The Three Investigators

by Robert Arthur, Jr.

Growing up with two older siblings I didn't always want to read the books written for kids my age. Instead I read books that I heard my siblings talking about so I missed reading a lot of juvenile books. Some of these books included THE THREE INVESTIGATORS. More people know about the Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys for good mysteries. I actually haven't read many of the other mysteries but when I was in Jr. High, I devoured THE THREE INVESTIGATORS and really grew to appreciate mysteries. These don't revolve around finding dead bodies. These revolve around evaluating seemingly impossible situations. Most of the time when they are hired the client is just confused as to why something is happening and then it blossoms into something more.

This series follows three thirteen-year-old boys who set up their own detective agency. Jupe (Jupiter Jones) is the one who gets everything going. His uncle owns a salvage business where the boys have their headquarters. He is smart and his intelligence is key in solving the mysteries. Pete (Peter Crenshaw) who is the athletic member of the team. He may not be as smart as the other two but he will see clues that the other two miss on occasion. The third member is Bob (Robert Andrews). He is the book worm and researcher. He works at the library pat time which gives him an in on doing the research. These boys are just cool. They all have distinct personalities, qualities, and traits. They aren't cardboard cutouts of each other but you really get attached to them and their relationship with each other is fun.

THE THREE INVESTIGATORS is 43 books long, each a standalone mystery. The first 10 are written by Robert Arthur which are the ones that I read. These cover everything from a treasure map, whispering mummy, ghost, museum robbery, and haunted house. If you have a reader who enjoys mysteries and doesn't want any of the fantastical elements but realistic situations and characters these are great books.