Be a Detective Series

[MacGyver]

Yeah- I've always loved Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books (and other such books in that style) since childhood- these are great fun to read. Nice to finally have all of this little spinoff series too.
Keep looking around on Amazon.com and Ebay, etc. - they usually don't cost too terribly much...

[Hardy Sleuth]

Yeah- I've always loved Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books (and other such books in that style) since childhood- these are great fun to read. Nice to finally have all of this little spinoff series too.
Keep looking around on Amazon.com and Ebay, etc. - they usually don't cost too terribly much...

Definitely worth searching for.

[MacGyver]

So, rather at random, I found reviews for some of this books series posted on Youtube.
Check out the review for the first book in the series here.

[MacGyver]

Though it was never published, it looks like Jungle of Evil got a library card catalog listing anyway. Here is the entry for this proposed book at the OCLC World Catalog. It offers a short synopsis as well:
"The reader's choices determine the direction of an adventure in which Nancy Drew teams up with the Hardy boys to trail dangerous criminals in the South American jungle."
I see Paul Frame is listed alongside Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon as the author- I presume he would have been doing the illustrations, as I'd be rather surprised to see the real name of one of the ghostwriters for the series listed.
(I couldn't find a listing for Ticket to Intrigue though.)

[MacGyver]

I posted this in the "Now Reading" thread, but I figured I'd add it here to further discussion of these books.

I finally started reading through the Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Be-A-Detective series! I've read the first two books already and I'm starting in on the third. I hope to read through all six books soon enough. The stories are fun to read, although it can be a bit frustrating because in some ways I'd rather just be reading one straight forward story. But with the "Choose Your Own Adventure" concept, I get lots of interesting twists on the same basic plot line in the story. And it's fun to enjoy yet another classic Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys team-up and see some of those classic moments of Hardy humor with Joe's one-liners or Frank making a wry observation. And it's been nice to see some supporting characters like Carson Drew and Fenton Hardy show up too.

[Hardy Sleuth]

I posted this in the "Now Reading" thread, but I figured I'd add it here to further discussion of these books.

I finally started reading through the Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Be-A-Detective series! I've read the first two books already and I'm starting in on the third. I hope to read through all six books soon enough. The stories are fun to read, although it can be a bit frustrating because in some ways I'd rather just be reading one straight forward story. But with the "Choose Your Own Adventure" concept, I get lots of interesting twists on the same basic plot line in the story. And it's fun to enjoy yet another classic Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys team-up and see some of those classic moments of Hardy humor with Joe's one-liners or Frank making a wry observation. And it's been nice to see some supporting characters like Carson Drew and Fenton Hardy show up too.

Sounds great! I hope to get and read them all, too! And any previously unpublished ones they'll hopefully release. That'd be so cool.

[MacGyver]

Yeah- any unpublished Hardy Boys material I would certainly be interested to see. You never know- such things have happened before. A few years back, two long unpublished Three Investigators Crimebusters books finally got publication in Germany. (And those books had been laying dormant about 20-something years!)
          I'm currently reading the third of Be-A-Detective books and I haven't finished it yet, but I've noticed that Chet Morton shows up in this one and it looks like this is one of the few meetings of Chet and Nancy. (At least, I don't recall Chet meeting up with Nancy in any of the Supermysteries [the original 1988-1998 one] books. Maybe in the UB/GD ones.... But I think they did meet earlier in the Supersleuths books.)
I know Frank and Joe have met up with most all of Nancy's friends in the Supermysteries '88 series- Ned, Bess and George all have met with them at some point. Frank and Joe even visited River Heights in one book. Unfortunately, Nancy Drew never visited Bayport in that series. But that has happened in the Be-A-Detective series, along with the Supersleuths books, if I recall correctly. In the very book I'm reading now, The Feathered Serpent, Nancy comes to Bayport to help Frank and Joe with a case. [Of course, they don't stay there very long. It's always off to some other part of the world on a case with these three.)

