Hunting for Hidden Gold (Hardy Boys #5) - Franklin Dixon

The next Hardy Boys took me to the wilds of Montana to search for gold. A prospector named Jadbury (I'm including his name because I loved it, and he was my favorite character) has his house dislodged by a blizzard, and when the shack falls off a cliff, the boys and their friends are on the scene to save the crusty prospector. They find out he's been to Montana and had his gold stolen by his supposed partner.

The boys are summoned to Montana by their father, and they (eventually) make their way there. After a few run-ins with a gang, they are on the trail of the missing gold. And guess what!? It's the same gold Jadbury was referring to! What are the odds? Spoiler: you're not supposed to ask.

So, when I read the previous book, I was a bit concerned the boys were getting a bit careless. In this book, they are straight ridiculous. These two teenagers run afoul of stranger danger twice in a row! And immediately after getting saved the second time, they get into another stranger's car and comment on how they've learned their lesson. I won't go into the African American portrayal in this book, but it was not good at all.

The Hardy Boys also think they've stepped up their game in the disguise department. How will they ever fool a gang? They decide the best idea is to literally Superman it. By that I mean buy a pair of glasses. I guess they did enhance the outfit by purchasing some large books, but still...Maybe the worst part was that it worked.

I was a bit worried they were going to try and make my man Jadbury a villain, but I needn't have feared. He was safe. I think it's because he stayed in Bayport where the Hardy Boys couldn't continue to "help" him. It's amazing those two were successful at anything in this book and that anyone thought they were smart for the way they went about it. And how do you get trapped in two blizzards?! Learn to pay attention to the weather, guys! This was not a favorite for me, especially since there was no resolution with Jadbury. I wanted to see his reunion with his partner. Oh well...