The Three Investigators Mystery Series

The Three Investigators Mystery Series
Summaries of #23-33

The summaries for #23, 25, 26, 28, and 29 were taken from the back cover of the Random House softcover edition. The summaries for #24, 27, and 32 were adapted from the back cover summary.
 #23 The Mystery of the Invisible Dog
Terror strikes an entire apartment house!

Ever since the statue of a phantom wolf-dog was stolen, things have gone wrong at Paseo Place.  A creepy shadow that passes through walls haunts one apartment.  A fire breaks out in another.  The ghost of a priest long dead appears.

Who is frightening the helpless tenants?  Are supernatural forces at work?  The Three Investigators must find out—before everyone is driven from their homes!

 #24 The Mystery of Death Trap Mine
Allie Jamison tricks the boys into helping her solve another mystery.  Allie is staying with her uncle in New Mexico, and she is convinced that their neighbor, Thurgood, is up to something.

Why did Thurgood, a millionaire, buy a worthless silver mine?  And why did he get a hungry attack dog to guard the entrance?  The Three Investigators decide there is only one way to find out.  They sneak into the dark, dangerous mine...and fall into a maze of dreadful secrets!

 #25 The Mystery of the Dancing Devil
Find the Dancing Devil!

The ancient bronze statue of a powerful demon has been lost.  Now it seems to dance from owner to owner!  Always it stays one tantalizing step ahead of The Three Investigators as they desperately try to trace it.

Could it be that the statue doesn't want to be found?  Every time the young sleuths get close, a terrifying figure of a dancing devil bars their way—the statue come to life!

 #26 The Mystery of the Headless Horse
Ruin threatens the proud old Alvaro family!  They can't pay the mortgage on their ranch.  Their house and barn have been destroyed in a suspicious fire.  Their only hope is to find the family's priceless heirloom—a jeweled sword that mysteriously disappeared over 100 years ago.  Generations of Alvaros have failed to find it.  Can The Three Investigators do any better?

The boys' task seems impossible—until a statue of a headless horse yields an amazing clue!

 #27 The Mystery of the Magic Circle
Is former movie star Madeine Bainbridge an innocent victim—or a target of revenge?

Thieves have just stolen her valuable old films.  And her memoirs have mysteriously disappeared before they could be published.  Why would anyone want the aging actress to suffer?  When The Three Investigators look into her hidden past, they begin to understand.  The lady is a witch who believes that her spells can kill!

  #28 The Mystery of the Deadly Double
Jupiter Jones has been kidnapped!  But the desperate criminals have grabbed the wrong victim.  Jupiter happens to look just like the son of an African prime minister.  Jupe doesn't dare point out the kidnappers' error.  For once, the leader of The Three Investigators is helpless!

It's up to the other Investigators to make the right moves—and fast.  The freedom of an African country is at stake—and so is Jupe's life!

 #29 The Mystery of the Sinister Scarecrow
A ghostly scarecrow is terrorizing Letitia Radford.  But no one on the secluded Radford estate will believe the beautiful heiress!  Then her fear turns to hysteria—a colony of mutant army ants is on the loose!

The Three Investigators know Letitia is telling the truth—after the rampaging scarecrow nearly chops their heads off!  But they have to work fast.  Letitia is more panicky with each passing hour.  Someone is using the horrible scarecrow and the hungry killer ants to drive her mad!

 #30 The Secret of Shark Reef
Protestors in boats circle Shark Reef Number One, an oil-drilling platform off the coast of California.  The Three Investigators ride with Mr. Andrews as he gathers information about the protests.

The Three Investigators are hired by Mr. Crowe, who wants to know why his boat keeps running out of gasoline when he knows that the tank is full with no leaks.  The investigation leads the boys on a hunt for a missing Japanese submarine, where they discover a hidden secret that someone wants to stay hidden.

  #31 The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar
Pete witnesses a bank robbery.  At about the same time, a mysterious scar-faced beggar is hit by a car!  The beggar drops a wallet, and later, Pete wonders whether the beggar could have been used as a distraction during the robbery.

The dropped wallet belongs to a famous writer, Hector Sebastian.  The boys visit him and figure out that he lost his wallet and is not likely connected to the robbery.

As the Three Investigators seek answers, they uncover a dangerous plot—and must be careful not to become victims!

 #32 The Mystery of the Blazing Cliffs
The cliffs blaze with flame as a large oval object rises into the sky.  The people of Rancho Valverde believe that they have just seen a flying saucer!

Charles Barron, the hot-tempered owner of the ranch, immediately arms his men for a search.  Mrs. Barron, a firm believer in UFOs, gets ready to welcome the aliens.

Only The Three Investigators stop to question the bizarre events.  Is Rancho Valverde really being invaded from outer space?  Or could the wealthy Barrons be the victims of a brilliant hoax?

 #33 The Mystery of the Purple Pirate
$25 an hour to anyone who can report detailed information about local pirates!

The wonderful offer receives dozens of responses.  The Three Investigators reply to the ad and are dismayed when Major Karnes dismisses them with little interest.  Suspecting a trick, the Three Investigators launch an investigation, which leads them to the Purple Pirate Lair, a local attraction.  Karnes and his associates are digging for hidden treasure!

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