The Mark on the Door

The Mark on the Door
Author(s)	Franklin W. Dixon
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Hardy Boys
Genre(s)	Children's literature/Young adult literature
Publisher	Grosset & Dunlap
Publication date	June 1 1934, revised edition 1967
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	192
Preceded by	Footprints under the Window
Followed by	The Hidden Harbor Mystery

The Mark on the Door is Volume 13 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap.

This book was written for the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1934, purportedly by Leslie McFarlane however the writing style is noticeably different from other books in the series known to have been written by McFarlane. Between 1959 and 1973 the first 38 volumes of this series were systematically revised as part of a project directed by Harriet Adams, Edward Stratemeyer's daughter. The original version of this book was rewritten in 1967 by Tom Mulvey resulting in two different stories with the same title.

Plot summary (revised edition)

While boating on Barmet Bay the Hardy boys spot a periscope from a submarine and then have a collision with a rented speedboat driven by a Mexican man named Pancho Cardillo. Mr. Cardillo later returns to the rental location and steals the speedboat, leading the boys on a search for the stolen boat. While investigating Mr. Cardillo the boys find an Indian ring with a strange crest on it, and Fenton Hardy receives a threatening letter telling him to "beware of the mark on the door!"

The Hardy boys, their father, and their friend Chet Morton fly to Mexico where they find a band of Indians and a strange oil smuggling operation using submarines. Their deductions lead them to a small Mexican town where they learn that local people are mysteriously disappearing and the strange crest appears on the doors of people who have disappeared. The Hardy's find a man by the name of Tico who is a great navigator and helps the Hardy boys find the culprits hideout where they learn the real man behind the scheme is a man named "Pavura", which means terror in Spanish.

In the end the Hardy boys, and their friend Chet, manage to stop the smugglers from getting away, and they solve the mystery of the disappearing Indians, all while solving the oil smuggling case that their father was working on.

Plot summary (original edition)

The Hardy boys investigate the disappearances of locals from a Mexican village.