#120 The Case of the Cosmic Kidnapping (29th Anniversary Review)

[tomswift2002]

Published: June 1993
Publisher: Minstrel Books (1993-1999?)
Author: Chris Lampton
Other Books By The Author: Mystery Stories 98*, 99*https://www.hardyboyscasefiles.com/forums/index.php?topic=3076.0, 100, 106, 109, 110, 116, 120, 162, Casefiles #64*, 65, 66* (*possible author)
Plot:
A Hardy boys hangout is suddenly serving UFOs to go!

Frank and Joe go toe-to-toe against an invasion that's truly out of this world!

The Hardy boys friend Chet lands a job flipping burgers at a local fast food joint. But something else lands that flips them all out: A UFO! The ship swoops down out of the night sky, snatches Chet's boss out of the parking lot, and vanishes without a trace into the darkness. What in heaven is going on?

The mystery gets weirder by the minute. The boys face a bizarre array of beings and sinister conspiracies -- and that's just on the ground, among their fellow earthlings. While the restaurant has turned into a way station for space cadets, the Hardys press forward in their search for the shocking truth behind the descent of the body snatchers!

Review:  Okay—-2 sci-fi themed books in a 3 book span!  That's something.

Also The Case of the Cosmic Kidnapping is author Chris Lampton's last Hardy Boys book for quite a while!  His next Hardy Boys will be #162 The End of the Trail that would be published exactly 7 years after TCOTCK was released in June 1993 (Trail was published in July 2000—-by that point S&S had switched the publishing schedule from the even numbered months [February, April, June, etc] to the odd numbered [January, March, May, etc])!

I remember first checking this book out of the library in the late-90's, around 97-98.  But I remember that it was also a popular one and years ago I bought the library copy when they discarded it, and it's the one discard I have where the library really had to repair it—-the even used on old recipe card to add strength to the front cover because of how much damage the book had taken, and the front cover & back cover are layered in really wide tape! 

Also remember that in 1993 when The Case of the Cosmic Kidnapping was released a number of high profile AVI-fi TV series had or were just launching.  Star Trek The Next Generation had just finished its 6th season, Star Trek Deep Space Nine had launched in January 1993 and had just finished its first season, Babylon 5: The Gathering had aired in February 1993 and the main series has just entered production in May 1993.  SeaQuest DSV was being heavily marketed over the summer of 1993 for its September 12, 1993 debut.  The X-Files were also being heavily promoted in the summer of 1993 for its September 10, 1993 debut.  Also the new Superman series was being heavily promoted for its September 12, 1993 (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman). 

Also on Saturday mornings you had cartoons like the 1992 X-Men cartoon and Darkwing Duck featuring plot lines about aliens coming to Earth. 

So I think a lot of kids were interested in that alien aspect of The Case of the Cosmic Kidnapping, just like back in the 1949 when The Sign of the Crooked Arrow was first released, the Western was what kids were seeing with The Lone Ranger on TV.

Overall, as a kid I enjoyed the book and I still remembered that the owner of "The Happy Burger" had setup the kidnapping himself.  But I forgot about the psychological warfare that was in the book. 

One of the bad guys was out to convince the world that aliens were real (by spreading the aliens gospel), and when he found out the Happy Burger owner had setup a hoax he just flipped and went completely overboard! 

Also it was interesting seeing Chet with a job!  And somehow he was an assistant manager after only 1 week on the job, and he could not figure out when to press the + key on the calculator when doing the books!  Also Iola & Callie both make a few appearances, but they don't add to the story.  They're just there to support the Hardy's.

Also no sign of the other Hardy friends, especially after the kidnapping and people are driving in from all over to see the abduction spot!  Apparently they won't leave Mr.Pizza at the mall!  Also I guess Con Riley and Chief Collig were on vacation as they are never mentioned or appear, just a few no-name officers.

Although the Hardy's fame really seems to have spread.  In both this and Trouble At Coyote Canyon numerous people recognize them, just like back in the Stratemeyer days.

Overall I found at times that Lampton had too many characters for the length of the book and sometimes the plot got muddled.  Such as he introduced a couple of loan sharks and even mentioned that one had been under suspicion for years for smuggling, but had never been caught because of his lawyers.  But that plot was in for about 1.5 chapters then discarded with a sentence at the end saying the police had arrested both of them and one had turned on the other.  Why Lampton didn't bring that plot back—-?  Simple the book was too short, so it had to be tied up off screen!

Rating: 6.5/10

Also, off-topic, but if you want to hear a Biblical perspective on UFO's, I highly recommend checking out L.A. Marzulli's Watchers film series, and his film Fatima: Miracle of The Sun or Harbinger of Deception?

[MacGyver]

I rather liked this book because of the UFO and alien theme. It made for a unique angle to The Hardy Boys' case.
   Also, speaking of a UFO, I also wanted to mention my favourite one.
Larry Norman describes Jesus as an Unidentified Flying Object in his famous song "U.F.O."   
"He's an unidentified flying object- you will see Him in the sky..."

[Pookells]

My only complaint was the plot dragged out a little too much and the action didn't pick up until the later chapters. Good book otherwise.