Ken Holt In The Clue of The Phantom Car

Ken Holt #8

by Bruce Campbell

This story starts off innocently enough as the mayor of Brentwood dedicates a new lakeside playground. The entire Allen clan were there to enjoy the event and cover it for the Advance. On their way home, Sandy and Ken opt for a short cut along the "old road", and rescue Ralph Conner from the wreck of his truck. However, this last incident in a string of bad luck, could cause the Conner Brother Trucking Company to lose its insurance coverage, hence the end of their business. It's up to Ken and Sandy to prove the conspiracy involved.Despite repeated attempts to explain the circumstances surrounding Ralph's crash, nothing concrete is achieved. When Mr. Randolph Dutton enters and offers to buy out the beleaguered company, suspicions are raised. When the name of James Tolliver becomes involved, the boys find out from Granger that the mob may be in on the action.When Pop, Bert, Sandy, and Ken investigate at the lake on the outskirts of Brentwood, the whole sordid plot begins to manifest itself. Ken and Sandy must escape a gas filled tunnel and a final battle with the forces arrayed against them, before successfully unraveling the Clue of the Phantom Car.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure

190 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Bruce Campbell is a pseudonym used by the husband-and-wife team of Sam and Beryl William Epstein for their Ken Holt mysteries.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1953, this is the eighth book in the Ken Holt mystery/adventure series for boys that was written by Sam & Beryl Epstein under the pseudonym Bruce Campbell. Ken's father is a reporter who's on the road a lot, so teen-aged Ken is being raised by the Allen family, owners and producers of The Brentwood Advance. Sandy Allen becomes his close friend and partner in the series of adventures. In this one, the group is on hand to enjoy a picnic and cover the opening a new park for the newspaper. Ken and Sandy take a shortcut on the way home that leads them to investigate a truck crash, crimes of interstate commerce, criminal mob involvement, and ends with them trapped in a gas-filled tunnel before they win through to see the mystery solved and justice done.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een gekantelde vrachtwagen op de cover, waar twee jongens iemand uit de cabine proberen te trekken. Iets dat natuurlijk de aandacht trekt. En ook nog eens het begin van het mysterie in dit boek vormt.
Verder begint het op een gezellig drukke manier, wat meteen de sfeer bij een krant weergeeft. Twee vrienden worden op reportage gestuurd, ontdekken dingen die niet kloppen en ze beginnen een onderzoek. Oorspronkelijk verloopt dat heel erg moeizaam en haast zonder vorderingen, ze bouwen luchtkastelen op vermoedens en theorieën zonder echte harde bewijzen - en die worden dan in twijfel getrokken of gewoon ontkracht. Toch groeit het vermoeden dat er een vuil spel gespeeld wordt en graven ze dieper. Ondertussen gaat het leven van alledag zijn gang, krijgen we wat indrukken uit het privé-leven van de familie Allen en wordt er met snelle auto's gereden. Een ver utigeworpen lijntje brengt het onderzoek in een stroomversnelling en meteen komen de jongens in levensgevaar.
De vermeende slachtoffers van de verongelukte truck komen psychologisch in beeld, met nadruk op hun wanhoop maar ook vastberadenheid om kost wat kost er terug boven op te komen.
Koppigheid, avontuur, gevaar, onderzoek, humor, snelheid...

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

brief synopsis:
Our sleuth and his adoptive family help their friends with their business troubles and encounter a nastier criminal element.

setting:
Brentwood, New Jersey

named personalities:
Ken Holt - a dark-headed amateur sleuth with a slim, wiry figure
Pop Allen - owner of the Advance; six-feet-three inches tall with a graying thatch of red hair
Bert Allen - Pop's elder son; as big as his father with bright red hair
Sandy Allen - Pop's younger son; another redheaded giant; the official Advance photographer
Andy Kane - hief of Brentwood's police
Mom Allen - the executive at the Allen household; a scant five feet tall lady
Richard Holt - Ken's father; a famous foreign correspondent for Global News
Steve Granger - Global News' hoarse-voiced New York manager
Nick - Triangle Diner's short order cook
Ralph Conner - a big trailer truck driver
Mort Conner - Ralph's older brother
Ruth - Mort's young wife; Mom's goddaughter
Barton - an insurance adjuster
Hank - the print-shop foreman
Ray Johnson - a good friend of the Conners whose outfit is also their competition
Vic - the Conners' mechanic and sometimes driver
Tom Crockett aka Randolph 'Papa' Dutton - the man who's buying Conner Trucking Company; a widower
Dan Withers - a broker
Mr X - Ken's theoretical saboteur
Fred Ayres - a contractor highly recommended by Mort
James 'Tolly' Tolliver - a New York wholesale fruit and vegetable dealer
Callender - in charge of the fireworks display
Jack Dutton - Randolph's son; a husky, bull-necked six-footer; a former high-school football star
Bob Dutton - Randolph's other son; a narrow-shouldered and bony young man
Joe - a service station mechanic
Rogers - the Lakeside Tourist Court manager
Jackson - a man who had rented Cabin Fifteen at the Lakeside Tourist Court; James' henchman
Gene - a light delivery truck driver
Doug Haynes - Bert's acquaintance who shacks across the lake from Lakeside Tourist Court
Rolfe - the Allens' accountant
Terry Tuthill - a ten-year-old (the youngest) newsboy on the Advance
Kennedy - Randolph's gun-toting, thin-faced henchman
Wilks - James' second henchman

Found a handful of understandable (and expected) ocr errors.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. I really enjoy this series. It seems more realistic, often anyways, than the newer Hardy Boys. There's good characterization, details and plenty of action to keep the story moving. It represents what a good vintage boy's series can be.