The Mystery of the Talking Skull (Three Investigators) [Paperback]

The Mystery of the Talking Skull is the last Three Investigators novel by Robert Arthur. As such, I was a little hesitant to read it because Arthur's genius and talent created this series and made it into a staple of many young people's lives. No one made reading as fun as Robert Arthur did for untold numbers of children over the last thirty-plus years. Arthur's previous two entries in the series, the mysteries of the silver spider and the screaming clock, were brilliant and, in my opinion, his best, so I had high hopes for this book. I must admit, however, that this book is somewhat flawed and is, to my mind, Arthur's most disappointing 3I story. Let me make clear, though, that Arthur's worst is many times better than almost everyone else's best. This is a ripping good story and is well worth a read, despite the flaws I perceive in it.

In terms of critiquing the story, I have to say that the last few chapters seemed somewhat rushed; the boys' actions, especially those of Jupiter Jones, seemed somewhat out of character, and the ultimate explanation of the mystery was not completely satisfactory to me. While Jupiter is not always right, of course, his deductive and reasoning skills were not too sharply honed in this book. Early on, once he has the skull and has heard it sneeze, he is supposedly too drowsy after supper to set his mind to figuring out how the skull talks--this does not sound like the Jupe I have come to know. Later on, he is actually "suckered" quite easily, much to my consternation and disbelief. Were it not for unexpected outside help, the boys would have bungled this whole case. In terms of the ending, the explanation of how the skull actually talked did not thrill me, and that is the primary reason I must give this book four stars rather than five. That explanation was a little contrived and unoriginal, I felt. Despite these faults, I did find several clues to be rather ingenious, and I experienced a few "Aha" moments of a quite satisfactory nature.

Sadly, as I write this review, this is the last Three Investigators book to have been recently reissued by Random House. The reissue of the first eleven books in the series (including all ten of Arthur's 3I books) is of great importance because this action not only reintroduced me to the friends and heroes of my youth but introduced the Three Investigators to a whole new generation of young people; these books have induced a love for reading in countless numbers of us all. I would implore Random House to continue reissuing these books until the complete 3I library is readily available to one and all--how these books ever went out of print is a mystery not even the great Jupiter Jones could solve. As for me, I have my own case to work on now, an undertaking that will not be completed until I have assembled a complete collection of the Three Investigators series.

The three investigators are at it again. Only this time they have to find out the secrete behind a talking skull, a prop from an old magician's trunk, that they bought at an auction. The skull mysteriously talks to the boys, giving them clues on the location of a hidden fortune. But the three investigators aren't the only ones who are trying to solve the mystery of whereabouts of the hidden treasure. There are many other dangerous villians that are looking for the treasure too! This book is full of mystery, and complex problem solving, and is great for all ages.

This book is the eleventh book in the Three Investigator series. This book follows "The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" and precedes "The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow." This book was the final book written by Robert Arthur before his death in 1969. I may be overly generous in giving this book five stars, but after the previous book, "The Mystery of the Moaning Cave," written by William Arden, a pen name of Dennis Lynds, I found the return to the more traditional elements of The Three Investigators to be a welcome improvement.

The Three Investigators begin this mystery in an unusual way. Former child star Jupiter Jones has decided that he is going to bid on an old trunk at an auction. Jupiter deduces that the trunk may have belonged to an actor. Jupiter was nearly correct; a magician, The Great Gulliver, formerly possessed the trunk.

Almost immediately after Jupiter takes possession of the trunk for a dollar a number of people take interest in the trunk. Some of those taking interest appear to be criminals! Indeed, the trunk barely makes it back to the Jones Salvage Yard when it disappears. After the trunk is found again The Three Investigators open the trunk to find yet another mystery, a talking skull. The talking skull leads the boys to a gypsy who looks into a crystal ball and tells the boys that a man whose name begins with the letter G has disappeared from the world of men, and that there is a good deal of money involved. The gypsy will tell Jupiter no more.

The boys soon find a clue in the old trunk that may lead to stolen money. The boys wonder whether they should let the police handle this mystery, but of course these are The Three Investigators and they have handled danger in the past.

There are many exciting mysteries awaiting a reader. Does the money really exist? Who hid the money and where was it hidden? There are many people following the boys during this mystery. Who are they and what do they know? How do the gypsies fit into the mystery? Why and how does the skull talk?

It did seem to me that Jupiter could have figured out a couple of things sooner than he did. Jupiter may have been acting out of character, but even the best of us can have an off day. The boys did require help near the end of the book to keep from botching the case. On the flipside, the very same outside help also encouraged them to keep going on the case when they would have quit, so I think the outside help was integral to the story from Robert Arthur's perspective.

Though this mystery had some weaknesses, it also had many strengths. The mystery was relatively complicated. I thought I knew where the money was, but I was wrong. I did have some minor portions of the mystery figured out, but there were sufficient surprises in this book to give me a grin of satisfaction at the end. This book would be a fair first choice for a first-time reader to experience this series, but I recommend beginning with "The Secret of Terror Castle," the first book in this series.

Enjoy!