Three Investigators

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The Three Investigators was a popular American juvenile detective book series first published as "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators." It was created by Robert Arthur, who believed using a famous figure like movie director Hitchcock would attract attention. Random House, which is owned by Bertelsmann AG, is the U.S. publisher and still holds some of the rights to the books. Other rights are held by the heirs to Robert Arthur and the German publisher, Kosmos. The Three Investigators are Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews.

Most of the mysteries involved investigation of baffling phenomena, such as an ancient Egyptian mummy that whispered and a human skull that talked.

Contents

[edit] Introduction and publishing history

The original series ran from 1964 to 1987 and comprised 43 books. Books number 1 to 9 and 11 were written by the creator, Robert Arthur, who also sketched out ideas for a few of the other stories. Arthur had been an editor for several Hitchcock book collections. The other authors were William Arden (Dennis Lynds), Nick West (Kin Platt), M(ary). V(irginia). Carey, and Marc Brandel (born Marcus Beresford). All of the authors wrote their own introductions and epilogues, which purportedly were dictated by Hitchcock.

In the original series, the specific ages of the investigators were never revealed, but context indicates that they were likely 13 or 14 years old. They were not old enough to drive, but were said to be just a few years younger than their nemesis Skinny Norris, who had a driver's license. Once, it is mentioned that Pete is on a high school wrestling team.

The investigators were typically introduced into a mystery through a client or by accidentally stumbling upon something unusual. The boys encountered baffling, sometimes misleading clues and danger before finally solving the crime. A major strength of the series was that the boys had to work to find and understand clues, unlike other contemporary series in which serendipity and coincidence played a frequent role. The last chapter of each book was an epilogue in which the investigators sat with Alfred Hitchcock (and later, Hector Sebastian), reviewing the mystery and revealing the deductions through the clues shown earlier in the book.

In 1989, Random House revamped the series, calling it The 3 Investigators — Crimebusters Series. The investigators were seventeen years old, could drive, and were far more independent. The stories continued to contain an abundance of detecting but with the addition of more action. The series was well received but was halted in 1990 when legal issues between Random House and the heirs to the Arthur estate could not be resolved. By 2005, the disagreements were still not settled.

Eleven novels were published in the Crime Busters series, which was launched by one of their readers' favorite authors -- William Arden (pseudonym of Dennis Lynds). The other authors were Megan Stine and husband H. William Stine, G.H. Stone (Gayle Lynds), William MacCay, Marc Brandel, and Peter Lerangis.

Random House has reprinted several of the original books in two paperback reprint series, partly to assure their legal rights.

The Three Investigators books have always been very popular in Germany. They are known there as the "Die drei ???" (Die drei Fragezeichen) meaning "The Three Question Marks". While American authors' novels in the series continue to be published there, German writers have added more, contributing about six new ones a year. None of the German books has been published in the United States, although there are more German than U.S. titles now. Taped readings (radioplays) of the novels are special favorites in Germany. Many fans listened to them as children and rediscovered them as grownups. When the actors, who have narrated the plays since 1979, toured the country, entire stadiums in major cities like Hamburg were packed.

A few original stories were published in Poland, too and the books are also very popular among kids and grownups in Slovakia where the books are published by MLADE LETA. It's funny that even in this small European country almost every kid knows Jupiter, Peter, Bob and Alfred Hitchcock.

In 2003 a Three Investigators movie was announced.[1] If it is successful, the producers have said they will make more, since they have projected a series. The first is The Secret of Skeleton Island, due in movie theaters in Christmas 2007.

New English-language Three Investigators titles were released in 2005 for the first time since 1990. The German 'American-English' series saw the release of Poisoned E-Mail and Curse Of The Cell Phone. In 2006, another new story - Soccer Mania - will be released.

