# Frank Hardy — The House on the Cliff character guide > Frank Hardy in The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Frank, Frank Tony, Tony **First appearance:** 0000-i-the-haunted-house ## Snapshot The elder Hardy boy, who coolly matches wits with smugglers and fights hand-to-hand in the dark, never letting a culprit slip away. ## Who they are Frank is the steady half of the brotherly detective team, the one who pieces together why a haunted farmhouse would make a perfect smuggler's hideout and who modestly downplays his own role in rescuing a drowning man. In the chaos of the raid, while gunfire and shouts erupt around him, he grapples alone in pitch darkness with a desperate, heavier antagonist, grimly resolved that the man will not escape. His blend of deduction and physical nerve drives the early investigation and makes him the anchor when the case turns genuinely dangerous. ## Relationships ### [Fenton Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/fenton_hardy) _family_ Father and son, working closely together on detective cases with mutual respect and trust. ### [Joe Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/joe_hardy) _family_ Brothers and constant partners in solving mysteries, with Frank often taking the lead. ### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/chet_morton) _friendship_ Chet is Frank's loyal friend and frequent helper, though often reluctant and comedic. ### [Snackley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/snackley) _rivalry_ Frank directly opposes Snackley's criminal activities, often outsmarting him. ### [Redhead Blount](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/redhead_blount) _rivalry_ Redhead Blount is a suspect or antagonist whom Frank confronts during the mystery. ### [Jerry Gilroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/jerry_gilroy) _friendship_ Jerry Gilroy is a friend and occasional ally of Frank Hardy in solving mysteries. ### [Fenton Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/fenton_hardy) _family_ Father and son, working closely together on detective cases with mutual respect and trust. ### [Joe Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/joe_hardy) _family_ Brothers and constant partners in solving mysteries, with Frank often taking the lead. ### [Snackley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/snackley) _rivalry_ Frank directly opposes Snackley's criminal activities, often outsmarting him. ### [Joe Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/joe_hardy) _family_ Brothers and constant partners in solving mysteries, with Frank often taking the lead. ### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/chet_morton) _friendship_ Chet is Frank's loyal friend and frequent helper, though often reluctant and comedic. ### [Redhead Blount](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/redhead_blount) _rivalry_ Redhead Blount is a suspect or antagonist whom Frank confronts during the mystery. ## In the story ### [The Haunted House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/i-the-haunted-house) Leader of the group; tall, dark, clever sixteen-year-old; suggests exploring the haunted house. ### [The Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/ii-the-storm) Leads the group back into the house after the shriek, determined to solve the mystery. ### [III: Empty Tool Boxes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/iii-empty-tool-boxes) Leads the group after the collapse, insists on investigating the mystery, discovers his tool box empty. ### [The Chase in the Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/iv-the-chase-in-the-bay) Discovers his tool box is empty, insists on returning to the Polucca place, and later spots the boat chase and explosion. ### [The Rescue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/v-the-rescue) Leads the rescue, spots the rowboat, and helps drag the unconscious man to the farmhouse. ### [Snackley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/vi-snackley) Frank recounts the motorboat chase and rescue to his father, and later questions the wounded Jones at the Kane farm. ### [Bound and Gagged](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/vii-bound-and-gagged) Discusses the case with his father and brother, then returns to the farmhouse where he discovers the Kanes bound and gagged. ### [The Stolen Witness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/viii-the-stolen-witness) Leads the chase after the kidnappers and reports the incident to his father. ### [The Strange Message](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/ix-the-strange-message) Frank is uneasy about his father's disappearance and insists on starting a search despite the note. ### [X: The Vain Search](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/x-the-vain-search) Leads the search for his missing father, questioning witnesses and planning the expedition to the haunted house. ### [The Cap on the Peg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xi-the-cap-on-the-peg) Leads the search party, devises the plan to approach the house quietly, and spots the gray cap on the peg. ### [XII: Pointed Questions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xii-pointed-questions) Discovers his father's bloodstained cap in the kitchen and confronts the trio. ### [A Plan of Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xiii-a-plan-of-attack) Leads the discussion and deduces the smuggling connection to the Polucca farm. ### [XIV: Private Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xiv-private-property) Leads the investigation and suggests exploring the hidden cove. ### [Smugglers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xv-smugglers) Deduces the stranger is Snackley; leads the plan to swim ashore and follow the smugglers. ### [The Secret Passage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xvi-the-secret-passage) Leads the exploration of the cove and discovers the hidden cave; uses a waterproof flashlight and deduces the channel's purpose. ### [The Chamber in the Cliff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xvii-the-chamber-in-the-cliff) Leads the exploration of the secret passage and chamber, uses flashlight to navigate, and makes quick decisions to hide when smugglers approach. ### [A Startling Discovery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xviii-a-startling-discovery) Leads the cautious ascent up the stairs, decides to turn off the flashlight to avoid detection, and identifies Snackley's voice. ### [XIX: Captured](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xix-captured) Leads the rescue attempt, cuts his father's ropes, and attacks Snackley before being overpowered. ### [XX: Dire Threats](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xx-dire-threats) Bound to a chair, despairing; tries to reassure Joe but sees no hope. ### [Quick Work](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxi-quick-work) Watches his father escape and helps bind Malloy; suggests going to town for help. ### [Into the Haunted House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxii-into-the-haunted-house) Uses his flashlight to find the attic stairs and helps force open the trapdoor; is the first to surrender when cornered. ### [XXIII: Rescue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxiii-rescue) Struggles with a smuggler in the living room and later disarms a smuggler in the dark. ### [The Roundup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxiv-the-roundup) Fights desperately with a smuggler in the living room. ### [The Mystery Explained](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxv-the-mystery-explained) Explains the mystery to the group, including Snackley's murder of Polucca and the smuggling operation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/frank_hardy - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters