Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 23 - Mystery on the Mayhem Express

Move over Agatha Christie, the Hardy Boys now have their own "mystery on a train."  In the grand tradition of all those locked room mysteries comes the latest of the Hardy Boys Adventures series, featuring a mystery that would stump even Hercule Poirot!  I must say, this latest Hardy Boys series by Simon & Schuster has far surpassed the previous "Undercover Brothers" series and has provided some well-plotted mysteries (although I still wish the publisher would allow the mysteries to be longer, so as to allow the authors to truly flesh out the characters, settings, and mysteries just a bit more...) that, as a non-fan of the Hardy Boys, I have come to really enjoy.

Mystery on the Mayhem Express finds Frank and Joe joining a group of guests on board the Mayhem Express, a train being refurbished by the Bayport train museum.  A local "murder mystery" group is putting on a show for the train in hopes of raising money to support the train museum's preservation of the old trains.  Unfortunately, Frank, Joe, and the rest of the guests (including Chet Morton!) soon discover that the cast of the show are not exactly top notch actors (even if one of them is the Hardys' friend, Biff Hooper).  The murder mystery is rather lackluster until Biff comes to the Hardys with a problem - the member of the cast who is supposed to be kidnapped during the show has gone missing, and it appears he may very well have been kidnapped for real!  But the question is - how does a person disappear from a moving train?

The ghostwriter for this book provides a fast-paced mystery filled with suspects and red herrings, and plenty of secrets that must be dragged out of each of the suspects.  As Frank and Joe investigate, they discover that not only does the missing Trent Couture have a very big secret (that provides motive for a number of people), but a couple of the cast members, as well as a few passengers, have secrets of their own, including some surprising connections to Trent himself.  Throw in the fact that the train was built during the bootlegging years, and the Mayhem family built secret tunnels and hidden compartments throughout the train, and you've got all the makings of a great mystery.

I do enjoy the fact that Chet and Biff are back for this story, but it makes me wonder if their appearance has more to do with the fact that both of those characters appeared in the recent Hulu television show, The Hardy Boys.  Regardless of the incarnation, Nancy has always had Bess and George at her side, so I have wondered why the Undercover Brothers series, as well as this Adventures series, do not feature the Hardys best friends more often.  In fact, Chet's whole "apprentice detective" in this mystery is rather enjoyable, and his popping in at just the right moment is almost TV-worthy in its timing.  And the climactic chase scene on top of the train, with the express train heading towards a bridge that was never completed is definitely suspense-filled writing at its best!

One thing I did notice is more pop culture references popping up.  Chet mentions watching Snowpiercer, and Joe mentions watching Marvel movies on Disney+, and it surprises me that name-dropping like this is allowed, since it will certainly date the book years from now.  Then again, perhaps S&S isn't expecting the book to still be in print years from now, which is rather disheartening.  The classic series was written in such a way that (for the most part), it holds up against the test of time and can still be read and enjoyed today without too many references to date it.  But mentioning specific movies or streaming platforms will definitely date this book is someone 20 years from now picks it up to read it.

Two things that did surprise me in the story: (1) the reference to Chet enjoying food so much.  While there is only one real reference to Chet's weight when he has to try and squeeze into a hidden tunnel, there are a number of instances where either Chet or one of the Hardys make reference to Chet coming on the trip simply to enjoy all of the desserts - in today's climate of political correctness, you'd think someone would balk at writing that pokes a bit of fun at someone who enjoys eating so much; and (2) the casual reference in the book to a gay couple (as well as one of the male suspects having a boyfriend).  While I obviously have no negative feelings towards gay people (well, duh!), I do not find it necessary to see it in books aimed at children.  I will say, though, at least these references were merely in passing and not anywhere as near as overt as the ones in Nancy Drew's The Vanishing Statue, which went way overboard with the references.  

Overall, this was a great book, and I enjoyed it immensely.  Now, I am wondering about the next book, "As the Falcon Flies," as the title can only remind me of a soap opera ("As the World Turns"), and I can't begin to imagine what the story will be!

RATING:  9 months of dirty soapsuds out of 10 for giving the boys a Christie-like mystery to solve that allows their detective skills to really shine!