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Stolen Identity

Leslie McFarlane - Author

The mystery pairs a stolen literary artefact with a frame-up: the brothers must work out who is placing pages among their things and why.

More about this book

A criminal that seems to be straight out of a Sherlock Holmes novel is out to get brother detectives Frank and Joe in the sixteenth book in the thrilling Hardy Boys Adventures series. An original Sherlock Holmes manuscript was stolen from the Bayport Museum and now pages keep showing up in Frank and Joe’s things: their lockers, menus, even the backseat of their car. It’s clear someone is out to frame them. But who could it be? The boys try their usual means of deduction, but everything leads to a dead end. They just keep finding unsuspecting people who were paid to hide the pages by a mysterious third party. Frank recognizes this tactic—it’s exactly what Moriarty would do to throw off Sherlock Holmes. So the brothers decide to use one of Sherlock’s signature ideas: The Baker Street Irregulars. Though instead of street kids, Frank and Joe use a group of skateboarding tweens to keep their eyes and ears open around town. It’s a battle of wits as the brother detectives try to clear their name. But this Moriarty wannabe always seems to be one step ahead. Can the Hardy boys find the real culprit before it’s too late?

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

Mystery· ExplainedDeduction· ExplainedInvestigation· Explained

Consider

Fear and suspenseFrightening scenes

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

mysterydeductioninvestigation

Fiction

Themes in Context

Deduction and investigation

Frank and Joe follow clues, encounter dead ends and use a Holmes-inspired idea to gather observations around town.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The investigation is presented as the story’s central problem-solving structure, with clues and setbacks driving the brothers’ effort to clear their names.

Talk about: Which clue would you treat as most reliable, and what might make you change your mind?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

Holmes references shape the investigation: Frank recognises a tactic associated with Moriarty, and the brothers adapt the Baker Street Irregulars idea by asking skateboarding tweens to observe what is happening around town.

What Deserves Attention

The brothers face suspicion and repeated investigative dead ends, while the would-be Moriarty stays ahead of them. The plot therefore includes sustained mystery and pressure around clearing their names.

A Conversation Worth Having

If someone appears to be hiding evidence, what clues would help you distinguish a willing helper from a person who has been paid or misled?

Reading Approach

Read it as a clue-following mystery: pause when a page or person redirects the investigation, and compare each new lead with what Frank and Joe already know.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Deduction and investigation: The ending and whether the brothers identify the culprit are not established here.

Stolen Identity - Franklin Dixon - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: General book context

Stolen Identity by Leslie McFarlane | Open Library