The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon

 The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon (1970) by Nick West

Jupe, Pete, and Bob, the Three Investigators, are off on another adventure. This time Alfred Hitchcock calls on the boys to help out a friend. Mr. Henry Allen's Irish Setter Red Rover has gone missing. And Allen thinks that maybe a dragon has run off with his beloved pet. When he was out searching for the dog, he swears he saw a dragon come out of the sea and enter one of the caves below his house on the cliff. Red Rover isn't the only dog that's gone missing in the little town of Seaside. Several other pet owners are missing their furry friends as well. 

The boys don't really believe in dragons (do they?), but they decide that the cave deserves their attention too. But when a sabotaged staircase leading down to the beach collapses, it begins to look like someone doesn't want them investigating. Jupe is the one who tumbles down the staircase. Then Bob falls in a hole in the cave. Men in diving suits menace them with spear guns. And....they see the dragon! They escape safely and after they all calm down, Jupe realizes there were some odd things about the dragon and when he figures out what they mean he realizes that there's more going on than just missing dogs.

This is another just plain good fun mystery from my favorite three investigators. It's not too far removed from a Scooby Doo episode--because of course the dragon isn't a real live fire-breathing dragon. But it's a great cover for what's really going on. I love it when I can revisit favorite mystery series from my childhood and still get a kick out of them as an adult. The Three Investigators deliver almost every time. This one is particularly good for the town of Seaside and the background information that Bob manages to dig up on the caverns beneath Allen's house. The interactions between the boys are very good in this one as well. The culprit is fairly obvious (it's not too difficult when there aren't many suspects running around), but knowing this is aimed at a juvenile audience I don't expect intricate plotting. ★★★  and 1/2

First line: "I wonder," Jupiter Jones said one morning, "how we would go about attempting the biggest robbery ever seen in this area."

Last line: "Since I've just purchased that large buslike trailer for my vacations, perhaps it would be a good idea if I learned how to double-clutch the dragon in the cave first, before I ventured forth on the Los Angeles freeway!"
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Deaths = one suicide