Customer Reviews
"Joe had to act fast to avoid being crushed beneath the turning wheel!" 
2008-06-16
Granted, this is only the third book in the series, however, I think it is the best thus far! The whole cast is here, Joe and Frank Hardy along with their parents Fenton and Laura (and new introduction of Aunt Gertrude), Friends: Chet, Callie, Iola, and Tony, not to mention regulars: Oscar Smuff and Chief Collig. In this story most characters play a very small role and the adventure mainly revolves around Joe, Frank, and Chet. It is fast-paced as well as entertaining. The events could even be considered relevant to current day issues. Basically, I am trying to say that looking back through the books, some of the events and situations are quite 'dated.' This adventure, however, is not.
The boys take on tracking down a counterfeiting ring that has descended upon Bayport. Meanwhile, their father has a top secret mission of his own and can't tell the boys anything about it. Soon both mysteries intertwine with one another. The boys, their father, and even Chet begin receiving threats. The adventure centers around a company called "Elekton" and the renovated "Old Mill" on their property. High security around this plant doesn't keep saboteurs away and soon the Hardys find themselves searching for The Secret of the Old Mill!
An enjoyable read - published the way it was meant to be. 
2007-06-27
I am not really a politically correct person I guess. I think it was a total travesty to edit and "modernize" these books so that they are more politically correct. History is exactly what it WAS...it should not be edited, changed, or made more palatable to cover up things that were done in the past that might be offensive now. Instead, study history and open up a dialogue about why something changed, etc. It's called LEARNING! Whitewashing does not make things better. With all that said, this really is an enjoyable and breezy read, and the suspense between chapters makes it difficult to put down. Open up your child's mind and imagination with a book; put the computer down and stop the spoon feeding. Thanks so much to Applewood Books for republishing these stories exactly as they were first released...typos and all.
Secret Of The Old Mill 2007-03-11
I have read many Hardy Boys books. From them The Secret Of The Old Mill is one of the best. The Boys have a case of counterfeiters who are using an old mill as the base of their operations. Meanwhile, their father is involved in an highly confidental case(about which the boys come to know later) of a gang of saboteurs who are trying to sabotage an company named Elekton which lies near the old mill. The boys come to know that both the cases are related.Do read this exciting thrill-packed mystery.
Atypical Hardy boys adventure because it was so early in the series. Interesting to read the early development of the characters 2007-03-05
This book is the original story, written in 1927. It was also the third book in the series, and reading it in retrospect, it is easy to see that the long-term plot lines were just being developed. They are still very much portrayed as young boys, they complain about school and play absurd jokes on each other. Chet Morton is portrayed as a practical joker that simply will not let up. The story also has an interesting and absurd event that dates it. The Hardy boys, Chet Morton, Biff Hooper, Tony Prito and Jerry Gilroy are out walking on country roads en route to a picnic. Fed up with Chet's practical jokes, they turn the tables. They capture Chet and "forcibly divested him of his hiking-boots, socks and necktie." The idea that a sixteen-year-old boy would wear a necktie on a hike in the country is absurd now, yet not unusual in the 1920's.
The story itself is typical early Hardy boys, before they became fighters and were knocked unconscious on a regular basis. A gang of counterfeiters has moved into Bayport and the Hardy boys are among the many people who lost money. This is also the episode where they acquire their speedboat "The Sleuth" and it figures prominently in the solution of the case. The boys discover that the counterfeiters are producing the money in an old gristmill and wisely get their father and the police rather than challenge the criminals. The criminals are captured and the Hardy boys are once again praised for their intelligence and detecting ability.
This is an old story that is probably of interest only to people who are interested in the development of the Hardy boys series from the start in the middle of the 1920's to what it is today.
Not Bad 
2006-07-25
As far as this book goes this book isn't bad. While it's not the most exciting book in the series it's still worth a read. That's the great thing about this series you don't have to read them in order to know what is going on so give them all a try no matter which ones you get your hands on first.
The Secret Within the Book 2006-04-02
Read by Bill Irwin
approx. 3 hours
2 cassettes
Determined to learn the secret of the old mill, Frank and Joe employ a clever use to gain entrance and become trapped. There they unravel two mysteries, one involving a counterfeiting case and the other, a national security case their father is working on.
An Amazing Book 2006-04-01
This book consisted of a very well thought out storyline. The Hardy Boys and their friend Chet once more are involved in a mystery. This book I would rate as my favorite one so far. It always kept me in suspense and I never really knew which side Ken Blake was on. Until the end of the book, I was at the edge of my chair. As one of the early Hardy Boy Books, I would rate this the second best.
the hardy boys the secret of the old mill 2006-02-11
I liked the book because it had a lot of adventure in it and mystery. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and adventure. Its for ages 9 and up because it would be kind of hard to read for anyone who is under 9 years old.
The Choice of Fenton 2006-02-05
Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name of the actual author of not only the Hardy Boys series, but also the Nancy Drew mysteries. Since the same person wrote both, here are some puzzling questions to resolve:
1. There are two Hardy boys but only one Drew girl. Why?
2. Fenton Hardy is the Hardy boys' father. Why did F.W.Dixon choose the name Fenton? Is it only a coincidence that Fenton happens to be the name of a suburb of St. Louis, which could be the actual home of "F.W.Dixon's" parents? Makes you wonder...
3. Their friend Chet always has a yellow car. Nero Wolfe loved the color yellow, and always wore yellow shirts. It's most intriguiing that Chet was also written as an overweight character. Could it be that Chet is actually Nero Wolfe's illegitimate son, and hides his genetic genius by secretly counseling the Hardy boys and then insisting that his role be omitted from the books?
4. The final point is most telling: the male detectives are "Hardy," while the female detective is "Drew." "Drew" is, of course, a nickname for Andrew and is also the past tense of the verb "draw." So, males are "Hardy" while the female detective is "drawn," a synonym for pale and unhealthy.
I could go on, but by now you no doubt would rather I did not.
Awesome! 2005-11-27
Frank and Joe have two mysteries to unravel- a counterfeiting case and a national security case that their father is working on. Will they b able to tie up all the loose ends?
