A Bunch of Ghostwriter Information

I'm having some personal problems, and that's why it's taken so long for me to post anything. I won't go into farther detail, but I will try to update this blog more often. I'm working on a review right now and hopefully will have it up soon.

I was looking through LinkedIn again and discovered a whole lot of Ghostwriter information. Not sure how I missed all this last time, but the profiles might not have been there.

First, we have two ghostwriters for the recent "Hardy Boys Adventures" series:
-Ruben Sack wrote #6,7,10,12,15. He also wrote the Diaries book "A Nancy Drew Christmas".
-Paul Crilley wrote #9.

We have three ghostwriters who I know wrote Nancy Drew books, but I'm not sure what ones:
-Louise Ladd was mentioned on someone's page as a Nancy Drew Ghostwriter.
-Janet Jones and Pamela Willis wrote a Nancy Drew Digest in 1996, no information on which one they wrote.
-Cathy Hapka wrote Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books.

Finally, Stacia Deutsch wrote the Nancy Drew Clue Crew book, "Pony Problems", and several other Nancy Drew books.

Review: “The Madman of Black Bear Mountain” (Adventures #12)

Note: I found this review sitting on my computer, I had written it last year. I'm still keeping true to my reading list, and I'm currently reading "Danger For Hire". 

I’ve heard a lot of bad things about the “Hardy Boys Adventures” series, so I decided to give one of the books a try to see if the series is really that bad. I was surprised to find that “The Madman of Black Bear Mountain” was actually a good book, at least for the first half.

Frank and Joe’s characterizations appear to be pretty much the same as their characterizations in the Undercover Brothers books. Like the UBs, the books are in the first person, the chapters alternating between Frank and Joe’s perspectives. I’ll get to this in a bit.

The first half of the book revolves around the Green Environment Conservation Club (GECCO for short) taking a field trip to Black Bear Mountain to meet Dr. Kroopnik, a famous biologist. Frank and Joe of members of the club of course, but anyone expecting to see Chet Morton or any of the other chums are in for a disappointment. The rest of the club members are new characters.

It takes a few chapters for the Hardys to actually reach Black Bear Mountain, and the only plot relevant thing that happens during those chapters is a conversation that Frank overhears. The book is very cartoonish, with a lot of jokes and occasional slapstick humor. The plot wouldn’t look out of place in a Scooby Doo episode, and Frank and Joe even get chased around by someone in a costume.

I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing. I laughed at the jokes, although the slapstick was a bit too much. The characters are quite cartoonish as well, especially Jim. Jim is the teacher in charge of the club, and the slapstick and most of the jokes revolve around him. The titular “Madman” is also pretty menacing, at least until their identity is revealed.

Once Jim goes missing from his tent, the book actually becomes pretty suspenseful as Frank and Joe try to get to a nearby ranger station while avoiding an axe-wielding maniac. Had the entire book been like this, the rating for this book would be higher.

The mystery is kind of weak, but seeing Frank and Joe using their survival skills makes up for it.  Even when Jim reappears, the book keeps its suspenseful tone as Frank and Joe make a surprising discovery in a backpack that Jim was carrying.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book is nowhere as good as the first half. A surprising plot twist occurs (although Frank should have figured it out from the start), and we get a super long chase scene involving rafts, horses, and helicopters.

 It drags on for way too long, and the fact that the chapters constantly alternate between Frank and Joe means that often we get told the exact same information twice. Cliffhangers that should take a chapter to resolve take two or three chapters instead. The scene where Joe hangs off a broken bridge becomes hilarious because of how long it takes to rescue him.  He must have had super strength to hang on for as long as he did.

The pacing problem could have been solved had the ghostwriter stuck to Joe’s POV during the chase.  Joe’s chapters during the second half are a lot more entertaining due to the presence of a character who I can’t identify because their presence is a major spoiler. Said character is the best character in the book, and I hope they make another appearance in the series.

There’s been complaints about how a lot of the Adventures books are too short, but in this case, it seemed like 144 pages was just too much for the ghostwriter to handle. The book is wrapped up rather anticlimactically, the villain is caught due to luck, and their accomplice doesn’t even put up a fight. Consider how long the chase scene lasts, this is rather annoying.

There’s also some inappropriate language as a character says “OMG” in one of the last chapters. As the Adventures series is clearly intended for a younger audience than the previous Hardy Boys series, I have to deduct a point for it.

Despite all my criticisms of it, I liked “The Madman of Black Bear Mountain”. It may be cartoonish and have pacing issues, but it’s an enjoyable read. If it wasn’t for the second half, the book’s rating would be higher. I’d recommend at least borrowing this one from your local library.

Rating

6 out of 10