The Shadow Killers

The Hardy Boys #92

by Franklin W. Dixon

While investigating threats against munerous local karate champs, Frank and Joe discover links to a theft at an armory, and the two are soon facing the Japanese underworld and ninja masters.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Thriller, Adventure, Classics, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

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

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The karate stuff was pretty hokey at times. Not the best mystery. Not terrible, though.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the action packed adventure the hardy boys had in this book

[Regina]

its Good i mean Its very nice i want to read & read it again Im great to read this Book its Awesome brobaly good :) good job franklin :))

[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.

[Ben]

So far this book is great but also extremely weird at the same time. A karate tour thing is going city to city but in every city they're in, there's a robbery.

[Brendan Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read when I was 9 or 10, and absolutely loved it.