4 h 40 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 40 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A lonely house above the water draws two brothers toward smugglers—and danger that reaches close to home.
In The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon, Frank and Joe Hardy follow clues in the seaside town of Bayport. Their father, detective Fenton Hardy, has a case involving smugglers. The brothers want to help, but that means taking risks themselves. A house on the cliff, secret passages, and hidden places give their search plenty of dangerous turns.
Frank thinks carefully; Joe moves quickly and speaks his mind. Together, they bring different strengths to a mystery that calls for both patience and nerve. Their friends Chet Morton and Tony Prito lend a hand, while Aunt Gertrude keeps a sharp eye on the household. As the boys pursue the clues, loyalty to their father gives the adventure a personal stake.
What you’ll discover
- A house above the water Explore a lonely cliffside setting where smugglers and hidden places draw the brothers into danger.
- Two kinds of courage Follow careful Frank and bold Joe as they bring different strengths to the same risky search.
- Clues, chases, secret passages Enjoy a fast, clean adventure that moves from following clues to daring action.
- Family loyalty at stake See how the wish to help their father pushes the brothers to take real risks.
- Friends who lend a hand Meet loyal Chet Morton and boat-wise Tony Prito, companions in the brothers' Bayport adventures.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy classic mystery adventures with hidden caves, motorboats and cliffhanger endings will love this book. It also suits those who like stories about brothers who think like detectives.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A ghost story draws five boys to the cliff
- Missing tools prove the ghost has hands
- A motorboat chase ends in a daring rescue
- A rescued stranger will not tell his name
- Fenton Hardy vanishes and a note looks wrong
- A bloodstained cap points to the house
- A hidden cove leads into the cliff
- Duty, family and the art of the telling
Who’s who
- Frank HardyThe sixteen-year-old elder brother, calm and clever, who does not believe in ghosts and wants to find the truth behind the haunted house.
- Joe HardyFrank's fifteen-year-old brother, quick and loyal, who shares every risk and wants to help find their missing father.
- Fenton HardyThe boys' father, a respected private detective who follows a smuggler's trail and disappears from home without word.
- Chet MortonA cheerful, easily frightened school friend who suggests the visit to the Polucca place and joins the later search.
- Tony PritoA school friend and skilled motorboat pilot who lends his father's boat to explore the base of the cliff.
- Mr. KaneA bearded farmer who shelters the rescued stranger and suspects smuggling along Barmet Bay.
- Ganny SnackleyA notorious drug smuggler, thought to be related to the dead miser, who wants to keep his hiding place secret.
- Chief ColligThe pompous Bayport police chief who prefers checkers to investigation and fears the haunted house.
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- Hardcover
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The House on the Cliff
by Franklin W. Dixon · 1927
Two brothers follow shrieks, stolen tools and a smugglers' cove to find their missing detective father.
Easy read2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
Three motorcycles race along a shore road on a hot June Saturday, and five schoolboys pick their destination on a whim: a stone house on a cliff where an old miser was murdered. They have barely stepped inside when a shriek rings out from the shadowy upper floor.
The House on the Cliff at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 35 min2 h 5 min fast, 3 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 37,300 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1927by Franklin W. Dixon
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A ghost story draws five boys to the cliff
The book begins with a ride that has no goal. On a hot Saturday in June, Frank Hardy leads his brother Joe and three school friends along the shore road out of Bayport. Chet Morton proposes a visit to the Polucca place, the stone house on the cliff above Barmet Bay, and every boy says yes.
The house has a reputation before the boys reach it. Felix Polucca was an old farmer, thought to be a miser, who kept fierce dogs and turned visitors away. Two years earlier he was found shot dead in his kitchen. No hoard of money was ever found. Since then people tell of odd lights on stormy nights and of an old man at an upstairs window who vanished when a motorist searched the house.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1927
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 0 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Dixon, Franklin W. The House on the Cliff. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-on-the-cliff.
Dixon, F. W. (2026). The house on the cliff. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-on-the-cliff (Original work published 1927)
Dixon, Franklin W. The House on the Cliff. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-on-the-cliff.
@book{dixon2026house,
author = {Dixon, Franklin W.},
title = {The House on the Cliff},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-on-the-cliff},
note = {First published 1927}
}
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What is The House on the Cliff about?
It follows teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy as a visit to a haunted house leads them to smugglers, a kidnapping and the disappearance of their detective father. The story moves quickly from one mystery to the next.
Who is Snackley in The House on the Cliff?
Ganny Snackley is a notorious smuggler who leads a ring bringing drugs in by sea. He is first heard of when a rescued stranger names him, and the Hardys learn he is linked to the old Polucca house.
Is The House on the Cliff a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction. It is the second book in the Hardy Boys series, written under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon, and it continues from The Tower Treasure.
The author
Franklin W. Dixon
Collective pseudonym for mystery writers
Franklin W. Dixon is a shared pen name, not one person. Several writers used it for the Hardy Boys mystery series, which began in the United States in 1927. Canadian writer Leslie McFarlane wrote the first three books, including The Tower Treasure. The name has no birth or death dates.
More by Franklin W. Dixon
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