Review of "The Mystery of the Deadly Double," by William Arden

 Review of

The Mystery of the Deadly Double, by William Arden

Five out of five stars

 Bob Andrews, Jupiter Jones and Pete Crenshaw make up what they call The Three Investigators. Even though they are still boys, they are very clever and wise in the ways of the world of the nefarious. Even the local police chief understands how good they are at their craft and is willing to seek their aid and counsel as well as act on their recommendations.

 In this story, Jupiter is a nearly identical twin of Ian Carew, the son of the leader of the country of Nandia. Self-declared patriots of that country are determined to kidnap Ian so that they can get leverage over his father and alter the political course of Nandia. The kidnappers are confused when they encounter two boys that look so much alike, which gives the investigators the chance to confound their schemes.

 Jupiter demonstrates that he is an extremely clever boy, when he is lost he always manages to find a way to leave clues for his partners in the investigation business. The kidnappers in this case are more determined and ruthless than the criminals that appear in similar stories. As befits a book in adolescent fiction, the clues are fairly obvious, generally within the capabilities of adolescent readers.

 While some of the approaches are a bit dated, this story has worn very well over time. It is fun to read about these boys that have built themselves a sophisticated headquarters in the middle of a junkyard. Many adolescent boys have dreamed of constructing a fort much like what these boys have built.