[edit] Series background

[edit] Characters

[edit] The Three Investigators

  1. Jupiter Jones, First Investigator - A former child actor, Jupiter is intelligent, stocky, and has a remarkable memory and deductive skills. Jupiter is an orphan who lives with Uncle Titus Jones and Aunt Mathilda. Jupiter, not exactly fit is a bit plump. He goes by the name "Jupe."
  2. Pete Crenshaw, Second Investigator - Pete is an athletic youth who dislikes dangerous situations but is nonetheless reliable as the "action member" of the team. Pete loves and cares for animals. His father is a special effects man in Hollywood.
  3. Robert "Bob" Andrews, Records and Research - Bob is studious, meticulous, and wears glasses. He sometimes needs leg braces because of an accident he had. Bob works in the local library part-time, suiting his role as data collector. His father is a newspaper man.

[edit] Supporting characters

  1. Worthington - Worthington is a British chauffeur who drives the Three Investigators around in a Rolls Royce. As time passes, he also becomes a confidante and helper in the boys' investigations.
  2. Alfred Hitchcock - Hitchcock was the boys' first patron who "introduced" their first 30 cases. In truth, the introductions were written by each book's author, not by Hitchcock himself. Random House paid Hitchcock for the use of his name. After the death of the movie mogul in 1980, the Hitchcock estate asked for more money, and the publisher refused. The last Hitchcock book was The Secret of Shark Reef. From then on, the boys' cases were introduced by the (fictional) famous detective-turned-writer Hector Sebastian.
  3. Hector Sebastian - Sebastian took over the patron role beginning with The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar(#31). Hitchcock's name and silhouette on the cover art of each book were then replaced by a stylized keyhole. Later, all of the Hitchcock volumes were reprinted with the keyhole and introductions by Hector Sebastian. The one exception was the reprint of the first story, The Secret of Terror Castle, which was "introduced" by the fictional Reginald Clarke, a movie producer. This was necessary since a movie producer (originally Hitchcock) was central to the plot, and Hector Sebastian did not fill that role.

[edit] Recurring enemies

  1. E. Skinner "Skinny" Norris - Skinny is a student from a well-to-do family in the school attended by the Three Investigators who was a legal resident of another state, and thus able to drive. He was constantly trying to outdo the Investigators, always failing in the end but not before causing the Investigators some trouble. In The Mystery of the Headless Horse, Skinny Norris dabbles in arson, a stunt that gets him shipped off to military school.
  2. Hugenay - Hugenay is a French art thief who cleverly eluded police from Europe and had a professional respect for Jupiter Jones.

[edit] "The Three Investigators" agency

Jupiter, Pete, and Bob live in Rocky Beach, a fictional southern California coastal town described as 10 to 12 miles from Hollywood and 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Jupiter's family owns and operates the Jones Salvage Yard ("the Yard"), where the team's headquarters is hidden in an old trailer, which itself is hidden amid the "junk." There are several ingenious secret entrances (ie. Tunnel Two, Door Four...etc). The trailer's equipment includes a telephone, a darkroom, a filing cabinet, and a workshop in which Jupiter assembles devices, mostly from discarded items found in the junk yard, which help the Investigators in their detective work. The team often has to pay for what they take by working for Aunt Mathilda, a hard taskmaster who believes "idle" boys should be put to work.

Jupiter has designed a business card to intrigue their potential clients, memorable to readers particularly for its three question marks. These potential clients often ask what the question marks stand for, giving Jupiter an opening to impress them with his explanation. The boys' patrons usually did no more than introduce them to cases, meet again with them at the end of a particular adventure, and sometimes refer them to specialists such as a scholar on studies of the supernatural. At no point is it ever suggested that the patrons provided the Investigators funding in their work.

