Deception on the Set

Hardy Boys Adventures #8

by Franklin W. Dixon

It’s lights, camera, disaster for a film crew unless Frank and Joe can track down a saboteur in this cinematic Hardy Boys adventure—a fresh approach to a classic series.Joe and Frank Hardy are excited to be cast as extras in the zombie movie that’s filming in their hometown. Not only is film production way more exciting than what usually goes on in Bayport, it also doesn’t hurt that the lead actress is pretty cute. At first it seems like for once Frank and Joe might not have a mystery to solve. But when a stunt goes horribly wrong, the Hardy boys know someone is trying to sabotage the film—and putting lives in jeopardy. Can the brothers find the culprit before it’s too late?

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Young Adult, Adventure, Detective

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2015

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

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars ...

Compared to previous books,
this one was pretty lame. 😒

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up loving the Hardy Boys so occasionally I will pick a random one up from my library for a good nostalgia read. This one is short and sweet. This is from the current run of Hardy Boys, not the original one or the "gritty" one after that, or even the one after that. The problematic cultural references and fat shaming are gone but the simplistic writing and easy to spot plot points remain. As always, the writer withholds key information so it's impossible to actually solve the mystery ahead of the Hardy Boys but that just makes their dénouement all the sweeter. Shakespeare this ain't but little boys and girls will eat it right up.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of LONG books lately, and it was so nice to just dive into a super quick read mystery. The Hardy Boys books (similar to Nancy Drew) are always on par, and I don't think I've ever disliked one. This one was a bit more modern, but still fun! I loved it.

[Raine · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed learning about the video village

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank and Joe are back and for once not looking for a mystery to solve. The reason is that they have snagged roles as extras in a zombie movie being shot in Bayport. They start out as refugees and end up as zombies. Unfortunately, mysteries just happen around the two boy detectives, and they can’t help but notice that someone is trying to sabotage the movie set. To make matters even more interesting, the saboteurs look an awful lot like Frank and Joe Hardy.

I thought that the two boys got to do a bit more investigating than often seems to be the case in these books. That is to say, they look for clues, consider suspects, and analyze their way toward the solution. The author plays a little bit unfair with the reader when the boys uncover a clue that is not shared with the audience. From that point on, it becomes more of an adventure story as the two Hardy brothers lay a trap for the bad guys.

This was one of the tighter adventures in this series. I would have liked to see more of the original gang included in the book. I don’t see why Chet and his sister, Iola, couldn’t also have been extras, or even Tony and Biff. But while I think that would have enriched the story a little, it wouldn’t ultimately have altered the plot.

[Sabrina Frang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read Hardy Boys when I was a kid. On my quest to read something fun for GarbAugust, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and read a Hardy Boys book. I loved the plot of this one, so I went for it, and I am so glad I did.

At 48, I am not the target audience for this book, but I still had a great time reading it. A zombie movie is filming in Bayport, and Frank and Joe are playing zombie extras in the film. When a stunt goes awry, Frank and Joe have to find out if it was just an accident or if someone is trying to sabotage the movie.

Since this is a kid's book, we get a lot of information about how movies are made, particularly how certain stunts and special effects are pulled off. I enjoyed this information. This book did read a little young, so if I do read another Hardy Boys book, I might try one of the older ones.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 8: Deception on the Set, Frank and Joe go Hollywood! Or rather, Hollywood comes to Bayport. Because a huge Zombie movie is filming in town. And the brothers are cast as extras playing the undead. But they soon discover that, sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction. This was an excellent book!

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the new style of writing in these books. The first person viewpoint is just not as fun to read as the narrative style of the original. I enjoyed being told the stories, these books are too much like watching a TV episode.

[Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it but I am annoyed that they got rid of Aly from the previous book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids have really been enjoying reading the Hardy boys. After we finished this book my daughter said, "It was ok, just not really my favorite one so far."

[J Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok but not the best.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Donna Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read. Remember reading these years ago.

[Cindy]

Deception on the Set

[Isaiah (aka Isaiah Ward) Herrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corrupted producers (not a shocker), plots of deception, this one was good and, funnily enough similar to what happened to me once-except for a few differences.

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another amazing adventure with the brothers Hardy. They are extras on a movie set and Frank has a crush on the female lead. What could go wrong? What won't go wrong?

[Akosua Karikari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun

[Anne Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

My 7yo son enjoyed this book, which, I guess, is the point of it. I found it rather dull, though. The language is pedestrian and the mystery was not very compelling. I'm not certain what he saw in it, but he liked it enough that he wants to read more Hardy Boys Adventures, so I guess it did its job, for him. Luckily, he has the ability to read this level to himself, now, so I might be able to bow out of reading the others out loud to him.

[Yana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another re-listen for the middle grade nostalgia - fun, especially the scene with the exploding shack