[tomswift2002]

          I'm currently reading the third of Be-A-Detective books and I haven't finished it yet, but I've noticed that Chet Morton shows up in this one and it looks like this is one of the few meetings of Chet and Nancy. (At least, I don't recall Chet meeting up with Nancy in any of the Supermysteries [the original 1988-1998 one] books. Maybe in the UB/GD ones.... But I think they did meet earlier in the Supersleuths books.)

Chet and Nancy met in the short story HB in the 2nd SuperSleuths book, as she was in Bayport for that story.

I know Frank and Joe have met up with most all of Nancy's friends in the Supermysteries '88 series- Ned, Bess and George all have met with them at some point. Frank and Joe even visited River Heights in one book. Unfortunately, Nancy Drew never visited Bayport in that series. But that has happened in the Be-A-Detective series, along with the Supersleuths books, if I recall correctly. In the very book I'm reading now, The Feathered Serpent, Nancy comes to Bayport to help Frank and Joe with a case. [Of course, they don't stay there very long. It's always off to some other part of the world on a case with these three.)

As I mentioned, HB has Nancy in Bayport, but I don't recall any other appearances by Nancy in Bayport.  And in the SuperMystery'88 series the boys visited River Heights twice, while Bayport appeared in the first chapters of Mystery on the Fourth Of July, but Nancy didn't meet up with Frank and Joe until they were all the way across the country in Seattle.

[MacGyver]

Chet and Nancy met in the short story HB in the 2nd SuperSleuths book, as she was in Bayport for that story.

Thanks for the confirmation. I knew there was at least one story with them meeting in one of those books.

[MacGyver]

I finished the third Be A Detective book today, and I thought I'd share a few other tidbits I gleaned. As I mentioned before, Chet Morton does show up in one of the story lines and works together with Frank and Joe and Nancy. (In fact, he actually winds up saving the day for everyone! ) Chet also indicates recognition of Nancy upon sight, so it seems apparent they've met before- like in the "HB" story in Supersleuths 2, as already established.
Also, Aunt Gertrude appears in the book and is there to greet Nancy Drew when she comes by the Hardys' house in Bayport. And Aunt Gertrude apparently also already knows Nancy- probably from their meeting in the aforementioned "HB" story. And this appearance was really fun- a character I haven't read about in a Hardy Boys story in a really long time (this shows how long it's been since I've read one of the original stories)- Sam Radley, Fenton Hardy's investigative assistant, shows up! And thus, Nancy also meets Sam Radley- though in the book, it seems to be indicated that she already knows Sam as well.

[tomswift2002]

Well in HB everyone in Bayport seems to know Nancy already, as the Nancy is actually visiting the Hardy's and playing Monopoly with them.  Plus at the end everyone is at Nancy's birthday party. 

As far as Nancy's meeting with the Hardy's in the Original series spin-off's, while there is no reference to it, their first meeting does seem to be the Dracula episode from the 1970's TV series, especially when you consider that a novelization of that episode was released in both North America and the UK.  But otherwise nothing is really given to indicate how the three first met, unlike in the SuperMystery'88 series where Double Crossing says that Nancy was an exchange student to Bayport High during her last year of high school

[Bigfootman]

Well in HB everyone in Bayport seems to know Nancy already, as the Nancy is actually visiting the Hardy's and playing Monopoly with them.  Plus at the end everyone is at Nancy's birthday party. 

As far as Nancy's meeting with the Hardy's in the Original series spin-off's, while there is no reference to it, their first meeting does seem to be the Dracula episode from the 1970's TV series, especially when you consider that a novelization of that episode was released in both North America and the UK.  But otherwise nothing is really given to indicate how the three first met, unlike in the SuperMystery'88 series where Double Crossing says that Nancy was an exchange student to Bayport High during her last year of high school

Also, while it's likely she met Chet and the rest of Frank and Joe's Bayport friends during her time as an exchange student, the only friends of the Hardys she met in the SM series (not counting the friends who only appeared in one book) was Kip Coles in At All Costs and the Grey Man in Best of Enemies. (He appeared in most of the other SM books and Nancy knew about him before that book, but I don't recall him ever talking to Nancy except in that one.) I've read somewhere that the SMs were mainly written for Nancy Drew fans to introduce them to the Hardy Boys. Which is why mainly Nancy Drew characters appeared in the series.