The Three Investigators solve cases by doing research (Bob's speciality), active observation (Pete's speciality), and clever deduction (Jupiter's speciality). Though the boys are both younger and lack the resources and connections of fellow fictional detectives The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, they have found ways to compensate or ignore these handicaps. Though too young to drive, the Three Investigators soon acquire reliable transportation in the form of a Rolls Royce limousine driven by British chauffeur Worthington. Jupiter won the use of the limousine for "thirty days, of twenty-four hours each" after winning a promotional contest held by the rental agency, soon before beginning their investigation of The Secret of Terror Castle. Despite Jupe's argument that the wording "thirty days of twenty-four hours each" meant that the boys should have the use of the Rolls Royce for the equivalent of 30 full days (or 720 hours), the Rent-N-Ride Auto Agency briefly ended their use of the limo in The Mystery of the Fiery Eye. Fortunately, a grateful client arranged for the boys to have access to the car whenever they needed it. Nevertheless, although Worthington became a confidante and a supporter of the boys' work, the limo's use grew rare in later books.

After proving their reliability, the Investigators received a green card from Rocky Beach police chief Samuel Reynolds, which identified them as junior deputies cooperating with the Rocky Beach police. They used this credential occasionally to convince others they were serious detectives.

[edit] Plot elements

Each installment of the series would begin with an introduction by the current patron of the Three Investigators. The mystery would then begin, as the boys would be introduced to a case, investigate using their observation skills and wit, and eventually solve the case. However, in each book, there would usually be an instance in which one or more of the boys is threatened or captured, and the other boys, sometimes with the help of others, must rescue the Investigator in peril. For instance, in The Mystery of the Green Ghost, Bob and a friend (and later Pete) are captured while exploring a narrow cavern and taken to the headquarters of Mr. Won, the book's villain, a Chinese man who drinks powder from rare "Ghost Pearls" to prolong his life. Mr. Won convinces the boys to reveal the location of the ghost pearls which they had hidden and attempts to hypnotize them into leading the way to the hiding place. Jupiter is able to obtain the assistance of Chief Reynolds and other policemen to nab the wrongdoers and rescue his friends by intercepting a note with "???" written on it which Bob had composed as he had successfully avoided the hypnosis.

Though the books were initially published in 1964 and thus computers and cell phones were not available to the Three Investigators in their early days, the technology and plots evolved as time passed. Reflecting trends in U.S. society, there were references to the growing public interest in the supernatural, such as seances in two books published in the 1970s. Awareness of ecology showed in The Mystery of the Sinister Scarecrow (1979), UFOs in The Mystery of the Blazing Cliffs (1981), protection of whales in The Mystery of the Kidnapped Whale (1983), and the dangers of toxic waste in Rough Stuff (1989). One of the first novels ever published that revolved around a computer virus was Fatal Error (1990).

[edit] Collecting The Three Investigators

A complete set of the Three Investigators is not easy to locate, especially in hardback, and can be quite expensive. As the series continued, the books went through several format changes, from matte finish covers, to glossy covers, to different endpapers.

Beginning with book #29, Secret of the Sinister Scarecrow, the books were released in hardcover only to libraries (Gibraltar Library Binding). Most copies of numbers 29 to 43 are found in poor condition. Paperback copies are easier to locate. Look particularly for books from 1 to 30 that state the series title as: Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators, rather than just Three Investigators.

Those without the Hitchcock name are editions that were rewritten after Hitchcock's death in 1980, replacing Hitchcock with Hector Sebastian. These are easier to find but are worth less. Additionally, they are not the stories as they originally appeared.

[edit] The books

[edit] The complete series of The Three Investigators

Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in... (after book 31, it was renamed as The Three Investigators in...)

