The Crisscross Crime #150

[MacGyver]

The Swamp Monster was the last 20 chapter book in The Hardy Boys originals/digests, if I recall correctly and thus, the last one with a longer amount of pages. Revenge of the Desert Phantom is also said to be a "test" Casefile, I believe- interestingly enough, that book details an account of The Hardy Boys acquiring a van (though different in detail as to the origin of the van in the Casefiles). I could see that as a starting off point.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

The Swamp Monster was the last 20 chapter book in The Hardy Boys originals/digests, if I recall correctly and thus, the last one with a longer amount of pages. Revenge of the Desert Phantom is also said to be a "test" Casefile, I believe- interestingly enough, that book details an account of The Hardy Boys acquiring a van (though different in detail as to the origin of the van in the Casefiles). I could see that as a starting off point.

So could Revenge of the Desert Phantom be considered an official Casefile or is/was it not in the right Hardy Boys universe?

[MacGyver]

I consider it one of the Digests, but some other fans might consider it like an unofficial Casefiles book.

[tomswift2002]

So could Revenge of the Desert Phantom be considered an official Casefile or is/was it not in the right Hardy Boys universe?

You have to remember that both Desrt Phantom and Skyfire were meant to take the Original series in a new direction.  It even got to the point where there was, and the manuscript exists at S&S somewhere, of a #86 that would've continued on from Skyfire.  However business decisions were made to where Desert Phantom and Skyfire, while not really fitting into either universe, were the only two published books in that direction.

But, there are a couple of things that make them hard to correlate with the Casefiles: 1. Chief Collig gives them a fully equipped police van in Phantom, whereas "Cult Of Crime" says the Casefiles van was from the Bayport Mall Association and that the boys customized it and installed the gear themselves.  2.  "The Skyfire Puzzle" is a sequel to "Sky Sabotage".  3. "Dead On Target" makes it clear that that was he boys first time dealing with terrorism at the Assassins level.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

You have to remember that both Desert Phantom and Skyfire were meant to take the Original series in a new direction.  It even got to the point where there was, and the manuscript exists at S&S somewhere, of a #86 that would've continued on from Skyfire.  However business decisions were made to where Desert Phantom and Skyfire, while not really fitting into either universe, were the only two published books in that direction.

But, there are a couple of things that make them hard to correlate with the Casefiles: 1. Chief Collig gives them a fully equipped police van in Phantom, whereas "Cult Of Crime" says the Casefiles van was from the Bayport Mall Association and that the boys customized it and installed the gear themselves.  2.  "The Skyfire Puzzle" is a sequel to "Sky Sabotage".  3. "Dead On Target" makes it clear that that was he boys first time dealing with terrorism at the Assassins level.

Yeah, don't the terrorism in the Casefiles seem like what government officials are dealing with today? Thinking of ISIS here.

[MacGyver]

Yes, it kind of does. (Though terrorism has been going on long before The Hardy Boys Casefiles books were written, unfortunately.) That's possibly one reason it's been avoided as a topic in current Hardy Boys books- mainly, it doesn't quite fit the scope of the Adventures books and maybe it hits too close to home right now.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

Yes, it kind of does. (Though terrorism has been going on long before The Hardy Boys Casefiles books were written, unfortunately.) That's possibly one reason it's been avoided as a topic in current Hardy Boys books- mainly, it doesn't quite fit the scope of the Adventures books and maybe it hits too close to home right now.

Yeah, but the thing with Russia is still going on. That never changed. It's too bad they can't redo, and they wouldn't even have to use real life events.

[MacGyver]

Hmm- well, I do believe Russian relations did change with the fall of the USSR. It wasn't quite like this when Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin were still in power- I think things have more recently built up to what they are now. But yes, it might be nice to see a revival of the series, but I tend to be wary of such revivals nowadays. I'd rather just read all 127 original books again.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

Hmm- well, I do believe Russian relations did change with the fall of the USSR. It wasn't quite like this when Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin were still in power- I think things have more recently built up to what they are now. But yes, it might be nice to see a revival of the series, but I tend to be wary of such revivals nowadays. I'd rather just read all 127 original books again.

Well I think the Big Lie series is going to be as close to Casefile as we can get.

[MacGyver]

That's probably true- so at least there's that. You can enjoy some Casefiles-like action there at least.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

It sounds like there's more to The Big Lie then we know. Can't wait to find out what.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

I just read the Mystery of the Silver Star and it seems like a pre-Casefile. Can anyone confirm this?

[tomswift2002]

I just read the Mystery of the Silver Star and it seems like a pre-Casefile. Can anyone confirm this?

Mystery of the Silver Star was the second #86 written.  It was written after the Casefiles had been launched and S&S was restarting the Mystery Stories.

That said, S&S was trying to make them faster versions of #'s 1-83, and in my recent re-read of the Mystery Stories, a lot of the G&D books have been at or just below the Casefiles in terms of violence and action.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

Mystery of the Silver Star was the second #86 written.  It was written after the Casefiles had been launched and S&S was restarting the Mystery Stories.

That said, S&S was trying to make them faster versions of #'s 1-83, and in my recent re-read of the Mystery Stories, a lot of the G&D books have been at or just below the Casefiles in terms of violence and action.

The second #86? There's another one?

l
l'
'
l''l'l''l'

[tomswift2002]

The second #86? There's another one?

l
l'
'
l''l'l''l'

There was an 86 written in the same style as #'s84 & 85, however, when the series took 1986 off, business decisions were made that led to the Casefiles being launched and the Mystery Stories being relaunched in a format similar in style to #'s 1-83.  However in 1985, when the it was still being considered to send the Mystery Stories in the more Young Adult direction, a third book was written.  An ISBN was even given to the book, however, no title was announced and the book was put into storage while Mystery of the Silver Star was written as the first relaunch title.