Recap / The Three Investigators Der Schatz Im Bergsee

The Three Investigators | Recap Index

Title: Der Schatz im Bergsee (The Treasure at Mountain Lake)
Book: #67
Radio Play: #68
Author: Brigitte Johanna Henkel-Waidhofer

Summary

A troubling situation for Jupiter, Pete, and Bob: their sightseeing flight over the Swiss Alps ends abruptly with a crash landing. The pilots are unconscious, the radio is destroyed. Suddenly, a helicopter lands. Mysterious frogmen gag and tie Bob and he can only watch helplessly as they search the wreckage. When they disappear, it looks as if the junior detectives can escape, but the frogmen suddenly return…

Tropes:

• Action Prologue: The first chapter is dedicated to their plane spiraling out of control and the subsequent crash.
• Action Survivor: Jupe, Peter, Bob, and their pilot, Jerzy, end up surviving a pretty devastating plane crash at the beginning of the book. Then they brave the wilderness for a few days before finally getting rescued.
• Adaptation Deviation: In the radio play, Jupiter is the one who falls through the floor of the plane in the beginning of the story and he does not lose consciousness like Bob did. Jupiter is also the one who calls for help with the radio instead of Bob in the book. Peter and Jerzy also did not enter the cottage and everyone witnessed Mariana coming out of the submarine. Some of Jupiter's lines have also been swapped with Peter's.
• Big Secret: The big secret both Jerzy and Mariana are trying to hide is that there is gold on the plane that crashed in the lake and they had planned to quietly take it so they can get citizenship in Switzerland.
• Childhood Friends: Jerzy and Mariana are said to be this.
• Faking the Dead: Jerzy meant to do this to throw the frogmen off his trail and it was supposed to be the flight after the Investigators', but the plane is sabotaged and crashes early.
• It Has Been an Honor: Jupiter says this word for word right before the plane crashes to his friends.
• Made of Iron: Considering their situation, it's a miracle that all of them survived with somewhat minor injuries. Peter is implied to have been thrown from the train when it landed and really only survives with a case of shock and some bruises.
• Wild Wilderness: The Investigators and Jerzy had spend a night in the forest and then traverse through it to reach the cottage by the lake.