The Flickering Torch Mystery facts for kids
Original edition
|
|
| Author | Franklin W. Dixon |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Hardy Boys |
| Genre | Detective, mystery |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
|
Publication date
|
January 1, 1943 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 212 pp |
| Preceded by | The Clue of the Broken Blade |
| Followed by | The Melted Coins |
The Flickering Torch Mystery is the 22nd book in the exciting The Hardy Boys mystery series. It was first published in 1943. The book was written by Leslie McFarlane for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Over the years, many of the early Hardy Boys books were updated. This book was rewritten in 1971 by Vincent Buranelli. This means there are two different stories with the same title!
Contents
The Mystery of the Flickering Torch
The Revised Story (1971)
In the updated version of the story, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy face a big challenge. Two plane accidents happen near Marlin Crag Airport. The crashes look very suspicious. The Hardy boys decide to investigate. They soon find themselves in more danger than they expected.
Frank and Joe think an oil beacon near the airport might be causing problems. It could be making pilots lose their way. The boys travel to a fictional town called Pittville. There, they visit the parents of a pilot named Martin Weiss. They get a clue about a dance place called The Flickering Torch.
The boys investigate this place. A band there seems to be involved in something secret. Meanwhile, their friend Chet Morton starts a new hobby. He loves building airplanes. But then, a used fuselage (the main body of an airplane) he bought gets stolen from his farm! He got it from an airplane junkyard.
The Hardy boys eventually uncover a big illegal plan. Someone is trying to make industrial diamonds. They are using special uranium parts called isotopes. These parts are made from smuggled coal that came from the United Kingdom. It's up to Frank and Joe to stop this dangerous plot!
The Original Story (1943)
The first version of the book has a different mystery. Frank and Joe are working at a special farm during their summer vacation. This farm is a scientific research place. They investigate the strange disappearance of rare silkworms.
The mystery gets even bigger. It also involves the theft of government building materials. Their famous detective father, Fenton Hardy, is already investigating this case. The boys help him solve both mysteries.
TV Show Adaptation
The Flickering Torch Mystery was also made into a TV episode. It was part of Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series in 1977. The TV story was completely different from both books.
In the TV episode, the Hardy Brothers are looking for a missing sound engineer. Their investigation leads them to a plan to kill a rock star named Tony Eagle. Ricky Nelson played Tony Eagle. Frank and Joe first think a bomb will be used during a concert. They try to stop the concert to find the bomb. This causes a big, embarrassing mess, and they find nothing.
Later, they discover the real way the murder attempt will happen. But no one believes them! The boys have to trust their instincts. They stop Tony Eagle from leaving on his private plane. They convince him to let them search the plane. Inside, they find the missing sound engineer tied up! They also find a hidden radio transmitter. This device was designed to mess with the plane's navigation. The plane would then fly off course and crash into the ocean.
Some small parts of the book, like the Hardys investigating a missing pilot, stayed in the TV show. However, one idea from the book, about Frank and Joe having their own rock band, was moved to a different episode.
