Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 21 - A Treacherous Tide

The Hardy Boys come to Florida! Nancy Drew has already visited the Florida Keys three times before - the first two times in the original series: The Clue of the Black Keys and Mystery of Crocodile Island (thanks Jim, for reminding me of this one!), and later in the Girl Detective series, The Orchid Thief.  Now, Frank and Joe Hardy finally make their way down to the Florida Keys in this latest book in the Hardy Boys Adventures series.

A Treacherous Tide finds Frank and Joe joining a research group to study sharks in the area, particularly Tiger Sharks.  Under the tutelage of marine biologist Dr. E. Ella Edwards (or "EEE" as she is affectionately called), the boys plan to learn all about how sharks help the eco-system, and that the killing of sharks places the entire ocean eco-system in danger.  But, of course, there is more going on at Lookout Key than just research.

(Side note - there is no such place as Lookout Key; however, there is a rental home know as "The Lookout" on Siesta Key - whether that is where the ghostwriter of this mystery got the name for his or her Key, or if that is just a pure coincidence, is unknown)

Anyway, while the Hardy brothers are not in the Keys to solve a mystery, as usually happens, a mystery falls right into their lap.  Dr. Edwards goes off to check on some baby sharks when a thick fog rolls in just as a storm hits.  Someone screams shark, and a huge fin in seen in the water, not far from where Dr. Edwards was just paddling out into the water!  Moments later, there is a horrific scream, and everyone assumes the worst - Dr. Edwards was attacked by the very creature she was determined to save.  Everything is not necessarily as it seems, as the Hardys soon discover.

The town is currently in a debate over whether to allow a developer to build a huge new resort.  Yes, the resort would bring in tourists and add much needed financial support to the struggling businesses in the area; at the same time, where the resort is planning to build would destroy the preserve where Dr. Edwards is protecting some baby sharks.  Coincidentally enough, Dr. Edwards disappears the night before the city council is to vote on whether to allow the developer to build.  Meanwhile, the mayor is worried about losing the upcoming election, so he will do whatever it takes to keep people voting for him - even if that means offering a huge reward for anyone who kills any sharks in the area that may have killed Dr. Edwards!

Frank and Joe are unsure if Dr. Edwards is truly dead, but then her paddleboard turns up on the beach with a huge chunk taken out of it.  The Hardys smell something fishy, and it isn't the sharks.  They start digging deeper into everything and everyone and soon discover that nothing is what it seems!  The fin in the water was a fake, the mayor is being blackmailed, and the paddleboard bears an uncanny resemblance to the one owned by the former owner of Chuck's Shuck Shack.   Frank and Joe find themselves sent out into the ocean on a houseboat without a motor or an anchor, they face down a villain with a harpoon gun in an abandoned lighthouse, and nearly plunge to their own deaths from a faulty staircase that is coming loose from the lighthouse walls!

While there are not too many dangerous situations the boys face in this mystery, the plot itself is actually pretty interesting.  It involves kidnapping, blackmail, fraud, and so many other criminal acts, while at the same time addressing the very real need of protecting ocean wildlife from becoming extinct at the hands of poachers and human misunderstanding about sharks themselves.  The author provides a number of verified facts about sharks and their natures, and while it comes across a bit much at the beginning, it gradually evens out and the story itself takes over.  I do like the fact that the books lately have referenced previous mysteries - not necessarily by name like in the "olden days," but by description of the mystery itself.  It provides a bit of continuity to the series, while at the same time gives a nice nod to the Hardy Boys series of yester-year.

Interestingly enough, the next book also features a cover with the boys on turbulent waters, but instead of paddle boats, they are in an actual boat (with a third person on the cover!). I had originally wondered if the two stories might be connected, but after reading this one and looking at the description for the next one, there is no relation between the two.  Just a coincidence....

RATING:  8 baskets of shrimp poppers and whale fries out of 10 for bringing the boys to Florida for an eco-mystery filled with plenty of villains!