The Original Series spinoffs seem to have been written with fans of both series in mind, as I don't recall the "Super Nancy" problem that the SMs had happening in the Be A Detective stories. Yes, it was possible to Nancy to solve the case on her own, but it was also possible for Frank and Joe to solve the case on their own as well. It depended on the choice you made. In some of the SM books, it seems that Nancy found most of the clues and did a lot more then Frank and Joe. ( for example, "Desperate Measures")

[Hardy Sleuth]

I finished the third Be A Detective book today, and I thought I'd share a few other tidbits I gleaned. As I mentioned before, Chet Morton does show up in one of the story lines and works together with Frank and Joe and Nancy. (In fact, he actually winds up saving the day for everyone! ) Chet also indicates recognition of Nancy upon sight, so it seems apparent they've met before- like in the "HB" story in Supersleuths 2, as already established.
Also, Aunt Gertrude appears in the book and is there to greet Nancy Drew when she comes by the Hardys' house in Bayport. And Aunt Gertrude apparently also already knows Nancy- probably from their meeting in the aforementioned "HB" story. And this appearance was really fun- a character I haven't read about in a Hardy Boys story in a really long time (this shows how long it's been since I've read one of the original stories)- Sam Radley, Fenton Hardy's investigative assistant, shows up! And thus, Nancy also meets Sam Radley- though in the book, it seems to be indicated that she already knows Sam as well.

Cool tidbits, and Sam Radley's cool.

Well in HB everyone in Bayport seems to know Nancy already, as the Nancy is actually visiting the Hardy's and playing Monopoly with them.  Plus at the end everyone is at Nancy's birthday party. 

Cool about them playing Monopoly, I like playing that game.

The Original Series spinoffs seem to have been written with fans of both series in mind, as I don't recall the "Super Nancy" problem that the SMs had happening in the Be A Detective stories. Yes, it was possible to Nancy to solve the case on her own, but it was also possible for Frank and Joe to solve the case on their own as well. It depended on the choice you made. In some of the SM books, it seems that Nancy found most of the clues and did a lot more then Frank and Joe. ( for example, "Desperate Measures")

I totally agree that Frank and Joe can solve a case on their own and Nancy can solve one on her own (and with Ned, George, and Bess ). That doesn't sound like fun reading if the writers just have her doing everything and finding all the clues.

[MacGyver]

I've read somewhere that the SMs were mainly written for Nancy Drew fans to introduce them to the Hardy Boys. Which is why mainly Nancy Drew characters appeared in the series.

The Original Series spinoffs seem to have been written with fans of both series in mind, as I don't recall the "Super Nancy" problem that the SMs had happening in the Be A Detective stories. Yes, it was possible to Nancy to solve the case on her own, but it was also possible for Frank and Joe to solve the case on their own as well. It depended on the choice you made. In some of the SM books, it seems that Nancy found most of the clues and did a lot more then Frank and Joe. ( for example, "Desperate Measures")

I'm aware of this issue, but as one who's read all of the Supermysteries books, it's never bothered me. It's not like Nancy does everything in every book- Frank and Joe contribute plenty throughout and save Nancy's life at times too. Yeah, it's more balanced in the Be-A-Detective series and a bit more leaning towards Nancy Drew's side in the Supermysteries- but if you go in with that understanding, it's not as big a deal, at least not to me.

[Hardy Sleuth]

I'm aware of this issue, but as one who's read all of the Supermysteries books, it's never bothered me. It's not like Nancy does everything in every book- Frank and Joe contribute plenty throughout and save Nancy's life at times too. Yeah, it's more balanced in the Be-A-Detective series and a bit more leaning towards Nancy Drew's side in the Supermysteries- but if you go in with that understanding, it's not as big a deal, at least not to me.

It's good they show Frank and Joe contributing, too, and saving Nancy's life. I'm definitely more interested in finding and reading all of the Be-A-Detective series.