The Mystery of the Invisible Dog

Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators #23

by M.V. Carey

The Three investigators are hounded by supernatural forces as they attempt to recover a stolen sculpture of a legendary wolf-dog.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Audiobook, Detective, Adventure

145 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Also known as Mary V. Carey
Personal: Born May 19, 1925, in New Brighton, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England; brought to the United States in 1925, naturalized citizen in 1955; daughter of John Cornelius (an engineer) and Mary Alice (Hughes) Carey. Home address in 1993 was 3748 Birch St., Ventura, CA.

Ms Carey passed away in 1994.

Education: College of Mount St. Vincent, B.S., 1946.

Religion: Roman Catholic

Career: Coronet, New York City, editorial associate, 1948 - 55; Walt Disney Productions, Burbank, CA, assistant editor of publications, 1955 - 69; free-lance writer 1969 - 1994.

Member: PEN; Mystery Writers of America; Society of Children's Book Writers; Women in Communications.

Awards, Honors: Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People Award, 1986, for "A Place for Allie".

Hobbies and Interests: Walking on the beach.

Writings:
Novelizations of Walt Disney Motion Pictures:
(With George Sherman) WD's "Babes in Toyland" Golden Press, 1961.
WD's "The Sword in the Stone" Whitman, 1963.
The Story of Walt Disney's Motion Picture "Mary Poppins" Whitman, 1964.
WD's "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" Whitman, 1964.
WD's "Donald Duck and the Lost Mesa Ranch" Whitman, 1966.
The Story of WD's Motion Picture "Jungle Book" Whitman, 1967.
The Story of WD's Motion Picture "Blackbeard's Ghost" Whitman, 1968.
"Mrs. Brisby's Important Package" (adapted from film "The Secret of NIMH), Golden Press, 1982.

Juveniles:
"Raggedy Ann and the Glad and Sad Day", Golden Press, 1972.
"Little Lulu and the Birthday Surprise, Whitman, 1973.
"The Tawny, Scrawny Lio and the Clever Monkey" Golden Press, 1974.
"Alonzo Purr, the Seagoing Cat", Western Pub., 1974.
"The Owl Who Loved Sunshine", Golden Press, 1977.
"The Gremlin's Storybook", Golden Press, 1984.

The Three Investigators Mystery Series (Random House):
"The Mystery of the:
#15 Flaming Footprints, 1971.
#17 Singing Serpent, 1972.
#20 Monster Mountain, 1973.
#21 The Secret of the Haunted Mirror, 1974.
#23 Invisible Dog, 1975.
#24 Death Trap Mine, 1976.
#27 Magic Circle, 1978.
#29 Sinister Scarecrow, 1979.
#31 Scar-Faced Beggar, 1981.
#32 Blazing Cliffs, 1981.
#34 Wandering Cave Man, 1982.
#36 Missing Mermaid, 1984.
#39 Trail of Terror, 1984.
#41 Creep-Show Crooks, 1985.
#43 Cranky Collector, 1987
FYF#8 The Case of the Savage Statue, 1987.

Other:
(Editor) Jane Black, "The Indispensables", Hewitt House, 1971.
"Step-by-step Candlemaking", Golden Press, 1972.
"Step-by-step Winemaking", Golden Press, 1973.
"Love Is Forever" (collection of prose and poetry), C.R. Gibson, 1975.
(With George Sherman) "A Compendium of Bunk", C.C. Thomas, 1976.
(Editor) "Grandmothers Are Very Special People", C.R. Gibson, 1977.
"A Place for Allie" (young adult novel), Dodd, 1985.

Sidelights: Carey told Contemporary Authors: "I began writing late; my first articles and stories were published after I was thirty, and I was motivated by money. Money is not a bad motivation. The need to eat keeps us from laziness, and the fact that someone is willing to pay to read what we write assures us that we have indeed written."

