Haunted

[tomswift2002]

Do the same publishers even write them?

From 1927-1984 the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Tom Swift were all owned and published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, and from 1927-1979 the series were distributed by Grosset & Dunlap.

But then in 1979, because Grosset & Dunlap had not done anything to celebrate the Bobbsey Twins 75th anniversary, the Syndicate decided to switch the rights to Simon & Schuster, which lead to a court battle over who owned the books.  In the end the judge said that the books were owned by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, but the judge allowed G&D to continue printing the books that they had already printed.

Then in 1984, 2 years after Harriet (Stratemeyer) Adams passed away (Edward Stratemeyer's daughter) the junior partners in the Syndicate sold the Syndicate to Simon & Schuster therefore allowing Simon & Schuster to continue the Originals/Digests, and allowing them to launch the highly-successful Hardy Boys Casefiles (which also turned out to be , through the "Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys SuperMystery"'88 series, in the same universe as the "Nancy Drew Files", and via the "Hardy Boys and Tom Swift Ultra Thrillers" in the same universe as the "Tom Swift" (Archway) series), Frank and Joe Hardy/The Hardy Boys Are: The Clues Brothers and "The Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers".

[Hardy Man]

I actually think that this was an okay book. I like the fact that an allusion was made to the book Operation Survival, proving that perhaps the publishers are not just tasteless, colorless writers and can actually tie the plot of more than one book together. 

[SDLagent]

That was a nice reference, but a one-off reference to a past book, doesn't save a rather lame story.

[Hardy Man]

I have to say that you're 100% correct on that one.... The story was rather pointless. I think that the whole Special Ghost Stories crud was just a ploy for advertising. It actually worked on me. I was pretty interested. Then I made it to page one....

[tomswift2002]

If you want some Hardy Boys Ghost Stories then I would suggest that you read The Hardy Boys Ghost Stories that's still in print (a record for S&S, the book first appeared in 1984 under the Wanderer imprint) than this story that really wasn't a ghost story.