The Hardy Boys Casefiles
#125 Stress Point
published September 1997
"Stress Point" is one of those Casefiles that doesn't get talked about all that often, since it, ultimately, ended up being the third last book and it was released when most people had jumped hip.
I remember buying this book when it came out in September 1997, but then I didn't get around to reading it til the 1997 Ontario Teacher's Strike was on in late-October/early-November 1997. Hard to believe its been 190 to 191 months since I first read it, and I'm still haunted by the imagery the author used in the final chapter.
I must admit it's been quite a while since I've read Stress Point- I will have to peruse through my copy again before I can fully comment on this. However, I do recall that it was one of the last of the Casefiles I added to my collection. (I now have all of the Casefiles books). So I think this may be the last one I read in the series as well. (I've read all of the books in the Casefiles series at least once.) I do remember buying the Casefiles all the way through the end and getting Dead in the Water, but somehow I wound up missing out on Stress Point until years later. I liked this book some because of it being set in Hell's Kitchen in New York, I immediately thought of Daredevil from Marvel Comics. :) 8)
I just reread through some of this book- I agree that there is some haunting and sobering imagery in the last chapter. I rather like that aspect of the book- there is a sense of history conveyed and a chilling reminder of the corruption that still goes on- and the devestation it can lead to in the end. And since The Hardy Boys are known for so many (literally) cliff-hanger adventures, it seemed pretty fitting to have Frank and Joe working on a construction site in New York, where it is all too easy to fall from such a great height. The cover emphasizes that level of danger quite well- that certainly made it suspenseful and interesting to me to read.