"I think that writing should be honest and simple, and it should say something about what it means to be a person. When God is good to us, we write in such a way that the act of reading becomes a pleasure to those who buy our books. This experience doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it is at least as heady as winning the Irish sweepstakes. It makes mere competence seem dull. It is probably also what makes writing a compulsive occupation; some of us are uncomfortable when we are away from our typewriters for any length of time."

"My lifelong ambition, aside from writing, is to finish exploring the American West. This should keep me busy for at least another thirty years, since there is a

Reviews

[Nadja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich liebe einfach diesen Fall, egal in welchem Format!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

original 2010 review - The boys are hired by Fenton Prentice, who seems to be experiencing a haunting in his apartment and whilst there, they get involved in a robbery. When it later comes to light that what was stolen, a crystal statue of The Carpathian Hound (the invisible dog of the title), belonged to Prentice, the boys have a bigger case to crack. Probably my favourite of the entire series, Carey perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the post-Christmas period and her sense of location here is superb - the park, the church and Paseo Place are all vividly described. The story zips along, from the superb opening sequence right through to the climax, with plenty of well-drawn characters and some excellent set pieces (including an encounter in the church). This also gains credit by having two supernatural events (an out-of-body wanderer and the cover-star phantom priest, the latter of which inspires the great last line) that are presented ‘just so’, with no attempt to explain them away. Rich, well paced and with a good mystery at its heart, this is an excellent book and very highly recommended.
2014 update - I stand completely with the original review, especially the sense of Christmas that Carey achieves and the stand-out sequence with the phantom priest in the church. Filled with beautiful detail (such as “Through the open curtains Jupe could see the church next door. The organ no longer boomed and children's voices could be heard in the street; apparently choir practice was over.” and a policeman remarking “Things have been really weird on this block the last couple of days”), this features a welcome cameo from “Singing Serpent” and “Haunted Mirror”’s Dr Bannister and a superb sense of location. Great stuff, a wonderful read and very highly recommended.
2015 update - In complete agreement once more, a superb tale well told. Very much recommended!
2016 update - Superb, a great and gripping read. Brilliant.
2017 update - A fantastic read, a great mystery and wonderfully seasonal! Very highly recommended.
2018 update - terrific fun, a cracking read with a solid mystery at its core. Hugely recommended.
2019 update - I never tire of this book (though I’d also love to read the story the back cover blurb promises) and, as always, highly recommend it.
2020 update - Superb, as always, though it was intriguing to read the US hardcover this year and see Paeso Place and the church how others did, rather than my mental image.
2021 update - A wonderful read, well constructed and fantastically told.
2022 update - I read this every year but each time still feels fresh. A terrific read.
2023 update - glorious!

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Three investigators are hounded by supernatural forces as they attempt to recover a stolen sculpture of a legendary wolf-dog.

I have read this series a number of times, and still get total enjoyment out of the stories. They are for me...timeless.

I want to be an honorary member of the group and crawl through tunnel 2 or enter via Red Gate Rover. And sit in the hidden trailer listening to Jupiter regaling the clues of the mystery they are working on.

What else can I say...I have loved this series since I started reading them at the age of 11 (42 years ago), and will probably still be reading them over the next 20 years...if I'm lucky!

If you like the review and would like to read reviews on other books I have read, visit my blog at www.finalchapterreadersgroup.wordpres...... like, comment and follow.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nach dem Lesen habe ich gleich auch noch mal das Hörspiel gehört, da ich sehr fasziniert davon war, dass sie hier den übernatürlichen Teil vollkommen herausgenommen haben. Da ich das Original gelesen habe, würde mich noch interessieren, wie sie das in der deutschen Übersetzung gemacht haben. Ein Justus Jonas, der an Geister und Paranormale Erscheinungen glaubt ist nämlich doch ein bisschen gewöhnungsbedürftig!

