Hardy Boys 40: Mystery of the Desert Giant by Franklin W. Dixon

In a search for the missing Willard Grafton, Frank Hardy and younger brother Joe, encounter a gang of criminals intent on defrauding the US government, and are lead across California and even into Mexico.

About the Author 

Franklin W. Dixon is a pen name used by a variety of authors writing for the classic series, The Hardy Boys.  The first and most well-known “Franklin W. Dixon” was Leslie McFarlane, a Canadian author who contributed 19 of the first 25 books in the series. Other writers who have adopted the pseudonym include Christopher Lampton, John Button, Amy McFarlane, and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams.