the intensity of "Dead of Night" is also the "Ring of Evil" trilogy in which Joe has the emotional weight of finding out a girl that he trusted and maybe was even falling for romantically turns out to be a traitor and one of the Assassins- and then he watches her die. For that reason, I might also include that trilogy. If you want other books in the general frights and scares/Halloween type genre- there's also "The Dead Season", "Web of Horror" and "Real Horror".
And from the Digests, the main one coming to mind is "Trick-or-Trouble" (#175) - which I enjoy, but while it gives the Halloween motif, I don't think it gets anywhere near the darkness levels of some of these Casefiles. But I enjoy it anyway- and so do others as this thread should evince. (http://www.hardyboyscasefiles.com/forums/index.php?topic=1265.0) I would really have to think on that to find any of the Originals or Digests that would quite come close. But I would say most of the first few Digests and some later ones would fit the supernatural/Halloween motif quite well (some in name only though)- "Night of the Werewolf", "The Pentagon Spy", "The Apeman's Secret", "The Mummy Case", "The Stone Idol", "The Vanishing Thieves", "The Outlaw's Silver", "The Four-Headed Dragon", "The Infinity Clue", "Track of the Zombie", "The Voodoo Plot", "The Billion Dollar Ransom", "The Demon's Den", "The Blackwing Puzzle", "The Swamp Monster", "Revenge of the Desert Phantom","The Case of the Cosmic Kidnapping", "Skin and Bones", "Ghost of a Chance", and "The Case of the Psychic's Vision". I would also add "The Clue of the Screeching Owl" from the original series, along with "Danger on Vampire Trail", "The Mysterious Caravan", "Hunting for Hidden Gold", "The Ghost at Skeleton Rock", "The Great Airport Mystery", "The Disappearing Floor", "The Mystery of the Flying Express", "The Sting of the Scorpion", "The Phantom Freighter", "The Haunted Fort", "The Bombay Boomerang", "The Masked Monkey", "The Witchmaster's Key", "The Clue of the Hissing Serpent", and maybe "The Jungle Pyramid" too.
Because of the subject matter, I would probably give "The Witchmaster's Key" the edge for darkness out of these and maybe "The Clue of the Hissing Serpent" to some degree.

[Mattie]

What a list!!! :  )