Program for Destruction

The Hardy Boys #87

by Franklin W. Dixon

The Hardy Boys are called in to investigate the sabotage of the CompuCar Company. The Hardys must find out what's behind the robot madness before it puts them and the factory out of business for good.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Thriller, Adventure, Middle Grade

180 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1987

About the author

Franklin 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.

Reviews

[old account (rl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Program for Destruction an amusing and quick read. It wasn't brilliant but the usual fire and rawness I associated with these two lovable brothers was back. Hallelujah! I simply love Frank and Joe's banter.

I also found the mystery to be really amusing. The fact that it was based in a time where computer viruses were just a theoretical possibility and only privileged family households could afford to buy a basic desktop computer highly amusing. I love the fascination with computer floppy disks and how something being voice-activated was considered to be so highly technical. It was all really interesting.

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical 80s robot/computer mystery story in a Hardy Boys book. Fun to read about, but nothing too amazing now.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Amanda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hardy boys investigate sabotage at a car company. Also there’s killer robots.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is your typical late eighties/early nineties Hardy Boys book. The boys, of course, save the day and solve the case. I found myself giggling throughout this one because of all the "advanced" technology that we take for granted nowadays. The idea of a computer virus wiping out every computer was intriguing, though. I wish that had been expounded on more. Overall, this was a light, fun mystery read.

[Tracey Weyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it