#39 Flesh and Blood (31st Anniversary Review)

[tomswift2002]

Published: May 1990
Publisher: Archway Paperbacks (1990-1996 (stand-alone), 1998-2005 (The Hardy Boys Collector's Edition #1))
Author: Larry Mike Garmon
Other Hardy Boys by Author: Casefiles #27 Nowhere To Run, #36 Running On Empty, #43 Strategic Moves, #46 Foul Play, #126 Fire In The Sky, SuperMystery'88 Buried In Time

Plot: Time is always too short when your life is on the line.

A tornado has hit Bayport, but the deadliest storm is still brewing -- in the Hardy home. Years ago, Fenton Hardy sent a criminal named Leonard Mock to prison. Now Mock's son has returned to Bayport to seek revenge. He has vowed to put Frank and Joe's father away for good!

But Leonard Mock lost his son to adoption when the boy was five. His name was changed, and the only clue to his identity is that he has since befriended the Hardy boys. Then the brothers uncover a shocking and horrifying piece of evidence. The person out to murder their father may very well be none other than Chet Morton -- their best and most trusted friend!

Review: So I'm just starting to re-read this book this morning.  Right now I feel like I'm in that part of the Casefiles where there are so many Classic Casefiles stories.  The Casefiles have been strong up to now, but this part of the series really seems to be where the series was really hitting its stride and was pumping out classic after classic.  You had The Dead Season, Running On Empty, Danger Zone, Flesh and Blood, Highway Robbery, The Last Laugh & Strategic Moves all in the span of about 10 books, and it's funny, but the books didn't lean on the Network or the Assassins to make them Casefiles Classics (although I think Stategic Moves had a little Network involvement).  And it's hard to believe that its been 30+ since these books came out.

So in Flesh And Blood a tornado has hit Bayport, and the story opens with the Hardy's helping around town to get people out from under downed roof's and other fallen buildings.  Frank's glad that they didn't remove the CB radio from the van, as Bayport's cellular network is down due to the tornado.  Callie is also busy capturing footage of the tornado for WBAY's news (no idea what WBPT is up to).  Chet also makes and appearance. 

And of course, some old friends from Bayport show up, since Liz Webling and Don West, who appeared in See No Evil and a few other Bayport-centric Casefiles since then appear as well.

And Joe catches Martin Mangieri, a very well known thief in the area using his "five-finger discount credit card".

[MacGyver]

Flesh and Blood has long been a favourite for me. I think I like this book particularly because it rocks The Hardys' world with the implication that Chet might actually be a killer coming after their dad! This is the kind of bold moves the Casefiles were known for from the first book when Iola was killed a terrorist car bomb.
    It's an interesting plot interspersed with the right amount of humour at time as well.

[tomswift2002]

On page 17 Con Riley mentions how Fenton Hardy is the Bayport Police Departments best friend.  And then at the bottom of the page, Frank and Joe walk right into the officers lounge at the BPD station while they wait for Mangieri's lawyer to show up, and no one asks them why they are there!

This is definitely not like the Adventures series where the Hardy's can't get within 100 km of that station without Olaf ordering his men to stop them!

[tomswift2002]

So Callie has given the characters handles for the CB radio in this book. 

Frank = Sherlock
Joe = Bone Crusher
Chet = Pizza King
Callie = Number One Girl
Liz = Paper Girl

[MacGyver]

Lol- I remember the CB radio handles.

[tomswift2002]

I finished the book last night.  Real page turner.  And Gorman threw in lots of red herrings.  I remembered from years ago who Bobby Mock was, but I forgot how not just Chet but Don West were also fingered as being Bobby Mock!

Also Callie plays a major part again, and this time as Newshawk Shaw, and she's also the damsel-in-distress at one point.

Of course when Frank and Joe show up to save Callie from the Bomb, Joe tells Frank to be careful with the timer!  I felt like saying—-"Joe your brother's disarmed a Fallawi bomb that even police bomb squads were never able to disarm, not to mention he disarmed all that plastique that Callie, Chet, Tony Prito and you were tied to by Al-Rousasa!" 

Anyway, on its 31st birthday, Flesh And Blood is still a Hardy Boys and a Casefiles Top 10 MUST READ book!  Even though I don't usually like stories where the Hardy's know the bad guy from the start, this is an exception.  The only issue is that it was too short.  The ending kind of felt rushed. 

Rating: 9.5/10