What do you think?
The Hardy Boys #83
The Swamp Monster
The Hardy brothers go to Big Thicket, Texas, to investigate attempts on the life of a naturalist trying to preserve the area wildlife in the face of threats from timber and oil interests.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Franklin W. Dixon
952 books1,017 followersFranklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 26, 2013
The Swamp Monster, by Franklyn W. Dixon, fits into the 'your own choice' section on the bingo board. It is set in a big thicket in Texas, USA. A naturalist, Martin Pierce, tells the Hardy boys, two brothers who solve mysteries, that there have been two attempts on his life. The first attempt occurred when he was shot at in the woods. The second attempt was when he was nearly run off a logging road. Along with this there had been a fifteen foot long alligator which had been terrorising everyone in the area.
The Hardy boys were sent out to Texas to investigate Professor Pierce's problems and also to try to catch the alligator . Professor Pierce thinks that Nelson Zeigler, a successful businessman who wants rights to the big thicket because of the large amount of oil and timber there, may be responsible. The Hardy boys meet up with Turner Feilds, one of Nelson Zeigler's employees. Field's says that Zeigler is a good man and would not be responsible for the attempts on Pierce's life.
At the end of the book the Hardy boys learn that during the Civil War a large amount of gold was lost in the area. Turner Fields knew about the gold and would do anything he could to find it. He built a giant alligator which he could control to scare away people from the area so that he could look around for the gold without people becoming suspicious. The attempts on Pierce's life were unrelated to the gold and were because he was trying to protect the local environment.
I enjoyed the book because it was set in an interesting place where there was lots of wildlife, plants and animals. I also enjoyed the fact that there were two mysteries that the Hardy boys were involved in. This got me thinking were the two mysteries connected? Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other mystery genre readers.
By Jimmy Banks 9gib
The Hardy boys were sent out to Texas to investigate Professor Pierce's problems and also to try to catch the alligator . Professor Pierce thinks that Nelson Zeigler, a successful businessman who wants rights to the big thicket because of the large amount of oil and timber there, may be responsible. The Hardy boys meet up with Turner Feilds, one of Nelson Zeigler's employees. Field's says that Zeigler is a good man and would not be responsible for the attempts on Pierce's life.
At the end of the book the Hardy boys learn that during the Civil War a large amount of gold was lost in the area. Turner Fields knew about the gold and would do anything he could to find it. He built a giant alligator which he could control to scare away people from the area so that he could look around for the gold without people becoming suspicious. The attempts on Pierce's life were unrelated to the gold and were because he was trying to protect the local environment.
I enjoyed the book because it was set in an interesting place where there was lots of wildlife, plants and animals. I also enjoyed the fact that there were two mysteries that the Hardy boys were involved in. This got me thinking were the two mysteries connected? Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other mystery genre readers.
By Jimmy Banks 9gib
February 16, 2018
An incredibly average Hardy Boys Digest. Nothing bad, nothing special, nothing much to see here.
December 22, 2014
When I first read Hardy Boys, I think I was in class 5, I had such a crush on Frank Hardy. I liked the brainy one over the brawny one and that sums up my first impression of Hardy Boys.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews