Passage Publishing
The Hardy Boys: The Missing Chums, Hunting for Hidden Gold, and the The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon
$55.95
$69.95
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The classics from Franklin W. Dixon return with the fourth, fifth, and sixth books from the famed series The Hardy Boys. Passage is proud to present: The Missing Chums, Hunting for Hidden Gold, and The Shore Road Mystery.
The Hardy Boys series was originally conceived by publisher Edward Stratemeyer in 1926. Stratemeyer outlined the books and characters then hired Canadian author Charles Leslie McFarlane to serve as the initial ghostwriter for the series, working under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon. The first Hardy Boys book, The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure, was published in 1927.
The series was a massive success. Dozens of new Hardy Boys books were commissioned in the following decades, written by McFarlane and his successors. However, beginning in the late 1950s, long after Stratemeyer's death and McFarlane's departure from the series, the publisher began a concerted effort to rewrite the original Hardy Boys books and bring them in line with "modern" sensibilities. Politically incorrect content was removed, the writing was simplified, and the plots were made more formulaic.
These new editions from Passage Press restore books four, five, and six of The Hardy Boys books to their original form, as conceived by Stratemeyer and written by McFarlane. It is our hope that modern audiences will see what parents and children alike saw in these books for decades: The perfect introduction to reading for young people.
In this box set edition...
- Three casebound (hardcover) books: The Hardy Boys: The Missing Chums, The Hardy Boys: Hunting for Hidden Gold, and The Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery
- 55lb cream paper, sewn signatures
- An illustrious slipcase, UV grit coated
Free U.S. shipping on orders over $75. International shipping available. 30-day return policy for undamaged items.
Real Reviews
★★★★★
3.65 average (34 ratings)
★★★★★December 2025
Anazing you guys rock
★★★★★February 2019
Amazing characters! Skillful detailed plot, along with picturisque settings. In this Hardy Boys Adventure titled, THE MISSING CHUMS, by Franklin W. Dixon, Frank and Joe, the Hardy brothers, have a fun and also intriguing time trying to come up with a way to solve a growing mystery in Bayport. Things were happening. What were these things? By whom were these things happening, and why?
Joe was working on a motorcycle when Frank came into the garage letting him know that Chief Collig had telephoned. The boys were given an assignment. Excitement filled both of them. Finally a mystery! But, what did it curtail? Was someone kidnapped? A theft in progress? Or worse?
Lets follow Frank and Joe Hardy as they lead us to the missing clues that may also lead into surprising suspense, with the postcard puzzle, to a midnight caller, then to the desolate island and a little danger along the way. With a few detective skills will Frank and Joe find their two missing buddies? To save the boys from the enemies, Frank and Joe will have to try and outsmart these criminals. But, because of the missing masks and costumes, how will they be able to apprehend these evil-doers? Great read!
Joe was working on a motorcycle when Frank came into the garage letting him know that Chief Collig had telephoned. The boys were given an assignment. Excitement filled both of them. Finally a mystery! But, what did it curtail? Was someone kidnapped? A theft in progress? Or worse?
Lets follow Frank and Joe Hardy as they lead us to the missing clues that may also lead into surprising suspense, with the postcard puzzle, to a midnight caller, then to the desolate island and a little danger along the way. With a few detective skills will Frank and Joe find their two missing buddies? To save the boys from the enemies, Frank and Joe will have to try and outsmart these criminals. But, because of the missing masks and costumes, how will they be able to apprehend these evil-doers? Great read!
★★★★★July 2016
A great Hardy Boys adventure featuring bank robbers, a kidnapping and lots of fun and adventure on the Sleuth. One of our favourites featuring Chet and Tony!
★★★★★July 2016
This 6th instalment of the Hardy Boys is an exciting story of car theft full of mystery adventure, misadventure and fun. The authors were apparently quite proud of it because in the next volume 7, The Secret of the Cave, it is mentioned on nearly every other page. It is probably in my top 3 Hardy stories and a fun, exciting read. Frank and Joe are always fun to follow and as always there are cliff-hangers aplenty. Good luck getting your son to go to bed between chapters!
