''The Mystery at Devil's Paw'' is Volume 38 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by

Grosset & Dunlap Grosset & Dunlap is a New York City-based publishing house founded in 1898. The company was purchased by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982 and today is part of Penguin Random House through its subsidiary Penguin Group. Today, through the Penguin Gro ...

. This book was written for the Stratemeyer Syndicate by James Duncan Lawrence (who also authored the majority of the

Tom Swift Jr. Tom Swift Jr. is the central character in a series of 33 science fiction adventure novels for male adolescents, following in the tradition of the earlier Tom Swift ("Senior") novels. The series was titled ''The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures''. Un ...

series) in 1959. Between 1959 and 1973 the first 38 volumes of this series were systematically revised as part of a project directed by Harriet Adams, Edward Stratemeyer's daughter. The original version of this book was shortened in 1973 by Priscilla Baker-Carr resulting in two slightly different stories sharing the same title.

Plot summary

Frank and Joe Hardy receive a telegram from their friend Tony saying that he is in danger in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and needs their help. He also suggests bringing the brothers' friend,

Chet Morton Many characters have appeared in the fictional series of books about The Hardy Boys. Character history Original series At the beginning of the original Hardy Boys series, Frank is only 16 years old (as opposed to 18 after the revisions betwee ...

. At the airport they find a person following them and spying on them and they are attacked. Two mysterious figures leave them tied up and gagged underneath a pier to drown as the tide comes in. Later, after they are rescued, the police discover that the attacker was a wanted spy: Romo Stransky. Arriving in Alaska, they meet Ted Sewell, Tony's helper, and he leads the boys to Tony's camp. During the trip, Ted tells the boys about how his father disappeared and he wants them to help him find him. At camp, Tony tells the boys that they have been attacked several times by a gang. During a search of the island, they find a knapsack, a map and a piece of jade. They later learn of a gang member going to The Devil's Paw — a place in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. At The Devil's Paw they learn of an ancient Indian burial site where people would steal gold and jewelry. The brothers remember the piece of jade they found in the knapsack, and think it might have been stolen from the burial site. They locate the ancient burial site and also find Ted Sewell's father. They find the camp of the gang and learn that the mysterious gang was searching for a lost rocket. They are captured, but escape with the help of their friend Chet. A radio call to the infantry leads to the arrest of the gang.

References

The Hardy Boys books 1959 American novels 1959 children's books 1973 American novels 1973 children's books Novels set in Alaska Novels set in British Columbia Grosset & Dunlap books Children's books set in Alaska Children's books set in British Columbia {{1950s-ya-novel-stub