When Joe and Frank Hardy are on a field trip to the Bayport History Museum, they witness a robbery! A man dressed all in black stole an expensive painting right from under their noses and managed to get away with it. What the boys didn't realize is that the day before, the robber sent them a riddle warning them of the robbery, but they didn't open the mail until it was too late. All the evidence points to Phantom, a recently released ex-con who is known for sending riddles about his crimes. Joe and Frank are in a cat and mouse game with the robber, and are trying to stay ahead when they realize that the true prize that the thief is after is the valuable jewel the Emerald of Astara. Can the Hardy boys figure out who is behind this epic master scheme?
Frank and Joe must take the shine off a jewel thief who sends ominous riddles in this Hardy Boys adventure.
First a priceless painting disappears from the museum; then two ancient samurai swords vanish from a private collection. A string of robberies has hit Bayport, and all signs point to “the Phantom,” a recently released ex-con who last struck more than twenty years ago. There’s only one problem: the Phantom has vanished into thin air, and not even Frank and Joe Hardy can track him down.
Then the boys begin receiving threatening notes in the mail, each one containing a strange riddle. And it looks like the Phantom’s next target could be the valuable Emerald of Astara, the 2,500-year-old crown jewel of the Bayport Historical Museum. Can the Hardys crack the Phantom’s code before he strikes again?
Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular Hardy Boys books.
