Written by Robert Arthur & Illustrated by Harry Kane
Cover Art by Stephen Marchesi
SUMMARY:
First published in 1964 by Random House, this 179-page paperback reprint from 1978 launches The Three Investigators.
Per the series’ original formula, a fictionalized Alfred Hitchcock begrudgingly introduces this tale. In Rocky Beach, precocious Southern California middle schoolers: brainy Jupiter Jones, athletic Pete Crenshaw, and bespectacled researcher Bob Andrews pool their talents and resources into opening their own private detective agency. From a secret headquarters hidden inside a junkyard owned by Jupiter’s aunt and uncle, the boys ponder how to obtain their first case.
Utilizing temporary use of free limousine service from a contest that he had won, Jupiter and his friends perpetrate a successful scam to contact famed movie director Alfred Hitchcock. Ever so reluctantly, Hitchcock agrees to let the rookie investigators locate a legitimately haunted house for his next project. Hidden away in nearby Black Canyon is the ominous Terror Castle, once owned by long-missing and presumed-dead silent film star Stephen Terrill. Yet, someone or something is willing to go to desperate lengths to thwart the boys from de-haunting Terror Castle. In the epilogue, as would become a recurring series gimmick, Hitchcock maneuvers the Three Investigators towards their next case.
Note: A 2010 live-action film, The Secret of Haunted Castle, loosely adapts the Three Investigators’ exploration of Terror Castle.
REVIEW:
In terms of nostalgia, The Secret of Terror Castle is a delightful reminder that fellow sleuths Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Encyclopedia Brown have worthy competition in The Three Investigators. While certain elements of this mystery might lose their appeal (i.e. the outdated sketch illustrations), the storytelling charm of Jupiter, Pete, and Bob’s Scooby-Doo-like adventures remains. The same applies to the peculiar gimmick of incorporating Alfred Hitchcock as an unofficial mentor. For instance, a brief scene of Jupiter innocently demonstrating his youthful Hitchcock impression to their apoplectic new ‘boss’ is nothing short of a gem.
Today’s young readers, however, may find this mystery’s unsophisticated details linking it to the mid-1960’s more yawn-inducing than the story really is. Given a fair chance, Robert Arthur’s haunted house enigma starring Jupiter, Pete, & Bob remains surprisingly well-played. However, subsequent titles produced in the series (for instance, during the 1980’s) will likely resonate more with today’s kids, in terms of faster-paced entertainment.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is a table-of-contents and a list of Three Investigators titles up through “The Mystery of the Deadly Double.”
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