  1. The Secret of Terror Castle (by Robert Arthur 1964)
  2. The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot (by Robert Arthur 1964)
  3. The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy (by Robert Arthur 1965)
  4. The Mystery of the Green Ghost (by Robert Arthur 1965)
  5. The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure (by Robert Arthur 1966)
  6. The Secret of Skeleton Island (by Robert Arthur, 1966)
  7. The Mystery of the Fiery Eye (by Robert Arthur, 1967)
  8. The Mystery of the Silver Spider (by Robert Arthur 1967)
  9. The Mystery of the Screaming Clock (by Robert Arthur 1968)
  10. The Mystery of the Moaning Cave (1968, by William Arden)
  11. The Mystery of the Talking Skull (by Robert Arthur 1969)
  12. The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow (1969, by William Arden)
  13. The Secret of the Crooked Cat (1970, by William Arden)
  14. The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon (1970, by Nick West)
  15. The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints (1971, by M. V. Carey)
  16. The Mystery of the Nervous Lion (1971, by Nick West)
  17. The Mystery of the Singing Serpent (1972, by M. V. Carey)
  18. The Mystery of the Shrinking House (1972, by William Arden)
  19. Secret of Phantom Lake (1973, by William Arden)
  20. The Mystery of Monster Mountain (1973, by M. V. Carey)
  21. The Secret of the Haunted Mirror (1974, by M. V. Carey)
  22. The Mystery of the Dead Man's Riddle (1974, by William Arden)
  23. The Mystery of the Invisible Dog (1975, by M. V. Carey)
  24. The Mystery of Death Trap Mine (1976, by M. V. Carey)
  25. The Mystery of the Dancing Devil (1976, by William Arden)
  26. The Mystery of the Headless Horse (1977, by William Arden)
  27. The Mystery of the Magic Circle (1978, by M. V. Carey)
  28. The Mystery of the Deadly Double (1978, by William Arden)
  29. The Mystery of the Sinister Scarecrow (1979, by M. V. Carey)
  30. The Secret of Shark Reef (1979, by William Arden)
  31. The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar (1981, by M. V. Carey)
  32. The Mystery of the Blazing Cliffs (1981, by M. V. Carey)
  33. The Mystery of the Purple Pirate (1982, by William Arden)
  34. The Mystery of the Wandering Cave Man (1982, by M. V. Carey)
  35. The Mystery of the Kidnapped Whale (1983, by Marc Brandel)
  36. The Mystery of the Missing Mermaid (1983,M. V. Carey)
  37. The Mystery of the Two-Toed Pigeon (1984, by Marc Brandel)
  38. The Mystery of the Smashing Glass (1984, by William Arden)
  39. The Mystery of the Trail of Terror (1984, by M. V. Carey)
  40. The Mystery of the Rogues' Reunion (1985, by Marc Brandel)
  41. The Mystery of the Creep-Show Crooks (1985, by M. V. Carey)
  42. The Mystery of Wrecker's Rock (1986, by William Arden)
  43. The Mystery of the Cranky Collector (1987, by M. V. Carey)
  44. The Mystery of the Ghost Train (unpublished/unfinished, by M. V. Carey)

[edit] Find Your Fate Mysteries (1985-1987)

RH1 Case of the Weeping Coffin (1985, by Megan Stine and H. William Stine)

RH2 Case of the Dancing Dinosaur (by Rose Estes)

RH3 Case of the House Of Horrors (by Megan Stine and H. William Stine)

RH4 Case of the Savage Statue (1987, by M.V. Carey)

[edit] Crimebusters (1989-1990)

  1. Hot Wheels (1989, by William Arden)
  2. Murder To Go (1989, by Megan Stine and H. William Stine)
  3. Rough Stuff (1989, by G.H. Stone)
  4. Funny Business (1989, by William MacCay)
  5. An Ear For Danger (1989, by Marc Brandel)
  6. Thriller Diller (1989, by Megan Stine and H. William Stine)
  7. Reel Trouble (1989, by G.H. Stone)
  8. Shoot the Works (1990, by William McCay)
  9. Foul Play (1990, by Peter Lerangis)
  10. Long Shot (1990, by Megan Stine and H. William Stine)
  11. Fatal Error (1990, by G.H. Stone)
  12. Brain Wash (finished but unpublished, by Peter Lerangis)
  13. High Strung (finished but unpublished, by G.H. Stone)

[edit] German editions (since 1993)

rough English translation in italics

More popular than the books are the Hörspiele with 120 episodes.

