Murder House Trilogy - did it live up to your expectations?

[SDLagent]

So, now that you've read the Murder House story arc, did it live up to your expectations? This poll will be open for 50 days and you can change your vote.

[SDLagent]

Bluntly, NO!

Before the "trilogy" came out, I was hoping $&$ would publish a new Undercover Brothers trilogy, since the Casefiles ones were so good, and I wanted a change. So, when I first heard about the new trilogy I was really excited, expecting a "epic" mystery that took the Hardys three whole books to solve, and even hoping there might be a series changing event or two...but alas I was wrong - what we got was three stand alone mysteries in the same location that wasn't that much different from other UB, and the only change is the cover art.

A total disappointment!

[FrankJoeATAC]

Well, sort of, a little bit. Not really.

[SDLagent]

So, no?

[FrankJoeATAC]

Yeah, pretty much No.

[SDLagent]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention it in my OP, but you can change your vote.

[FrankJoeATAC]

Got it.

[Lola]

Bluntly, NO!

what we got was three stand alone mysteries in the same location that wasn't that much different from other UB, and the only change is the cover art.

A total disappointment!

I wasn't disappointed. I didn't find the three as stand alone's. IMO they were a continuation of the story/mystery with a twist added in. I know I'll probably be the only one to think so.

[tomswift2002]

I wasn't disappointed. I didn't find the three as stand alone's. IMO they were a continuation of the story/mystery with a twist added in. I know I'll probably be the only one to think so.

I just finished Deprivation House and I found that the author was grasping at straws at the last minute trying to find something to keep it going into a second book.  It the author's grasping turned into a pretty illogical and stupid explanation. 


SPOILERS BELOW











With Operation Phoenix the author had a bomb go off in warehouse on a dock leaving the boys and the readers to think that Fenton Hardy had been killed and Frank stating that it was up to the Hardys to bring the killer of Fenton Hardy to justice.  But the author also left plenty of open plot points still open since there was an actual gang involved in the smuggling operation in the Endangered Species and the author kept having the crooks refer to a bigger boss.

Then with Ring Of Evil #1: Tagged for Terror we saw the Hardy's investigating a luggage theft ring and we were left thinking that until very close to the end when the Hardy's discovered a clue left by one of the people they were keeping an eye on that indicated that the luggage theft ring was just one small piece of the "pie", whereas there were a couple of other giant pieces that the boys still hadn't discovered.  Plus there was the introduction of the Network working on the same case because the Assassins were up to no good and had been using the airport where the luggage theft ring had been operating.  Then the author ends the book with the Hardys taking a flight to Alaska to go after more of the gang and leaving people wondering what is going to happen next. 

Murder House #1: Deprivation House sees the Hardys wrap up the case and get permission to stay on because they saved a person's life.  And then, in a case of coincidence, someone leaves a dead bird in a bath tub??  That's not a good lead in to book 2 in a trilogy.  With that it felt like the author was just trying to find someway to keep the supposed story going even though the story was over.

[Lola]

Murder House #1: Deprivation House sees the Hardys wrap up the case and get permission to stay on because they saved a person's life.  And then, in a case of coincidence, someone leaves a dead bird in a bath tub??  That's not a good lead in to book 2 in a trilogy.  With that it felt like the author was just trying to find someway to keep the supposed story going even though the story was over.

How funny that two people can read the same book but get a different take on it. I never thought the ending of the first book was the end....yes Frank and Joe solved the mystery and were allowed to continue the game BUT.....to me finding the dead bird let Frank and Joe know that their job wasn't done yet, that they still had to find who was sending the death threats. That's just my opinion.

[SDLagent]

Spoilers ahead

I wasn't sure if it was the end, because I thought Mitch might have been working with the person who left the bird...but I was wrong, so to me it was the end of the first story (IMO).

[tomswift2002]

And I finished the second book, House Arrest yesterday and i found that the book was the same as Deprivation House.  The author never suggested anything during the whole book saying that there was only one suspect doing the stuff until the very end when Mary is confessing and tries to convince everyone that she only did certain things.

The first two books so far have been stand-alone titles and have had no relation to either one.  The lead in to the next one has just been based on coincidence, nothing more.

[JoeHardyRocks]

DEFINETLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tomswift2002]

I just finished Murder House the book...my advice don't read it.

Rating for Deprivation House: 1.5 out 10

Rating for House Arrest: 0.25 out of 10

Rating for Murder House: 0.0005 out of 10

[JoeHardyRocks]

Translation: READ IT IF YOU ARE A UB LOVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!