Quite a few children's mystery book series have become classics. Most people are familiar with Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Tom Swift. Even the Boxcar Children are relatively well-known. However, Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators were well-written books that offered an intelligent, interesting and more contemporary alternative to many of the earlier classic series. Many people recall the earlier series well, but the Three Investigators series, which Robert Arthur wrote and debuted in 1964, has, for now, largely been overshadowed by the other series and generally forgotten. Fortunately, all of these books are available either from Amazon or from other internet sources.
This book is the fourth book in the series, following "The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy" and preceding "The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure." This mystery begins almost immediately as the Three Investigators learn that a green-colored ghost has suddenly appeared in a variety of locations, beginning with the abandoned Mathias Green mansion and ending at a vineyard in northern California.
Soon the Three Investigators find themselves tangling with a mysterious Chinese man claiming to be more than 100-years-old, along with an array of thugs. What is everyone after? They are after an incredibly valuable piece of jewelry that could mean life to the person who possesses it. Someone understands the value, because the Three Investigators are threatened with death!
I enjoyed this Three Investigators novel. There are portions of the book that are relatively easy to figure out, but there are other portions that had to await the end of the book to figure out. The addition of the mysterious Chinese man is the most bizarre event yet in this series of stories. What the Chinese man intends on doing with the jewelry is even more bizarre. This story also had a lot of complexity and subtlety that I thought the author, Robert Arthur, constructed well.
If you are looking for mystery books for children and you are looking for an alternative to the stories I listed earlier, I highly recommend the Three Investigator series. I do recommend starting with the first book in the series, which is an excellent introduction to this series.
Enjoy!