Die drei ??? (The three question marks) (series title)

  1. Tatort Zirkus (Crime Scene: Circus) (1993, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  2. und der verrückte Maler (And The Insane Painter) (1993, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  3. Giftiges Wasser (Toxic Water) (1993, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  4. Dopingmixer (Doping Mixer) (1994, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  5. und die Rache des Tigers (And The Revenge Of The Tiger) (1994, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  6. Spuk im Hotel (Haunted Hotel) (1994, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  7. Fußball-Gangster (Soccer Gangster) (1995, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  8. Geisterstadt (Ghost Town) (1995, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  9. Diamantenschmuggel (Diamond Smuggling) (1995, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  10. und die Schattenmänner (And The Shadowmen) (1995, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  11. Geheimnis der Särge (The Mystery Of The Coffins) (1996, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  12. Schatz im Bergsee (The Treasure Of The Mountain Lake) (1996, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  13. Späte Rache (Late Revenge) (1996, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  14. Schüsse aus dem Dunkel (Shots From The Dark) (1996, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  15. Die verschwundene Seglerin (The Missing Sailor) (1996, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  16. Dreckiger Deal (Dirty Deal) (1996, B. J. Henkel-Waidhofer)
  17. Poltergeist (Poltergeist) (1997, André Marx)
  18. und das brennende Schwert (And The Burning Sword) (1997, André Marx)
  19. Die Spur des Raben (Trail Of The Raven) (1997, André Marx)
  20. Stimmen aus dem Nichts (Voices From The Nothingness) (1997, André Minninger)
  21. Pistenteufel (Slope Devil) (1997, Ben Nevis)
  22. Das leere Grab (Empty Grave) (1997, André Marx)
  23. Im Bann des Voodoo (Voodoo Spell) (1998, André Minninger)
  24. Geheimsache UFO (Secret Matter: UFO) (1998, André Marx)
  25. Verdeckte Fouls (Covert Fouls) (1998, Ben Nevis)
  26. Die Karten des Bösen (The Hand Of Evil) (1998, André Minninger)
  27. Meuterei auf hoher See (Mutiny At Sea) (1998, André Marx)
  28. Musik des Teufels (The Devils Music) (1998, André Marx)
  29. Feuerturm (Tower Of Fire) (1999, Ben Nevis)
  30. Nacht in Angst (Night Of Fear) (1999, André Marx)
  31. Wolfsgesicht (Wolf Face) (1999, Katharina Fischer)
  32. Vampir im Internet (Vampire On The Internet) (1999, André Minninger)
  33. Tödliche Spur (Deadly Trail) (1999, André Marx)
  34. Der Feuerteufel (Firebug) (1999, André Marx)
  35. Labyrinth der Götter (Labyrinth Of The Gods) (2000, André Marx)
  36. Todesflug (Flight Of Death) (2000, Ben Nevis)
  37. und das Geisterschiff (And The Ghostship) (2000, André Marx)
  38. Das schwarze Monster (Black Monster) (2000, André Marx)
  39. Botschaft von Geisterhand (Message From A Ghost) (2000, André Marx)
  40. und der rote Rächer (And The Red Avenger) (2000, Katharina Fischer)
  41. Insektenstachel (Stinger) (2001, André Minninger)
  42. Tal des Schreckens (Valley Of Terror) (2001, Ben Nevis)
  43. Rufmord (Slander) (2001, André Minninger)
  44. Toteninsel (Island Of Death) (2001, André Marx)
  45. Hexenhandy (Cellular Phone Of The Witch) (2001, André Minninger)
  46. Doppelte Täuschung (Double Deception) (2001, André Marx)
  47. Erbe des Meisterdiebs (Legacy Of The Master Thief) (2002, André Marx)
  48. Gift per E-Mail (Poison By E-Mail) (2002, Ben Nevis)
  49. und der Nebelberg (And The Mountain Of Mist) (2002, André Marx)
  50. Der Mann ohne Kopf (Beheaded Man) (2002, André Minninger)
  51. und der Schatz der Mönche (And The Treasure Of The Monks) (2002, Ben Nevis)
  52. Die sieben Tore (Seven Gates) (2002, André Marx)
  53. Gefährliches Quiz (Perilous Quiz) (2003, Marco Sonnleitner)
  54. Panik im Park (Panik In The Park) (2003, Marco Sonnleitner)
  55. Die Höhle des Grauens (Hall Of Horror) (2003, Ben Nevis)
  56. Schlucht der Dämonen (Valley Of The Demon) (2003, Marco Sonnleitner)
  57. Das Auge des Drachen (Eye Of The Dragon) (2003, André Marx)
  58. Die Villa der Toten (Mansion Of The Deceased) (2003, André Marx)
  59. Auf tödlichem Kurs (Deadly Course) (2004, Ben Nevis)
  60. Codename: Cobra (Codename: Cobra) (2004, Marco Sonnleitner)
  61. Der finstere Rivale (Sinister Rival) (2004, André Marx)
  62. Das düstere Vermächtnis (Gloomy Legacy) (2004, Ben Nevis)
  63. Der geheime Schlüssel (Secret Key) (2004, André Marx)
  64. Der schwarze Skorpion (Black Scorpion) (2004, Marco Sonnleitner)
  65. Spur ins Nichts (Trail Into The Darkness) (2005, André Marx)
  66. Fussballfieber (Soccer Fever) (2005, Marco Sonnleitner)
  67. und der Geisterzug (and the Ghost Train) (2005, Astrid Vollenbruch)
  68. Geister-Canyon (Ghost Canyon) (2005, Ben Nevis)
  69. Feuermond (Moon Of Fire) (2005, André Marx)
  70. Schrecken aus dem Moor (Terror From The Swamp) (2005, Marco Sonnleitner)
  71. Schwarze Madonna (Black Madonna) (2006, Astrid Vollenbruch)
  72. Schatten über Hollywood (Shadows over Hollywood) (2006, Astrid Vollenbruch)
  73. SMS aus dem Grab (SMS from the Grave) (2006, Ben Nevis)
  74. Der Fluch des Drachen (The Curse Of The Dragon) (2006, André Marx)
  75. Haus des Schreckens (House of the Scared) (2006, Marco Sonnleitner)
  76. Spuk im Netz (The Spook On The Net) (2006, Astrid Vollenbruch)