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have re-read this book multiple times. It's the one I love the most out of the Three Investigators series. Please read this scene, which still makes me laugh (slightly paraphrased):

(The protagonists ring the bell to the house)
Elmquist: (opens the door) "What? I was sleeping, what do you want?"
Jupiter: "You were in the pool!"
Elmquist: "No, I wasn't" (a drop of water slides down his face from his wet hair) "...I was in the shower"
Jupiter: "No, you were in the pool, there are wet footprints leading to your door"
Elmquist: (looks at the footprints) "Alright, I was in the pool, I had a hard day at work and I wanted to relax"
Mr. Prentice: "Where is [the titular invisible dog, a sculpture]? You thief!"
Elmquist: "I have no idea what you're saying!" (looks at his kitchen)
Jupiter: "It must be in one of the cupboards, you didn't have time to hide it better"
Elmquist: "You're crazy!"
(They say that they will get a warrant, Elmquist says they can't in the middle of the night)
Jupiter: "Fine, we'll wait until morning, and until then, we'll sit in the courtyard, and you will not be able to leave your apartment without being seen"
Elmquist: "What?? You can't do that! That's... that's harassment!"
Jupiter: "No, it's not, there's no law against sitting in the courtyard, from where we can see you leave. Just give us the sculpture"
Elmquist: "......It's in the oven"

[Mandy, Erste ihres Namens, Mutter der Kaninchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richtig guter Krimi! Ich habe das neu erschiene Hörbuch gehört, was hervorragend von Andreas Fröhlich eingelesen wurde. Für Kinder wahrscheinlich zu schwierig zu verstehen. Für die „großen Kinder“ dagegen sehr zu empfehlen und erinnert an die guten alten Sherlock Holmes Romane :)

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had quite a few unusual twists. First off, the cover and title were very misleading. I was expecting some type of "ghost dog", but it was actually a crystal sculpture that was just so clear it was invisible (that's not a spoiler, just part of the story.)

Also, the idea of astral projection is pretty much taken as fact in this story. I thought it was strange that something supernatural was accepted so easily in the story, but that's pretty much what happened. And also, there's a ghost in the story that's never "debunked", so the idea of ghosts is also taken as (somewhat) fact.

Most of the Three Investigators stories are "Scooby-Dooish" in nature, as the monsters and ghosts are usually found to be people with schemes. Only one other time do I remember that not being the case, as the boys encountered Bigfoot, and it was never proven to be otherwise.

The story itself was decent as is most of the Three Investigator mysteries. I'm not sure how to take the supernatural elements. I myself love supernatural horror stories, but when it starts to encroach into books that have always been more straight forward it sometimes feels out of place. Overall though, this was another enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next in the series.

[Nadja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Auch im Hörbuchformat genial! Ich liebe die Atmosphäre rund um den Pool mit all den verschiedenen Hausbewohnern. Ich weiss jedes mal wieder nicht, welcher es war und so ist die Folge immer wieder spannend. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass ich in ein paar Jahren das Buch auch noch lesen werde. Es gibt sicherlich viele Clues zu entdecken und ich habe sicher nicht alles davon nur durchs Zuhören aufnehmen können.
PS. Andreas Fröhlich ist als Erzähler natürlich einfach spitze!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

