Review of "The Antique Radio Boys and the Garrulous Grebe," by Stan Dryer

Review of

The Antique Radio Boys and the Garrulous Grebe, by Stan Dryer ISBN 1882452003


Five out of five stars

 I have read a large number of Hardy Boys books, from the originals published in the 1920’s to some of the more recent. There has been a distinct evolution in the style over the decades. I have also read a few of the other adolescent mystery books featuring other main characters.

 While this book was published in 1992, the temporal context is decades earlier. This is clear from the clothing, technology and the bicycles. Yet, the writing style is that of adolescent adventure stories of the thirties and forties. The author does an excellent job in that area and also interjects many technical references to the earliest of radios. You don’t have to be knowledgeable in the area of antique radios to appreciate and understand the descriptions.

 It can be very hard for a modern person to mimic the writing style of decades ago. In this case, the adventure is base to the genre and the author nails the tone.