Customer Reviews
"Maybe I can give you a tip where to find your father, said Pretzel Pete" 
2008-05-25
I had expected the second installment of The Hardy Boys to be not unlike the first. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the differences between the two books. Whereas the first book moved at a moderate pace, the second moved much quicker as there was a tremendous amount of action and even suspense. The Tower Treasure dealt mostly with a passive mystery which the Hardy Boys were following, picking up clues as they went. Here, in The House on the Cliff, the mystery is quite active and the boys are participants in its various stages pushing it along to its conclusion.
The scene is slightly removed from their town of Bayport. An old, abandoned house looms over a cliff is where Mr Hardy suggests is a good place for his sons, and their friends, to set up a telescope to keep an eye out on the ocean to try and spot traces of a smuggling ring. No sooner have the boys done this but they begin to hear screaming from the abandoned home. The mystery is off and running...
Characters such as Callie, Iola and Mrs Hardy take on a much lesser role than they had during the first book, while Pretzel Pete and a few other interesting figures are introduced. The disappearance of Mr Hardy, attempted murder, lots and lots of mayhem, culminate in a hostage situation that includes the boys, but in the end the bad are caught and the good go on to figure out...The Secret of the Old Mill.
The House On The Cliff, A mystery worth reading 2007-10-29
The book The House On The Cliff, was the second Hardy Boys book I read. The House On The Cliff is more interesting to read then Franklin Dixon's first book, The Tower Treasure, because it has more details. The House On The Cliff also has really good cliff hangers that makes you want to keep reading.
Frank and Joe are told by their father Fenton Hardy to go look at the Old Pollitt Place to try to spot smugglers. Fenton Hardy gets captured and Joe and Frank with their friends go looking for him. I don't want to give away the good parts, so you have to read the book yourself.
If you like mysteries like I do you will really enjoy reading this book.
The Case of the Hardy Boys: An Adult Reader's Thoughts On The House On The Cliff 
2007-06-11
Written by Leslie McFarlane from an outline by publisher Edward Stratemeyer, THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF--the second book in the Hardy Boys series--was first published in 1927. In the late 1950s the earliest novels in the series were re-written to make the characters more consistent and keep the books contemporary; even so, this is 1950s contemporary, and readers will not find computers, cell phones, and the like in the original series. The characters are also very distinctly of their era, with Frank and Joe Hardy, their friends, and their parents reflecting then-popular ideas about good and bad, family relationships, and the like.
In this particular story, detective father Fenton Hardy has asked sons Frank and Joe to visit the "Old Pollit place," an empty house on a cliff that commands a view of the bay, to look for possible smugglers. The Hardy Boys books are written to a specific formula, so certain elements repeat from book to book--but even so, THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF is one of the more unexpected books in the series. The boys encounter possible smugglers, experience a theft, run afoul of a landslide, and rescue a drowning man--and that's just the first four chapters! The entire book is written at a very fast pace, so it is an enjoyable quick read.
No one would accuse the Hardy Boys books of being great literature. They are distinctly formula in both plot and style. Even so, the books are brightly written and never talk down to their target audience--and older readers who enjoyed them in their childhood will find it a pleasing bit of nostalgia. THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF is among the best in the series, entertaining, mindless fun.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
The House on the Cliff 2006-12-18
The house on the cliff by Franklin .W Dixon.
Is a Hardy .mystery about gangsters. The three detectives are two 17 year old boys and their father. Their names are Fenton, Frank and Joe Hardy. They solve their mysteries in Bayport. I think the book is good for people who like mysteries. My favorite part of the story is when they break free from hostages. I like the book because I like mystery books. The book is about a house on a cliff that has a secret passage to the ocean. I think the theme of the story is problems can be solved if you work on them.
Still a great series of books for kids! 2006-08-24
I loved reading the Hardy Boys when I was a kid and
now I am trying to get my daughter interested in
them too. It's nice to have a series of
books without magic or disrespect of parents.
This book is the first one in the series and it
tells how the boys get involved in their very first
case. My daughter is 10 and she is loving the book!
Action, adventure, mystery and a bit of wit here
and there for added enjoyment. I'm so glad these
books are still available for purchase!
Father Knows Best 2006-04-06
Read by Bill Irwin
approx. 3 hours
2 cassettes
When Mr. Hardy disappears while investigating a mystery surrounding a vacant house rumored to be either haunted or an abode for criminals, the Hardy Boys search for the truth.
THE best Hardy Boys story 2005-10-25
This concerns the original text edition of House On The Cliff. The revised edition is most familiar, but this one is richer in subplots and character development. This book was originally released back in the late 1920's, and is, arguably, the best Hardy Boys book in the entire series. Admittedly this is my personal opinion, but I have read each and every Hardy Boys title (both original and revised text)in the first 58. This story was revised during the first wave revisions of the Hardy Boys back in the late 1950s. If you've never read the original text version of this story, you're in for a treat.
It must be a bad joke! 
2005-09-19
I went to quite o lot of trouble to get the cassettes and was deeply disappointed when I got them and found out that in two items set, one cassette is completely destroyed - the tape is broken in two pieces and creased. I just can't imagine how a seller can write that condition is good, when in fact it is unacceptable!!! What am I supposed to do with such a "good cassettes"???? I tried to contact the seller via Amazon, but never got a reply. Thanks again!
good or not so good 2005-06-16
I thought this novel wasn't half bad then what I had thought it will be. Frank and Joe Hardy take on one of the most difficult mysteries they had ever took on. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes mysteries that are very exciting and interesting to read.
by:
Andrew
Dangerous Smugglers! 2005-03-06
The first of the revised Hardy Boys stories, "The Tower Treasure," was relatively tame, even though there were a couple of moments of near danger. In the second book in the series the danger is turned up; the bad guys have guns and they are not afraid to use them!
Their father, the famous detective Fenton Hardy, invites the Hardy Boys on a case. This time the Hardy Boys accidentally observe smugglers attacking a man on the ocean. Before the boys can see what happens to the man they hear a cry from an abandoned nearby house, which is perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Their search is fruitless, and on returning where they had left an expensive telescope, they discover the eyepieces are missing. The mystery begins.
The smugglers are bringing rare drugs into the country, by means unknown. Fenton Hardy believes the leader of the smugglers to be a tough character named Snattman. Fenton Hardy disappears during the investigation, leaving the boys with an even bigger mystery, and their mother with concerns regarding Fenton's safety.
As happens often with the Hardy Boys, a group of their friends pools their resources to locate the smuggler's hideout along with who the smugglers are. Along the way they discover that their father was kidnapped and held captive by the smugglers, and they may yet murder him!
The exciting conclusion of this book involves the Coast Guard, secret passages, a mysterious cargo ship, and a man named Singh. As the battle between the smugglers, led by Snattman, and the police, the Coast Guard, and Joe, Frank, and Fenton Hardy rages on, everyone is in danger because the smugglers have guns and are not afraid to use them.
While the Hardy Boys have not aged well, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are excellent. The stories were once recommended for children ages 10 to 14. As children are exposed to more violence and seem to require greater levels of stimulation, the recommended age range has move to 9 to 12. I think any child capable of reading some of the challenging words in these books will enjoy them, regardless of how tame most of the action may be. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.