original 2010 review - The boys are hired by Fenton Prentice, who seems to be experiencing a haunting in his apartment and whilst there, they get involved in a robbery. When it later comes to light that what was stolen, a crystal statue of The Carpathian Hound (the invisible dog of the title), belonged to Prentice, the boys have a bigger case to crack. Probably my favourite of the entire series, Carey perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the post-Christmas period and her sense of location here is superb - the park, the church and Paseo Place are all vividly described. The story zips along, from the superb opening sequence right through to the climax, with plenty of well-drawn characters and some excellent set pieces (including an encounter in the church). This also gains credit by having two supernatural events (an out-of-body wanderer and the cover-star phantom priest, the latter of which inspires the great last line) that are presented ‘just so’, with no attempt to explain them away. Rich, well paced and with a good mystery at its heart, this is an excellent book and very highly recommended.
2014 update - I stand completely with the original review, especially the sense of Christmas that Carey achieves and the stand-out sequence with the phantom priest in the church. Filled with beautiful detail (such as “Through the open curtains Jupe could see the church next door. The organ no longer boomed and children's voices could be heard in the street; apparently choir practice was over.” and a policeman remarking “Things have been really weird on this block the last couple of days”), this features a welcome cameo from “Singing Serpent” and “Haunted Mirror”’s Dr Bannister and a superb sense of location. Great stuff, a wonderful read and very highly recommended.
2015 update - In complete agreement once more, a superb tale well told. Very much recommended!
2016 update - Superb, a great and gripping read. Brilliant.
2017 update - A fantastic read, a great mystery and wonderfully seasonal! Very highly recommended.
2018 update - terrific fun, a cracking read with a solid mystery at its core. Hugely recommended.
2019 update - I never tire of this book (though I’d also love to read the story the back cover blurb promises) and, as always, highly recommend it.
2020 update - Superb, as always, though it was intriguing to read the US hardcover this year and see Paeso Place and the church how others did, rather than my mental image.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Buch ist objektiv vielleicht kein perfektes Buch, aber ich liebe es einfach sehr. Die Hörspiel Folge "und der Karpatenhund" ist meine Lieblingsfolge, die ich bestimmt schon zehnmal gehört habe. Jetzt, wo das Buch als Hörbuch von Andreas Fröhlich aufgenommen wurde, habe ich mir auch das angehört - und bin genau so verliebt wie in das Hörspiel.
Die Charaktere sind wunderbar, alle überzeichnet, aber auf ihre Art liebenswert. Alles ist so lebhaft beschrieben, dass ich immer genau die Handlung vor Augen hatte.
Andreas Fröhlich liest das Buch auch wundervoll vor. Er spricht jede Person ein wenig anders, sodass es teilweise gar nicht auffällt, dass es alles der gleiche Sprecher (bis auf Albert Hitfield) ist.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This mystery started out so well! I was prepared to love it all the way through. It had an intriguing cast of characters/suspects, three overlapping mysteries, and historical context that provided some additional depth. Unfortunately, the resolution of the mysteries was rushed and unsatisfying.

For me, mystery stories are compelling due to two primary elements:

1. The excitement of solving the mystery alongside the detective(s), sorting through the author's clues to determine whodunnit.
2. The awe involved in the author's ability to - without resorting to cheap tricks or disingenuous plot devices - pull the story to an unexpected conclusion.

On the one hand, the author must give the readers enough information to make solving the mystery possible. On the other hand, the author should be a few steps ahead of the reader at all times, weaving a story that doesn't seem terribly obvious after the first few pages. It's a delicate balance, and I think the genre is dismissed too easily as pulp fiction. A truly proficient mystery author - such as Dorothy Sayers - also writes excellent literature.

I'm not arguing that mystery stories written for children and young adults should be literary (I'll save debate over that term for a later time), but the mixing of the mystery genre and a typically imaginative, open-minded audience can yield fantastic results.

The Three Investigators series is, on average, an enjoyable example of engaging, creative storytelling aimed at youthful readers. Since the books are written by a variety of authors, the quality can vary quite a bit. The Mystery of the Invisible Dog, despite positive reviews I'd read before picking it up for my nephew, fails to reach its potential.

BE WARNED: HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD!

As I mentioned earlier, there are three mysteries in this particular tale.

1. A burglar steals a crystal sculpture of a dog - worth $10,000+ to the owner.
2. A mysterious figure seems to have the ability to walk through walls while asleep and to see things of which he should have no knowledge.
3. A ghost of the parish priest appears to several characters, despite repeated assurances that ghosts are not real.

And how are these mysteries solved?

