The Short-Wave Mystery facts for kids
Original edition
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| Author | Franklin W. Dixon |
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| 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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March 1, 1945 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 192 pp |
| Preceded by | The Melted Coins |
| Followed by | The Secret Panel |
The Short-Wave Mystery is a thrilling book from The Hardy Boys series. It is the 24th story in the original collection of Mystery Stories. This exciting book was first published by Grosset & Dunlap.
This book was written by Leslie McFarlane in 1945 for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Later, between 1959 and 1973, many Hardy Boys books were updated. The original "Short-Wave Mystery" was rewritten in 1966 by David Grambs. This means there are two different versions of the story with the same title!
The Mystery Unfolds
The Revised Story (1966)
Frank and Joe Hardy get pulled into a new mystery. A group of thieves steals a collection of stuffed animals from a sale. Later, the boys see a car carrying more stuffed animals. They try to follow it, but the car gets away. It leaves behind a broken ham radio antenna.
The boys learn their father, Fenton Hardy, is working on a case. He is looking for a group involved in industrial espionage (spying on companies to steal their secrets). This group uses secret code words. The boys realize these codes sound like what they hear on ham radio.
When the Hardy boys visit the estate to investigate, they are knocked out. Someone steals the remaining stuffed animals. But Frank and Joe manage to grab two of them. They ask their friend Chet Morton, who likes taxidermy, to open them. They hope to find something hidden inside.
After a factory called Lectrex is raided, the boys go with their father to investigate. They notice a stuffed fox that was in a meeting room has disappeared. The Hardy Boys then travel to Canada, near Moosonee and Moose Factory. They want to solve the stuffed animal thefts. They also want to stop the industrial spy ring. This group was leaking information from the Lectrex factory. As the boys put the clues together, they solve their father's spy case. They also figure out the coded radio messages. Finally, they discover why the group was stealing the stuffed animals.
The Original Story (1945)
The Hardy Boys hear a mysterious call for help on their shortwave radio. The message is "Help -- Hudson." Meanwhile, Fenton Hardy is investigating thefts of radio equipment across the country. These thefts are done by a group called "The Hudson Gang."
But something more urgent happens. Several items are stolen from an auction. Chet Morton and the Hardy Boys were at this auction. The stolen items are mostly animal skins and bodies. They were meant for taxidermy, which is Chet's new hobby.
Investigating all these mysteries leads to some connections. Spike Hudson, the leader of the Hudson Gang, uses a house near Bayport as a hideout. This house has scary-looking stuffed animals hidden around it. They are placed to stop anyone from snooping around.
The "Help -- Hudson" message was first thought to be about Spike Hudson. But it seems to be from a group of researchers. They are stuck somewhere on the isolated coast of Hudson's Bay. This is near another one of Spike Hudson's hideouts. Soon, the Hardy Boys fly to the fictional White Bear River. It is in remote northern Ontario, Canada. The book suggests it is near Moosonee and Moose Factory. They go there to solve the thefts. They also want to rescue the researchers and break up The Hudson Gang.