★★★★★September 2020
100% nostalgia rating
Kris's recent read of the first Nancy Drew book left me itching to return to the world of teen sleuths that I loved so much as a kid. And while I read Nancy Drew books, my true love was (and will ever be) the Hardy Boys.
I only had book #4 on hand but I figured, why not? I expected to mock the story senseless (and I sort of have been in my status updates...) But what I didn't expect was the giant wave of nostalgia that hit me as I read.
I can't really express how many Hardy Boys books I read growing up. I devoured the original series. And every one of the Hardy Boys Classified books. And the The Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers. And every Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys team up. And the graphic novels. And, well, everything in between.
I wrote Hardy Boys fan fiction. I daydreamed about joining American Teens Against Crime.
Frank Hardy was one of my first book crushes and always my favorite. (Until I turned 17 and fell hard for Shaun Cassidy who plays Joe in the TV show.)
And just...for a lonely bookworm, they were my pals and Bayport my playground.
So while I found plenty to mock in this novel, particularly with how irresponsible all the adults are and useless...
Kris's recent read of the first Nancy Drew book left me itching to return to the world of teen sleuths that I loved so much as a kid. And while I read Nancy Drew books, my true love was (and will ever be) the Hardy Boys.
I only had book #4 on hand but I figured, why not? I expected to mock the story senseless (and I sort of have been in my status updates...) But what I didn't expect was the giant wave of nostalgia that hit me as I read.
I can't really express how many Hardy Boys books I read growing up. I devoured the original series. And every one of the Hardy Boys Classified books. And the The Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers. And every Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys team up. And the graphic novels. And, well, everything in between.
I wrote Hardy Boys fan fiction. I daydreamed about joining American Teens Against Crime.
Frank Hardy was one of my first book crushes and always my favorite. (Until I turned 17 and fell hard for Shaun Cassidy who plays Joe in the TV show.)
And just...for a lonely bookworm, they were my pals and Bayport my playground.
So while I found plenty to mock in this novel, particularly with how irresponsible all the adults are and useless...
★★★★★July 2026
The fourth exciting adventure in the Hardy Boys series takes a more personal turn as 2 of their best friends are kidnapped. Lots of gun play, a mysterious island filled with deadly snakes and frightening caves provides for a very suspense filled case.
★★★★★July 2022
Hunting for Hidden Gold was the fifth book in the famous Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series that the Stratemeyer Syndicate produced. It was written by Leslie McFarlane under the house name Franklin W. Dixon and was published in 1928. In 1963, under the direction of Edward Stratemeyer's daughter Harriet Adams, Alistair Hunter wrote a completely new novel under the same name and title to replace the original. The newer book was supposed to update the story for modern readers, remove racial stereotypes, and incorporate more modern tropes and images. I read the revised version as a child, and now have re-read it back-to-back with the original in order to compare the two versions. In the newer book the Boys travel by plane and helicopter rather than by train and automobile, though they go to Montana to search for the titular hidden gold and ride horses in both books. The original book starts with an ice-skating excursion with their pals near home, and they're rather improbably introduced to a character from Montana when his cabin is picked up by a storm that almost lands on top of them like the Wicked Witch. In the new one, they're simply wandering in the woods looking for a likely site...
★★★★★May 2023
The Missing Chums was the fourth novel in The Hardy Boys series. It was written by Leslie McFarlane under the Stratemeyer Syndicate pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon and was published in 1928 by Grosset & Dunlap. Stratemeyer's daughter Harriet Adams oversaw the revision of the first thirty-eight books in the series from 1959-'73, some of which were just edited and updated, and some of which were replaced completely. This is one from the latter category... a wholly new and completely different novel written by James Buechler was published with the same title, byline, and cover illustration in 1962 with many of the same characters but not much else in common except for adventure on an island involving boats and caves. I read the original and then the revision back-to-back. The original book had twenty-three chapters and was 214 pages long, while the reboot had 175 pages (including several illustrations) in twenty chapters. It was one of the most popular books in the series, with one of the largest cast of characters, including the introduction of Aunt Gertrude. The story is about criminals mistaking two of the Hardy friends for Frank and Joe and kidnapping them to blackmail their father...
