- Title: The Mystery of the Headless Horse
- wiki: link
Throwback Thursday takes us back to a mystery involving the Three Investigators whose mantra of “We Investigate Everything” leads to the search for lost treasure in The Mystery of the Headless Horse. The title of the novel references a statue on the ranch of the Alvaro family which is in danger of foreclosure, which seems only more likely following a suspicious fire on their property destroying items they had planned to sell to the Jones Salvage Yard raising the interest and suspicions of the Three Investigators.
With the Alvaro property butting up against the property of the Norris family, the story works in the Investigators’ old enemy Skinny Norris whose minions were responsible for the fire they tried to frame one of the Alvaro family for. To find a priceless artifact that could save the ranch, Jupiter, Pete, and Bob will need to uncover the truth behind events that occurred more than a century ago and decipher a dead man’s riddle before bringing them face-to-face with the skeletal remains of the jeweled sword’s owner.
The mystery offers some nice twists and turns and the boys getting trapped in a secret tomb where no sword is to be found. While the truth of its final resting place doesn’t feel nearly as secure as the tomb itself, the story working itself back to the statue which started the mystery provides a nice touch and another opportunity for Jupiter to surprise his friends by revealing the truth, saving the family’s ranch, and getting Skinny in hot water with his father as well.