Secret of the Old Mill (Original Hardy Boys Mystery Stories Series #3) Book

COUNTDOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK 207 (of 250)
Hook=3 stars: The Hardy Boys question the mystery their father might be addressing as they look for their dad's return via a train. But Dad isn't on the train.
Pace=2: Each chapter title offers an adventure: Chapter 1, an Escape; Chapter 2, the Trailing of a Detective; C3, a Return; continuing to a final Solid Evidence chapter to explain it all. And at the end of each chapter, a cliff-hanger. But this is the standard formula and it wears thin here.
Plot=3: This, like a recent Nancy/Keene novel, has adult-like themes. First, there is counterfeit money floating into the Hardy's city and the Boys focus on that issue. But Mr. Hardy has his hands full also as he investigates the destruction of armament plants. Both themes converge, as does Mr. Hardy and his sons, on the truth.
People=2: Over the course of the entire series, readers might learn much about the Boys, Mr. Hardy, the girlfriends, the city inhabitants. But as a stand alone novel, there isn't much character development.
Place=2: There is an old mill, but that's bout all there is as far as the description of the mill: it is old. And the action could happen in Any Place, USA. (A place that has a mill, true, but that's about it.)
Summary: 2.4. Our Boys have to outplay and outlast a hand-full of villains amid 2 good plots. I read many of these as a young reader and I don't remember, first, that the Hardy Boys start the series in their late teens and, second, that these novels are fine as an escape for adults.