Published March 1989
Author: Unknown as of August 2019
https://hardyboys.fandom.com/wiki/The_Borderline_Case
Plot: A student exchange program brings Frank and Joe to sun-kissed Greece. But the moment they hit the scenic port of Piraeus, they land in deep trouble. What starts as a street fight soon escalates to a hornet's nest of espionage, kidnapping, and diplomatic double cross.
Near Yugoslavia, the Hardys find themselves on a mission to rescue someone they don't know, for a cause they barely understand. Only one thing is certain -- if the brother team fails this border run, they'll be ancient history.
Review: I'm currently on Chapter 4. So far this book is rather uninteresting. It just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. And even though I've read the book a few times since I first got it in August 1996, I really don't remember it although it made it into my Top 30 (#23).
It's interesting, but this book is set sometime before the 1996 Olympics.
Also, to further date the book, there are clear references to the Cold War! The Network is trying to recover an agent who has been on a very deep undercover assignment in the Eastern Bloc. A Greek character has a brother who was kidnapped years before into the Eastern Bloc.
"The Borderline Case" is truly a Cold War thriller. Out of the first 25 Casefiles, 32 Nancy Drew Files And 3 SuperMysteries, this is the first Cold War-centered story of the Casefiles-Files universe.
It's also interesting that while Frank, Joe, Chet And Phil are exchange students in this book, the author doesn't say that they are high school exchange students. So it is easy to assume that the boys are 19 and 20 and are college/university exchange students. Plus their teacher is called a Professor—- not exactly how a high school teacher would be called.
Also it's interesting how this book involves the Gray Man and the Network —-And The Gray Man is not happy to see the Hardy's and says that if he had known that they would be on the trip then he would've changed the operation—-and Chet and Phil. Prior to that the only books that even had Chet, Phil and the Network, were "Cult Of Crime" & "The Lazarus Plot", but they never interacted. Chapter 7 of Borderline is the closest that Chet and Phil come to meeting the Gray Man, as the Hardy's meet with the Gray Man and their Professor in a hotel room, along with another Network contact, but then the Gray Man and the other Network person leave before Chet and Phil are called in. But they are also not told that their Professor works for the Network, so Chet and Phil are on a Network mission, but don't know of the Network.
Also, according to this book, this is the first time that the Hardy's have visited Greece. So that means that "The Shattered Helmet" And "The Search For Atlantis" have not occurred.
In comparison to the recent Hardy Boys, this book doesn't even compare in terms of the level of violence or even the technical quality of the writing. The new Hardy Boys are, apparently, being written with kids in Grade 6-8 in mind, but read more like books for Grades 2-4, whereas "The Borderline Case" is more like a book for Grade 10-13.
So I finished the book. Chet actually does meet the Gray Man (in Chapter 15), but Phil doesn't. And Chet is told to keep everything confidential.
Also Frank and Chet both handle AR-114, while Joe and Phil use AK47's.
I will say that after it's slow start, the book really kicks into high gear.
Rating: 8/10
I believe this was actually the first Casefile I read fully, and still one of my favourites.
I particularly enjoyed this book because of three factors- the Hardy Boys travel to another country (Greece- a place I've been blessed to visit years after reading this book :) 8)), the chums Chet and Phil show up and the Gray Man and the Network are involved.
And all of it ties in nicely to the Cold War era that this book was written in; the timing is pretty evident when Yugoslavia is mentioned as a country. I remember when Yugoslavia was a nation and when it dissolved after the USSR broke apart.
I seem to recall someone eating octopus in this book perhaps? That's a food I have tried as well- it's quite good.
Yeah Joe orders it in Chapter 1 but then kicks up a fuss. Although Chet likes the octopus.