The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon is a fun action adventure mystery aimed at middle grade boys, but fun for adults too. I have been enjoying the Hulu’s The Hardy Boys and Only Murders in the Building which rely on the old Hardy Boys stories and I though I would read the very first written in 1927 and updated in 1959. I thought the writing would be horrible but the mystery was really fun and really smart. The twist are clever and keep you guessing. The dialogue is bad at times but I was prepared for it by watching the Venture Brothers, which were also heavily influenced by the Hardy Boys, so instead of when they repeatedly say “swell” it is more humorous than bad.

Fun Fact: the author of the Hardy Boys Franklin W. Dixon is a pen name the story was created by Edward Stratemeyer and written by Leslie McFarlane, thinking that the books wouldn’t sell if written by a woman. The through the years it has had a mix of men and women but the pen name has stuck with it form 1927 to present day.

The Plot: The Hardy Boys, Frank 18 and Joe 17, on motorcycles are practically driven off the road by a crazed red headed driver. The Hardy boys make a delivery for their detective father, and find the crazed man’s car wrecked with the license plate missing. Just up the hill is the boys friend Chet who’s hot rod was just stolen, and here starts the mystery that will end with a jewel theft, that only the Hardy Boys can solve.

What I Liked: the Mystery was really clever, it is almost a two in one mystery where they have to solve the stolen car which leads to a mystery about a stolen jewels involving a tower. The humor is a little hokey but generally works, there’s a scene where they ask old farmers if they have seen a missing car which was pretty funny. The adventuring was fun.

What I Disliked: The dialogue is dated and in a time capsule, which is not the problem, it is that the dialogue coming from Joe and Frank is hard to tell apart, it like they have a hive mind.

Recommendation: This book is really fun for all ages. It shows a fun mystery in a time between World Wars. If you are enjoying Hulu’s The Hardy Boy’s then you will enjoy the books series it is based on. I rated The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon 4 out of 5 stars.