The Secret of Terror Castle

An excellent introduction to the Three Investigators. Acquaints us with many of the recurring characters we will enjoy throughout the series.

Fast-paced, well written story. The castle itself features as a prominent character with all its terror inducing charm. As in many other stories in this series, the geography of the area (I picture Rocky Beach as being somewhere along the coast between Santa Monica and Malibu) is also important. Old Hollywood and its uncomfortable transition to the later 20th century is also a prominent theme, as it is in multiple other books in the series. A great start to the series!!

*93*

Great way to start off a series! The Three Investigators -- Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews -- are just starting out a bizniz of solving mysteries. They hear that the esteemed director Alfred Hitchcock is looking for a genuine haunted house to use for his next film. Jupiter (First Investigator) manages to angle his way into a meeting with Hitchcock and get his approval to search for a haunted house. Terror Castle is discovered by Bob while researching haunted places at the library. And the game is afoot! Now it is up to T3I to find out why the place is haunted and abandoned.

Only thing I didn't enjoy about this case was the end solution. I won't spoil it, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. But other than that, I really show more loved this story. show less

The first case for the Three Investigators — aka Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews, teenage boys living in Southern California. Mastermind Jupiter has recently won a contest that earned him 30 days of access to a Rolls Royce and chauffeur, convenient since none of the boys are old enough to drive yet.

Somehow Jupiter finagles Alfred Hitchcock into hiring them to find a haunted house for him where he can film his next picture. Even more conveniently, there's a likely location nearby, the former home of a silent film star whose career was ruined when talking movies revealed he spoke in a high-pitched lisp. No one has been able to stay for more than an hour inside the house since the disgraced movie star's mysterious show more disappearance, as spooky sounds of a phantom organ and uncontrollable feelings of terror cause them to flee. The boys need to make sure it's really haunted and plan their own visit to the "Terror Castle." Is it really haunted, and if so by what — or whom?

I loved these books growing up, ranking them just below Trixie Belden and ahead of Nancy Drew. This debut was first published in 1964, so the series and I are the same age. Reading it as an adult, there is nothing scary or spooky about the story, but I still loved the Three Investigators' Rube Goldberg-esque "office" arrangements in the junkyard of Jupiter's Uncle Titus. There are lots of those little details that really spoke to children growing up in an era without CGI or fancy special effects to create realistic paranormal atmospheres. We did it with our own brains, kids!

I probably gave this one a half-star extra just for nostalgia, as the ending was easy to figure out at my advanced age. But now that I've located a source for the whole series, I will keep reading and hope the magic never dims so much that they are no longer appealing. show less

The Secret of Terror Castle is just about a perfect book for boys aged 8-15. Robert Arthur is a woefully neglected author of great skill, and some of his finest writing is on display in the Three Investigators series.

This is the first book in the series, and as such it establishes many elements which were continued throughout. We're introduced to Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews, as well as a host of memorable supporting characters. And, of course, we are introduced to the host of the series: Alfred Hitchcock himself.

That is, the book features Alfred Hitchcock IF you're lucky enough to have a relatively early edition. Unfortunately Hitchcock's estate reportedly demanded more money from the publisher for the use of his name show more after his death; Random House instead replaced the character of Hitchcock with a fictional detective-turned-writer in new books. When earlier books were re-issued, they were rewritten - poorly - to replace Hitchcock as well.

In the case of The Secret of Terror Castle, the plot required that the "host" be a movie producer, so the book was rewritten with a fictional one.

Avoid the new editions, if you can; some of them also exclude the original (and wonderful) illustrations by Harry Kane, a sad omission indeed.

For excitement, mystery, and humor, the book is hard to beat. Arthur had a gift for knowing what fascinates a boy. I don't think any boy who has read the book will ever give up wishing for his own "Headquarters", a damaged mobile home hidden under piles of junk with secret tunnel entrances, a telephone, a darkroom, and a lab!

Yes, the books are somewhat dated, technology-wise. Terror Castle was written in 1964, after all. But that didn't bother my eight-year-old son in the least; he was simply riveted throughout the book, always begging for "one more chapter". He's hooked, now, and we're reading through the series as quickly as we can.

Reading it to him brought back a long-ago memory for me: sitting in my elementary school library, reading "Terror Castle", and realizing that this was pure brain candy - not in that it was bad for me, but that each page was an unadulterated delight. show less

A fun read for adults and kids: written well enough there are smiles for me, a good vocabulary, and no patronizing stance toward the younger reader. The tale itself is a satisfying mix of interesting characters, tropes of the chiller genre (secret doors & passages, a phantom playing a pipe organ, a castle on a hill), and a genuine mystery far more convincing than a Scooby Doo episode or any of that ilk.

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I suspect the conceit of a prologue and epilogue featuring Alfred Hitchcock are examples of Hitch's branding. I'm guessing this was, in fact, my first introduction to him. I later came to like his television shows, and love his films, and though they seemed independent of these books, I have to admit the subliminal marketing probably show more worked some of its magic. Another LT review indicated modern reprints removed the Hitchcock elements after the estate demanded more money than the publisher was willing to pay.

I understood there was to be a movie (produced in Germany?) in the late 2000s, not sure it ever materialised.

Apparently Robert Arthur was not the only author writing books in the series: I wonder if I knew that as a boy, reading these? show less

I read a few of these when I was younger and always rather enjoyed them. It's always different reading such stories when you're older but I still really enjoyed the first one in the series.

This novel introduces three investigators; Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews who have decided they want to start a detective agency. Jupiter is the brains of the operation, Pete the muscle and Bob the researcher. The boys have their own secret Headquarters - (a portable office that's been hidden under many piles of junk) that has secret entrances and a phone - and even a driver (Worthington) with Rolls Royce - courtesy of a competition Jupiter wins to have a chauffeur for 30 days. I'm not sure how long they actually have the car for - I show more don't think I ever read any without it but I haven't read all of them, so who knows.

The mystery itself was interesting, with lots of red herrings. I found myself diverted from the actual solution many times over - every time I thought I had it - I did not. But while the mystery was interesting and I did like the characters - I don't know that I actually liked the mystery itself, bit bland for my tastes. And I didn't like the introduction - I don't know that I even understood why the introduction was so bitter - they really didn't do anything for that reaction - but maybe it went over my head.

I'll definitely be reading (and rereading for some) the rest of the series. 2.5 stars. show less

This is a reread...

When I was in 7th grade I discovered this series about three kids who hooked up with Alfred Hitchcock, solved mysteries, had a HQ/fort that any 7th grader would kill for.
Loved the series and have read them on and off for 30 years. I'll usually find a copy of one of the books at a flea market or co-op and I'll pick it up and enjoy the time travel back to my 7th grade self.

I stumbled across a radio dramatization of this book that was pretty decent (and free) so I thought I'd go back and read the book again.

It didn't/hasn't lost any of it's magic.
Sure I enjoyed it more when I was in 7th grade and I enjoyed it more the first time I read it (because I didn't know the end of the mystery) but I still love this book, I love show more this series (although the quality of the books really goes downhill after the first 20-25 books) and will continue to read them. I wouldn't call it a guilty pleasure because I don't feel guilty reading them and I honestly would recommend this book to anyone. show less