A Figure in Hiding facts for kids
Original edition
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| Author | Franklin W. Dixon |
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| Illustrator | Paul Laune (1937) John Leone (1965) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Hardy Boys |
| Genre | Detective, mystery |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
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Publication date
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May 1, 1937, revised edition 1965 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 212 pp (1937) 192 pp (1965) |
| ISBN | 0-448-08916-5 (reissue) |
| Preceded by | The Sinister Sign Post |
| Followed by | The Secret Warning |
A Figure in Hiding is the 16th book in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series. It was published by Grosset & Dunlap.
This book was first written in 1937 by Leslie McFarlane for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Many of the early Hardy Boys books were updated between 1959 and 1973. This book was rewritten in 1965 by James D. Lawrence. This means there are two different stories with the same title!
Contents
The Mystery Begins (Revised Edition)
The story starts when the Hardy boys, Frank and Joe, leave a baseball field. A blind street seller approaches them with a warning for their dad, Fenton Hardy. Later, the boys take their boat, the Sleuth, out on Barmet Bay. They want to watch a new hydrofoil boat called the Sea Spook being tested.
While watching, they almost crash into the Sea Spook. This gives them a chance to board the boat. There, they find a glass eye. They think it belongs to Mr. Lambert, who was driving the boat. But when they try to find Mr. Lambert, he disappears! The owner of the Sea Spook, Bill Braxton, is then attacked. His boathouse is searched.
Uncovering Clues
Meanwhile, Fenton Hardy looks into the warning from the blind seller, Henry Zatta. It turns out Zatta is only pretending to be fully blind. He is actually working undercover. Fenton believes the warning is about a group of criminals called the Goggler Gang. The Hardys also realize that Mr. Lambert is actually a known criminal named Spotty Lemuel.
An old man named Zachary Mudge interrupts their discussion. He is staying at Doc Grafton's Health Farm. This is a fancy resort overlooking Barmet Bay. Mr. Mudge tells them he wants to buy the Sea Spook.
The boys decide to pick up their girlfriends, Callie and Iola, from a movie. When they arrive, they see a man dressed like a member of the Goggler Gang. He is running away with the movie theater's cashbox. They catch the man, but he gets away before the police arrive.
Strange Encounters
Later, the boys travel up the river in the Sleuth. They plan to talk to Mrs. Lunberry. Her valuable Jeweled Siva was recently stolen. Their father is going to take on her case.
When they return, their friend Chet Morton calls them. Chet has a summer job at Doc Grafton’s Health Farm. He asks them to come to the resort. As they travel, they keep seeing suspicious new green cars. These cars are called Torpedo sedans.
When they get to the health farm, Chet tells them something surprising. He says someone is planning to kidnap them! But he leaves them guessing until Callie and Iola arrive. Then Chet reveals it was a joke. They are "kidnapping" them for a beach party.
The Goggler Gang Connection
The clue about the green Torpedo cars leads them to Izmir Motors. This company is owned by Malcolm Izmir. The boys try to reach Mr. Izmir’s house. But his guard dogs attack them. They have to climb a tree to escape!
Finally, the butler comes out and calls the dogs away. The Hardys get to talk to Malcolm Izmir. He tells them he has been getting threatening notes. When the boys return home, they find their house has been broken into. Their father's safe has been forced open. Their Aunt Gertrude is found unable to move or speak. There is a note calling her a "blabber mouth."
Solving the Case
Chief Collig tells them that the movie theater robber was Nick Cordoza. He also broke into Mr. Izmir’s house. But Mr. Izmir did not want to press charges. The boys also learn from Mr. Mudge that the Izmir company is now broke.
They start to suspect that Doc Grafton’s resort is a hideout for criminals. They think the criminals are changing their appearance there. This idea comes from Chet. He saw something strange in a forbidden building at the Health Farm. The boys also guess that Mr. Izmir is the leader of the Goggler Gang. His name, Mal I, sounds like "evil eye."
Fenton Hardy goes undercover at the resort. Chet and the Hardy boys investigate by sneaking onto the Health Farm. They all end up captured by Spotty Lemuel and Rip Sinder. Luckily, Chet calls the police. The police arrive and arrest the villains. They also arrest several other criminals staying at the Health Farm.
Original Story (1937 Edition)
In the original story, Frank, Joe, and Chet go to a movie. Afterward, the theater is robbed. The boys then meet their father, Fenton Hardy, at a hotel. They spy on two men, Rip Sinder and Spotty Lemuel. These men are part of a gang called the "Eye Syndicate." This gang is run by a fake doctor named Grafton. He performs fake medical treatments on people.
During their spying, Lemuel accidentally tells Sinder's daughter, Virginia, that she was adopted. Virginia runs away. Later, their friend Chet is wrongly arrested for the robbery. The real thief was Nick Cordoza. Chet runs away to Boston.
Fenton Hardy plans to catch Grafton using marked money. But Grafton recognizes his own long-lost father and runs away. The boys find Virginia at a garage. They try to stop her from escaping. But they get into a car accident. Grafton and his assistant try to trap them. But the Hardy boys fight them off. They escape and the police arrive to arrest the criminals. Virginia is reunited with her grandmother.
See Also
