The Mystery of Cabin Island

"The Mystery of Cabin Island" is the eighth installment in the "Hardy Boys" series of mystery stories. Written by Canadian author Charles Leslie McFarlane and published under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon in 1929, "The Mystery of Cabin Island" ranks as one of the best books of the series. Just before Christmas, we find the Hardy boys, Frank and Joe, excited for their winter break from school in Bayport. The boys hope to spend their winter break renting the cabin on Cabin Island from its owner, the wealthy Elroy Jefferson, whose car they helped recover in "The Shore Road Mystery". Initially, Mr. Jefferson wants to reward the boys with money for helping recover his valuable Pierce Arrow, but is instead convinced by the boys to allow him to compensate them by allowing them to stay at his private retreat on Cabin Island. Once there, the boys quickly encounter the mysterious disappearance of supplies, which leads them back to the mainland for replenishments. There, they learn from storekeeper Amos Grice about the mystery of a collection of stamps that had been stolen years earlier on the island. What follows is a characteristically whimsical mystery regarding the recovery of a once-stolen set of valuable stamps.