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lauras_137's review against another edition
4.0
No es mi libro favorito de esta saga , pero aun hací esta muy bueno , como resolvieron el misterio estuvo genial . La verdad no me lo esperaba .
ishouldbereading's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mandalou's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
rosalita923's review
3.0
Two of the Three Investigators — teenage boys Bob Andrews and Pete Crenshaw, their ringleader Jupiter Jones busy with other duties — are scoping out a deserted mansion that is scheduled for demolition. Legend says the house is haunted by its last owner, Matthias Green, who married a princess in China and fled to California with her and a purloined string of priceless pearls, but ended up dead the foot of the stairs in his great mansion.
Bob is making a tape recording of their investigation when they hear a scream coming from the house. A group of neighborhood who happened to be passing by (yeah, right) also hear the scream, and convince the boys to join them in a search of the house. They don't find the source of the scream but they do spot a strange green ghost who floats about here and there and eventually disappears through a wall. The ghost, to no one's surprise, seems to resemble old man Green.
It's not so easy for the police to dismiss this as the overactive imaginations of children because the men saw and heard the same thing. And the ghost makes further appearances through the night around town, including in a graveyard where it's observed by the chief of police, who really does not want to admit he saw a ghost. That makes him more open than usual to enlisting the Three Investigators' help to find out what's really going on, especially after the body of Matthias Green's wife, who was presumed to have fled back to China after her husband's untimely death, is found walled up in a secret room of the mansion, wearing the priceless pearls.
The investigation takes Bob and Pete to San Francisco, where a descendant of Matthias Green owns a vineyard and wants the boys' help to protect the pearls. The vineyard turns out be a a satisfying setting for all sorts of adventurous capers, from roaming around in underground mine shafts to being kidnapped by Chinese gangsters, before Jupiter gallops (well, lumbers) in to solve the case and rescue his friends.
It was strange to have Jupiter, the "chunky but brainy" one, in such a secondary role, as if he were the star of a TV series taking time off to have a baby or something. But the action sequences hit all the right notes and Bob especially gets his chance to shine. I might quibble with why the book cover depicts the ghostly Green as a Chinese man when the story plainly states he is an American who married a Chinese princess, but if you're reading these books for their historical accuracy you're probably not reading these books, if you know what I mean.
Bob is making a tape recording of their investigation when they hear a scream coming from the house. A group of neighborhood who happened to be passing by (yeah, right) also hear the scream, and convince the boys to join them in a search of the house. They don't find the source of the scream but they do spot a strange green ghost who floats about here and there and eventually disappears through a wall. The ghost, to no one's surprise, seems to resemble old man Green.
It's not so easy for the police to dismiss this as the overactive imaginations of children because the men saw and heard the same thing. And the ghost makes further appearances through the night around town, including in a graveyard where it's observed by the chief of police, who really does not want to admit he saw a ghost. That makes him more open than usual to enlisting the Three Investigators' help to find out what's really going on, especially after the body of Matthias Green's wife, who was presumed to have fled back to China after her husband's untimely death, is found walled up in a secret room of the mansion, wearing the priceless pearls.
The investigation takes Bob and Pete to San Francisco, where a descendant of Matthias Green owns a vineyard and wants the boys' help to protect the pearls. The vineyard turns out be a a satisfying setting for all sorts of adventurous capers, from roaming around in underground mine shafts to being kidnapped by Chinese gangsters, before Jupiter gallops (well, lumbers) in to solve the case and rescue his friends.
It was strange to have Jupiter, the "chunky but brainy" one, in such a secondary role, as if he were the star of a TV series taking time off to have a baby or something. But the action sequences hit all the right notes and Bob especially gets his chance to shine. I might quibble with why the book cover depicts the ghostly Green as a Chinese man when the story plainly states he is an American who married a Chinese princess, but if you're reading these books for their historical accuracy you're probably not reading these books, if you know what I mean.
luffy79's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
It is always the most action filled movies which are the worst. I rarely read a book that is action packed, but then came across this book. Its beginning reminded me of the start of Infinity War, the Marvel movie.
Le Chinois qui verdissait was released at a time when spooky tales were very popular in all ways and shapes. I immediately thought that there ought to be a good explanation for the appearance of the ghost. There ought to be a satisfactory subterfuge concerning the special effects of the apparition. Sadly the explanation was very underwhelming.
The ending was as disappointing as the beginning and the middle. The culprits were not caught. This could have been epic and real life like. Instead it came off as if the author had run out of ideas. This is the shortest book I have read so far this year, but I regret wasting my time with it.
The earthquake was one trick too many. The book became expert in frustrating my reading experience and I cannot help but give an otherwise capable book 1 star. My scientific mind refused to believe in the magic properties of the pearls but the characters kept skirting this issue. Too bad. There was a good story within this book. It just was lost and became very dated as a result.
Le Chinois qui verdissait was released at a time when spooky tales were very popular in all ways and shapes. I immediately thought that there ought to be a good explanation for the appearance of the ghost. There ought to be a satisfactory subterfuge concerning the special effects of the apparition. Sadly the explanation was very underwhelming.
The ending was as disappointing as the beginning and the middle. The culprits were not caught. This could have been epic and real life like. Instead it came off as if the author had run out of ideas. This is the shortest book I have read so far this year, but I regret wasting my time with it.
The earthquake was one trick too many. The book became expert in frustrating my reading experience and I cannot help but give an otherwise capable book 1 star. My scientific mind refused to believe in the magic properties of the pearls but the characters kept skirting this issue. Too bad. There was a good story within this book. It just was lost and became very dated as a result.
emmabaxter's review
3.0
Read while on holiday, I found it on the shelves of our holiday cottage and loved it!
ndjrpgs's review against another edition
3.0
Im unteren Mittelfeld der Hörbücher. Generell hat Bastian Pastewka eine wirklich gute Sprecherleistung abgegeben, aber an manchen Stellen hat mir noch was gefehlt. Der Fall selber ist einiges dramatischer wie ich es ihn Erinnerung hatte. Danke aber, dass ich nun endlich schnalle, was genau der grüne Geist war. :)
Believathon III: The Mystery of the Missing Maleficarum. The Torn Page: A book with a supernatural element & The Chain: A book with a colourful cast of friends.
(Momentane Rangliste der Hörbücher:
1. Karpatenhund
2. Fluch des Rubins
3. Gespensterschloss
4. Super-Papagei
5. singende Schlange
6. lachende Schatten
7. grüne Geist
8. Phantomsee)
Believathon III: The Mystery of the Missing Maleficarum. The Torn Page: A book with a supernatural element & The Chain: A book with a colourful cast of friends.
(Momentane Rangliste der Hörbücher:
1. Karpatenhund
2. Fluch des Rubins
3. Gespensterschloss
4. Super-Papagei
5. singende Schlange
6. lachende Schatten
7. grüne Geist
8. Phantomsee)
shubhra19's review
4.0
This book was much fun. It reminded me of my school days of Nancy Drew.
The three investigators go through an interesting case of green ghost and solve it with their intelligence and presence of mind.
A fun and quick read.
The three investigators go through an interesting case of green ghost and solve it with their intelligence and presence of mind.
A fun and quick read.
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I remember this as being my clear favorite of all the Three Investigators books that I read. Definitely had more than its fair share of racist depictions, but the mystery was solid and it had a satisfying conclusion.