Reviews

Die drei ??? und der unheimliche Drache by Nick West

prof_dr_mochi's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

toastlover1's review against another edition

2.0

I've enjoyed re-reading the series whenever I want something that doesn't require much investment or concentration, but this installment was really lacking. I never could quite grasp layout of the cave where much of the action takes place, and while there were multiple ideas that would make an interesting mystery, they never intersected well. The dragon in particular didn't make much sense and ultimately was one of several red herrings.

prof_dr_mochi's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

tashakusuma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sarahbelwv's review against another edition

4.0

I've been reading this series for over 15 years now and I've been collecting them for nearly as long. This particular one wasn't my favorite -- it has a great story and plenty of adventure, but I think I prefer the writing style of some of the other author's of the series over Nick West's. The beginning felt a little rocky and awkward, but by the middle it began to get into the rhythm of the typical T3I mystery. As always, the boys find more than they bargained for and end up putting themselves in several dangerous situations. I know I'm a good bit older than the target audience for this series, but it is never more evident than when I catch myself wondering "What are these boys' parents thinking letting them run around all over California at all hours of the day and night?" While I did enjoy this volume, my favorite of the series so far is still the first one I ever read, The Mystery of the Green Ghost.

hlureh's review

3.0

Das ist das erste der Bücher der drei ??? Was ich je komplett gelesen habe. Man merkt, dass es sehr am Anfang der Reihe erschienen ist, die Charakteristika der drei Jungs und ihres Vorgehens sind zwar schon erkennbar aber noch nicht so ausgearbeitet, wie das in den meisten späteren Folgen der Fall ist. Dieser Fall braucht meiner Meinung etwas zu lange, um wirklich in Fahrt zu kommen. Erst nach über der Hälfte des Buchs passiert endlich mal was. Was für mich interessant zu sehen war, ist, dass die Jungs davon ausgehen, dass es Drachen früher mal gab...
Trotzdem würde ich das Buch als Zwischendurch Lektüre durchaus empfehlen.

jehan's review against another edition

3.0

Read this child mystery book because I wanted an easy but engaging read. It was okay but I didn't warrant high expectations considering it was a children detective novel. Even though the plot was outrageous it was pretty predictable. Can see 13 year old me loving this book. It was pretty light that I finished it in one sitting. This story in particular really had a Scooby Dooby esque vibes to it.

cosmobrown1968's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Every so often I like to leave the stack of 'adult' books to one side and enter the realm of good children's literature.

In this case it was to return to a series of books I last read over 40 years ago and have fond memories of.

Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators series is definitely a bit dated by modern standards but works great as a medium to lose yourself in for a few hours without having to worry about convoluted twists and turns.

As a kids book this is exciting and entertaining - I used to look forward to reading the series in the same way as my son reads Harry Potter today. It is certainly not on a par with expertly crafted childrens novels today but still makes a fun read.

As an adult I just loved it for the memories of childhood spent reading these & Enid Blyton's books on long cold winter evenings (before we had video games and more than 3 TV channels)

3 Stars for the book and one for the memories, so 4 Stars in total

kesterbird's review against another edition

1.0

Well. Jupiter Jones is the kind of asshole who won't tell his friends what he thinks is going on, because that makes it easier to pretend he's always right, and he is ALSO the kind of asshole who doesn't listen to his friends or in any way respect their opinions, and ALSO the kind of asshole who risks his friends lives repeatedly. Oh right, and also the kind that treats his chauffeur as not-a-person. I probably missed some other ways in which Jupiter Jones is an asshole.