[edit] German 'American-English' Series (since 2005)

'A new series of stories in English (translated from the original German titles).'
Original German titles in italics

Die drei ???

  1. The Curse Of The Cell Phone (Hexenhandy) (2001 / 2005, by André Minninger)
  2. Poisoned E-mail (Gift per E-Mail) (2002 / 2005, by Ben Nevis)
  3. Soccer Mania (Fussballfieber) (2005 / 2006, by Marco Sonnleitner)
  4. The Haunted Ship (und das Geisterschiff) (2000 / 2006, by André Marx)


[edit] References

IMDB page for movie (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-02-12.

[edit] Special Note

  • In the French version of the series, the books were at one point wrongly published with Alfred Hitchcock as their author.
  • All British Armada paperback editions of "The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" are wrongly credited to Robert Arthur.

[edit] External links

  • The Jones Salvage Yard Forum This site is the original center of the Three Investigator's universe on the Internet, and covers a variety of information about the series.
  • The Three Investigators This site has articles on Robert Arthur. It is maintained by his daughter, Elizabeth Arthur.
  • The Three Investigators Readers' Web Site One of the most comprehensive Three Investigators website, it has information on various authors, illustrators, editions and analysis of the stories.
  • The Three Investigators U.S. Editions Collector's Site Comprehensive information on all U.S. editions, frequent and informative updates, T3I movie/TV news, author/artist bios and pics, fan fiction and art, and one of the largest selections of T3I books for sale on the web.
  • TunnelTwo.com Extensive site with detailed collecting information on the U.S. editions, multimedia downloads, news, worldwide links and books for sale.
  • Rocky-Beach.com A German fan site that always has the latest news about the German editions, audio books, games and just about everything else.
  • The official website of author Dennis Lynds Dennis Lynds, a.k.a William Arden, is the author of some dozen of the Three Investigators books and was personally invited by Robert Arthur to create new books for the series.
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