1. While the identity of the burglar was fun to untangle, the "invisible" aspect was worthy of a little eye-rolling. The burglar hid the statue by lowering it with a string to the bottom of the apartment complex's pool, then poisoned and frightened away anyone who showed an urge to go near the water. I'll go ahead and swallow the logic that an elaborately carved crystal statue (with red-rimmed eyes and other features that had been described earlier) will be invisible in water, because...
2. The mysterious figure ACTUALLY HAS the ability to walk through walls while asleep and to see things of which he should have no knowledge. In other words, there is no mystery. There's no secret passageway or hidden twin or more creative explanation. I spent the entire book eagerly waiting to see how the author would unveil the truth, only to find out that it was just a supernatural element thrown in for no particular reason. This character was discarded as the burglary suspect very early on, and his supernatural ability didn't even play an important role in the action as a whole. He was a completely extraneous character.
3. Speaking of which, that ghost? EVEN LESS IMPORTANT. The ghost, despite prominently appearing on the cover of my edition, impacts absolutely nothing in the story. He appears once, is talked of a few times, and, at the end of the story, is brushed aside as a mystery they'll never find out about.

It's meant to be clever, I think: a bit of commentary on how sometimes there are mysteries in this world which will remain unsolved. But in the context of this story, it felt lazy instead. Overall, it seemed as though the author sat down and thought of some exciting mysteries without factoring in the need to solve them or to truly tie them together. (For example, if you're going to throw in a ghost, shouldn't it be connected somehow to the history of the Carpathian Hound, which had a ghost story wrapped up with it? Why include a random priest?) By the end of the book, the author had just thrown up her hands and sent the burglar to jail while sidelining everything else. In the future, I'll steer clear of the Three Investigators books penned by M.V. Carey.

[Jule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Stimme, die in meinem Kopf liest, klingt leider nicht halb so gut wie die von Andreas Fröhlich :(

[Rajeev Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one gave me a much more potent dose of nostalgia than I had bargained for. It didn't help that Fenton Prentice said to the boys in the beginning, ''I'm being haunted.'' I wanted to groan that I was no longer the teen who got goosebumps on reading such trite statements. But M V Carey did a good job of weaving a story that got me hooked before I knew it and had me reading it a breathless pace for a while. As always, Jupiter is the smartest of the lot, even outsmarting adults; Bob is the studious one and Pete brings in the comic relief along with his athleticism. Alfred Hitchcock wrapped it up nicely with another of his arguments about the phantom priest, reminding me of The Pool of the Old One in ''Moaning Cave'''and the monster in ''Monster Mountain.''

I wish I had never aged past the 90s when The Three Investigators gave me some of the best moments of my life. I hear that the series has gone on to a hundred books in German but I highly doubt if they have the magic of Robert Arthur, William Arden and M V Carey. I recall buying four fat TTI books at a store in Allahabad where I was brought up, each one having three novels combined. Sadly, today's booksellers don't even know the name of the series, let alone have the titles. For India at least, I think the market for these books and their less intelligent siblings, The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, was killed off by Harry Potter. The current generation is of course more obsessed with smartphones and game apps than the unalloyed pleasure of reading.

[Trey · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is wrong with M. V. Carey? She has a very shaky grasp on how to handle The Three Investigators. Under no circumstances should the solution to the mysteries contain any sort of parapsychology or mystical phenomena. This makes two books she's ruined so far (The Mystery of Monster Mountain being the other). I'm apoplectic with rage over this. If she was still alive, I'd write her a sternly worded letter. Since she's not, I'll have to hope her ghost trolls Goodreads.

[Nadja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immer wieder einfach nur toll!

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im dritten Fall der Hörspielreihe (#23 der Original-Buchreihe und #21 der deutschen Buchreihe) bekommen es Justus Jonas, Peter Shaw und Bob Andrews mit einem Auftrag zu tun, der gleich mehrere Fälle in einem zu verbinden scheint: der sehr beunruhigte Mr. Prentice wird in seiner Wohnung immer wieder von mysteriösen Lichtblitzen heimgesucht und wendet sich in seiner Verzweiflung an die drei Fragezeichen, um den Grund für dieses Phänomen ausfindig zu machen. Fast zeitgleich wird aus seinem Besitz eine wertvolle gläserne Skulptur, nämlich die des titelgebenden "Karpatenhundes" gestohlen. Zudem kommt es in der Wohnanlage von Mr. Prentice zu einer verheerenden Anschlagserie, bei der das Leben der Bewohner in große Gefahr gerät...