★★★★★May 2023
4 Stars. When it comes to the young adult 'Hardy Boy' mysteries, murder and thriller aficionados will recognize the style of Franklin W. Dixon - whoever he may be. Two modern authors who I enjoy a great deal might be good comparisons - in an adult fashion of course. John Sandford with his exciting 'Lucas Davenport' series, and James Patterson and his 'Alex Cross' adventures. I don't like the word formula, but how about this? Start fast, make the first problem seem easy, add complications, throw-in a seemingly unrelated issue or two, put the heroes in danger, and resolve it all with their initiative. That's "The Missing Chums." Bayport Police Chief Collig asks Frank and Joe to reconnoitre a shantytown of shacks and tents which had recently sprung up near the beach. Violence has broken out. No one will think of them as police; can they discover what's causing it? At about the same time, Callie and Iola, their girlfriends at high school, are planning a dress-up party. Frank is going as a gorilla and Joe a magician. When Chet comes in a gorilla costume too, and then disappears leaving his yellow jalopy still parked at Callie's, we're off to the races. Lots of fun. (May 2023)
★★★★★January 2019
The only thing that could make summer vacation better for Frank and Joe Hardy is a mystery, and one is handed to them by Chief Collig when he asks them to go undercover at the homeless encampment outside of town and find out what is causing the increased fighting down there. Before the teens can begin their assignment, they witness a bank robbery, however. Then, after a costume party hosted by Callie Shaw and Iola Morton, their friends Chet and Biff vanish. Can the brothers figure out what happened to their friends? Are all these events connected?
I was a bit worried that the book had bitten off more than it could successfully resolve, but it did a good job of reigning in these plots and bringing them to a successful conclusion. I enjoyed seeing how Frank and Joe figured things out and successfully wrapped everything up. The characters are shallow as always, but it's not something I remember as a kid, so I bet today's kids will not notice either. They might notice how dated some elements are, including the word "chum" in the title. However, that kind of things never stopped me as a kid, and I bet most will get caught up in the fast-moving action of the story.
Read my full review...
I was a bit worried that the book had bitten off more than it could successfully resolve, but it did a good job of reigning in these plots and bringing them to a successful conclusion. I enjoyed seeing how Frank and Joe figured things out and successfully wrapped everything up. The characters are shallow as always, but it's not something I remember as a kid, so I bet today's kids will not notice either. They might notice how dated some elements are, including the word "chum" in the title. However, that kind of things never stopped me as a kid, and I bet most will get caught up in the fast-moving action of the story.
Read my full review...
★★★★★April 2020
When their dad requests their help, Frank and Joe Hardy are only too happy to jump on a plane to Montana. Fenton Hardy is on the trail of a gang of thieves, but before they leave, Frank and Joe also hear about some gold that’s been lost in the area for years. With danger attacking even before they land in Montana, the brothers have to figure out who the mole in town in, where the gang is hiding, and possibly find time for a treasure hunt. Can they do it?
It’s fun to revisit these characters even as an adult. The action starts almost immediately and never really lets up, not that I’m complaining. There was even one part of the plot that the Hardys couldn’t figure out right away, which was a nice change. The characters are thin, and we don’t see much of the usual supporting players. There are definitely some dated references, but as long as kids know the book is older, they should be fine with it. I know I had fun revisiting these characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
It’s fun to revisit these characters even as an adult. The action starts almost immediately and never really lets up, not that I’m complaining. There was even one part of the plot that the Hardys couldn’t figure out right away, which was a nice change. The characters are thin, and we don’t see much of the usual supporting players. There are definitely some dated references, but as long as kids know the book is older, they should be fine with it. I know I had fun revisiting these characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
★★★★★June 2024
The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon is the sixth book in the Hardy Boys series.
(I learned about this late, so I am reading them out of order :))
Anyways, it is another classic Hardy Boys adventure with a combination of car thefts, hidden treasures, and a potential smuggling ring, all tackled by the resourceful brothers.
(I learned about this late, so I am reading them out of order :))
Anyways, it is another classic Hardy Boys adventure with a combination of car thefts, hidden treasures, and a potential smuggling ring, all tackled by the resourceful brothers.