The Vanishing Girl - the first Daphne & Velma Mystery

I loved watching the original Scooby Doo cartoons on TV back when I was a kid - their mystery solving antics were like watching Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys with some humor thrown in.  I also loved the two live action movies starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, as well as the most recent animated film, Scoob.  While I would not call myself a huge fan, per se, I do enjoy the show and characters. So, when I saw in Previews that a new mystery was solicited with Daphne and Velma as the title characters, I took a chance with it, hoping it would stay true to the original concept.  I'm happy to say, the author did!

The Vanishing Girl is the first in a series of mysteries that has not only Daphne and Velma (although they are the title characters), but also features the rest of the gang - Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby. Yes, there is a bit of drama throughout the story - Daphne and Velma had a falling out some years back and haven't spoken since - and yes, this is portrayed in the real world, so Scooby doesn't talk, and Shaggy and Scooby don't swallow down huge sub sandwiches in a single gulp. However, the characterization stays true to the cartoon - Velma is the brain, Daphne is the pretty one, Fred is the "jock" of sorts, Shaggy is the laid-back, easy-going one, and Scooby is - well, he's Scooby.  And when one of Daphne's friends disappears - well, there's a mystery afoot, and if there's one thing this gang is good at, it's solving mysteries!

Marcy Heller has been acting differently lately. Daphne has noticed her best friend has changed. And when Marcy suddenly claims to have been attacked by a ghost in the local theme park, the Crystal Cove Haunted Village, well - Daphne knows something is off. There are no such things as ghosts. So, why, then is Marcy so insistent that she saw one? And why is Marcy constantly blowing her off, trying to end their friendship? And why, without warning, does Marcy suddenly want to make amends to Velma, Daphne's ex-best friend? Just when Daphne things she is going to get the answers, Marcy disappears without a trace! The police think she simply took off down to Mexico - but Daphne knows better. And if she wants to get to the bottom of things, she's going to have to ask for help from the last person in the world she wants to - Velma!

Velma, meanwhile, knows something is going on at the Crystal Cove Haunted Village. Her family used to live on that property and run the park. But someone bought them out and threw them out. Now Velma's father no longer works, but lives in a state of depression, insisting the property really belongs to them. Velma's mother works for the Village, but she has just been fired for leaving the gate open to allow Marcy to get in (even though she insists she locked it). Velma is determine to get to the bottom of it, even if it means having to face her ex-best friend, Daphne, to find out more information on Marcy and why she would lie about her mother.

Author Josephine Ruby tells a fantastic story of friendship, teen angst, misunderstandings, mystery, intrigue, and a bit of Scooby Doo fun-filled antics that will please any true Scooby and the gang fan. Ruby brings the characters of Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby to life in a fantastic way that makes you feel for each of them, and while you know Daphne and Velma will mend fences before the end of the book, you still find yourself rooting for them along the way.  There are plenty of nods to the original cartoon series, and the final revelation of who kidnapped Marcy and why is done in true Scooby fashion.

And, just in case you are wondering, a second book is already on its way out - and it better pick up right where this one left off, considering the bombshell dropped at the end of this book!

RATING:  10 screaming rides on the Ghost Coaster out of 10 for updating the Scooby gang in a natural way while remaining true to the characters