Es handelt sich also wieder um eine sehr vollgepackte Folge der drei Fragezeichen und bei der recht kurzen Laufzeit von rund 45 Minuten geht es somit von Beginn an wieder hoch her, was manchmal etwas überhastet wirkt. Trotzdem ist der Fall (bzw. die Fälle) spannend konstruiert und abwechslungsreich und wird zudem auch dadurch interessant, dass die Geschichte praktisch an einem einzigen Schauplatz spielt und das Ermittlertrio z.T. mit sehr klassischen Detektivmethoden wie einer nächtlichen Überwachungsaktion oder dem Einsatz einer Substanz, welche durch Verfärbungen an den Händen Diebe überführen kann, an die Sache herangehen. Am Ende werden alle Elemente gut miteinander verknüpft, wenngleich die Auflösung ein wenig aus dem Nichts kommt und nicht unbedingt abzuleiten war. Dennoch eine gute und sehr kurzweilige Folge.

[Dion Yulianto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiba tiba saja kangen baca Trio Detektif. Lalu bongkar timbunan dan nemu edisi ini, terbitan 1987 amboi. Baca Trio Detektif itu biasanya siap siap dikecewakan. Maksudnya bukan dikecewakan cerita, tetapi judul. Hampir setiap serinya punya judul yang serem tapi bikin penasaran krn agak2 gaib gt. Tapi Jupiter selalu punya cara untuk membuktikan bahwa semua misteri itu hanyalah ulah manusia. Lihat sampul dan judul seri ini misalnya, kirain bakal ada anjing siluman beneran ehhh ternyata anjingnya hany patun. Anjay .... Tapi, untungnya ending buku ini agak beda. Masih ada misteri ketiga yg belum terjawab, dan Jupiter sepertinya terpaksa harua membiarkannya tetap sebagai misteri.

[Eva]

Gelesen von Andreas Fröhlich.

[Rinnerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schönes Hörbuch, aber wie immer, das Hörspiel gefällt mir noch besser :)

[Marielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

what being into crypto does to a mf

[Nana Nat]

Hach, Nostalgieflash!

[Michi Maus · Rating 4 out of 5]

03 - Audiobook Spotify

[Lars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wirklich in jedem Format einer der besten drei ??? Fälle.

[selvansoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mein Lieblingsfall der drei Jungs. Ein absoluter Klassiker! Bis zum Ende wusste ich nicht, wer der „Böse“ ist, ein super Fall :)

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

original 2010 review - The boys are hired by Fenton Prentice, who seems to be experiencing a haunting in his apartment and whilst there, they get involved in a robbery. When it later comes to light that what was stolen, a crystal statue of The Carpathian Hound (the invisible dog of the title), belonged to Prentice, the boys have a bigger case to crack. Probably my favourite of the entire series, Carey perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the post-Christmas period and her sense of location here is superb - the park, the church and Paseo Place are all vividly described. The story zips along, from the superb opening sequence right through to the climax, with plenty of well-drawn characters and some excellent set pieces (including an encounter in the church). This also gains credit by having two supernatural events (an out-of-body wanderer and the cover-star phantom priest, the latter of which inspires the great last line) that are presented ‘just so’, with no attempt to explain them away. Rich, well paced and with a good mystery at its heart, this is an excellent book and very highly recommended.
2014 update - I stand completely with the original review, especially the sense of Christmas that Carey achieves and the stand-out sequence with the phantom priest in the church. Filled with beautiful detail (such as “Through the open curtains Jupe could see the church next door. The organ no longer boomed and children's voices could be heard in the street; apparently choir practice was over.” and a policeman remarking “Things have been really weird on this block the last couple of days”), this features a welcome cameo from “Singing Serpent” and “Haunted Mirror”’s Dr Bannister and a superb sense of location. Great stuff, a wonderful read and very highly recommended.
2015 update - In complete agreement once more, a superb tale well told. Very much recommended!
2016 update - Superb, a great and gripping read. Brilliant.
2017 update - A fantastic read, a great mystery and wonderfully seasonal! Very highly recommended.
2018 update - terrific fun, a cracking read with a solid mystery at its core. Hugely recommended.

