# Joe Hardy — The House on the Cliff character guide > Joe Hardy in The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Joe, Once Joe **First appearance:** 0000-i-the-haunted-house ## Snapshot The younger Hardy brother, quick to insist on a mystery and quicker to chase it, whose sharp memory cracks the case wide open. ## Who they are Joe rides shotgun to Frank's cooler head, the one who refuses to let his father laugh off the strange events at the old Polucca place and who presses the point until the tool thefts stop looking like a schoolboy prank. It's Joe who suddenly recalls the rescued stranger's muttered words about Snackley, a name that transforms a baffling afternoon into a real investigation. His eagerness and instinct for the telling detail make him the spark that keeps the brothers pushing forward. ## Relationships ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/frank_hardy) _family_ Brothers and constant partners in solving mysteries, with Frank often taking the lead. ### [Fenton Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/fenton_hardy) _family_ Father and son, with Joe looking up to Fenton and assisting in investigations. ### [Snackley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/snackley) _rivalry_ Joe actively works against Snackley, showing bravery and defiance. ### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/chet_morton) _friendship_ Chet and Joe are good friends, often joking and working together on cases. ### [Fenton Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/fenton_hardy) _family_ Father and son, with Joe looking up to Fenton and assisting in investigations. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/frank_hardy) _family_ Brothers and constant partners in solving mysteries, with Frank often taking the lead. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/frank_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_ Joe actively works against Snackley, showing bravery and defiance. ### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/chet_morton) _friendship_ Chet and Joe are good friends, often joking and working together on cases. ## In the story ### [The Haunted House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/i-the-haunted-house) Frank's younger brother, fifteen, fair-haired; rides with Biff as passenger; eager for adventure. ### [The Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/ii-the-storm) Supports Frank's decision to investigate, though initially unnerved by the shriek. ### [III: Empty Tool Boxes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/iii-empty-tool-boxes) Rescued from debris by Frank, finds his own tool box also empty. ### [The Chase in the Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/iv-the-chase-in-the-bay) Finds his tool box also empty, agrees with Frank about the mystery, and witnesses the boat explosion with horror. ### [The Rescue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/v-the-rescue) Assists Frank in rowing and carrying the rescued man, nearly slipping on the rocks. ### [Snackley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/vi-snackley) Joe participates in recounting the day's events and helps carry the wounded Jones upstairs. ### [Bound and Gagged](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/vii-bound-and-gagged) Accompanies Frank to the farmhouse and helps investigate the strange scene. ### [The Stolen Witness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/viii-the-stolen-witness) Accompanies Frank, helps free the Kanes, and discusses the kidnapping with his brother. ### [The Strange Message](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/ix-the-strange-message) Joe shares Frank's concern and eagerly agrees to search for their father. ### [X: The Vain Search](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/x-the-vain-search) Assists Frank in the investigation, agrees to organize friends for the search of the Polucca place. ### [The Cap on the Peg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xi-the-cap-on-the-peg) Participates in the search, expresses puzzlement at the changed appearance of the Polucca house. ### [XII: Pointed Questions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xii-pointed-questions) Supports Frank, questions Redhead, and examines the cap. ### [A Plan of Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xiii-a-plan-of-attack) Participates in the debate and sarcastically questions the police's haste. ### [XIV: Private Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xiv-private-property) Cheerfully shouts goodbye to the threatening stranger. ### [Smugglers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xv-smugglers) Agrees with Frank's deduction; swims ashore with Frank to pursue the smugglers. ### [The Secret Passage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xvi-the-secret-passage) Accompanies Frank, slips into the water but continues; helps steady Frank after he falls into a deep hole. ### [The Chamber in the Cliff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xvii-the-chamber-in-the-cliff) Accompanies Frank, helps move boxes to reveal the hidden door, and hides with Frank behind silk-draped boxes. ### [A Startling Discovery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xviii-a-startling-discovery) Whispers to Frank during the tense wait, shares the realization of their peril, and listens intently to the voices beyond the door. ### [XIX: Captured](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xix-captured) Assists in freeing his father by trying to untie knots, and prepares to fight the smugglers. ### [XX: Dire Threats](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xx-dire-threats) Bound and downhearted; expresses fear of being sent to China. ### [Quick Work](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxi-quick-work) Freed by his father, then cuts Frank's ropes; participates in trussing up Malloy. ### [Into the Haunted House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxii-into-the-haunted-house) Extinguishes the candle to plunge the staircase into darkness and assists in opening the attic trapdoor. ### [XXIII: Rescue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxiii-rescue) Fights in the darkness, punching a smuggler during the confusion. ### [The Roundup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxiv-the-roundup) Leads officers through the trapdoor and underground passages, and helps coordinate the capture of escaping smugglers. ### [The Mystery Explained](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxv-the-mystery-explained) Adds details about the half-wit's shrieks and the danger during the rescue. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/joe_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