[Jeff Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH&T3I Update: 23 read, and 5 hardbacks to go (plus 15 paperbacks):

I am not as big of a fan of Mary Virginia (M.V.) Carey as I am of series creator Robert Arthur or multi-title series author Dennis Lynds (aka William Arden). For a second time now, she introduces something supernatural and then does not fully explain it. She did that in the Monster Mountain book (#20) and she did it again with the Invisible Dog mystery. So what is the problem with that--the book is after all a piece of fiction and kids' fiction at that. Why must everything be explained in terms of what is, or could be, real? Well, it is a very cheap way out of a solution! It is not very believable and leads people to shake their heads and laughing rather than singing the praises of an otherwise well-written book. This tale did not need the supernatural explanation--the plot pieces, characters, and realistic plausible explanations were there to be used if the author had so chose to use them. To some degree the author did use some plausible explanations as proof of the final solution, but just when the reader thinks that the reasonable realistic solution is correct, the author throws in a zinger and tries to argue that the realistic solution could not really be true and that the supernatural option is really the solution. Whatever--the book was still fun to read. Just keep in mind, even a T3I book like this is still on par with many of the Hardy Boys books which routinely use these sort of supernatural explanations for their solutions. The cast of potential bad guys in this tale is a small tight group and plot twists mean that the reader remains guessing at the solution for most of the book. Many of the normal T3I elements are present in the text, and with the exception of the supernatural partial explanation, this book is a good addition to the Three Investigators book series. So overall, the book is a fun, enjoyable, even if not totally believable, kids mystery book, but then you probably already knew that!

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

2019
Crystal hounds, astral-projected bodies, and phantom priests. This book certainly has it all! The Three Investigators are hired by Fenton Prentiss because he believes a spirit is haunting him. This spirit wanders around his apartment without using any doors. And he cannot figure out how the spirit is getting in and out of his place. The boys begin with that investigation, but it rapidly turns into a hunt for a stolen art piece, the Carpathian Hound. It was stolen before it could be displayed in an art showcase and Fenton is desperate to get it back.

This has always been one of my favorite Three Investigators novels. I loved the mystery and intrigue, the fantasy elements and the mystique. And I especially loved how the thief hid the Carpathian Hound until it could be safely recovered (it was so clever!). Plus, the ending where one of the three fantasy elements couldn't be explained was always one of my favorite parts. There are things out there that cannot be logically explained. And I love it.

2015

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's funny is that in earlier reviews, I stated my opinion that the series could do with some actual paranormal events. And now that a second book in the series has done exactly that, I'm left feeling that I must have echoed the editor's thoughts back when these books were being written.

This book is slightly lesser than the previous ones, though still enjoyable. The problem is that the mysteries are getting more complex, to the point where the reader is not given enough information to try and suss out the solution on their own.

Also, in an attempt to reproduce the editorial process again, I'm starting to wonder, now that I've read more than half of the books, why the Headquarters is always described as having a lab and photo developing tools, yet not once have these actually been used.

[Ellie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Both of the ??? books I rated I actually read trying to find a certain book I read ages ago. (I didn't succeed) While with the Stuttering Parrot, the book was cute enough to justify spending a few subway rides with it, this one certainly wasn't. Using paranormal activity and even disguising it as something actually studied at an university ('half our professors think she's a loony, of course') is just not cool.

[Redwan Hasan · Rating 2 out of 5]

60% through the book and you can guess what's gonna happen, not good for detective stories.