Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and The Secret of the Grande Chateau

This is a book that I saw posted by someone on Facebook. The cover is extremely reminiscent of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys book covers from back in the day, and even the title hearkens back to the children's mystery series books of yester-year. The book was highly recommended, so even though it appears to be a one-off and not the part of any real series, I thought I'd give it a try. When I actually got the book from Amazon.com, the synopsis on the back of the book pretty much told me that I was in for a weird ride with this book - I mean, let's face it, any time the author of a book talks directly to you and says that "[t]his book is about two idio wannabe detective-types" and their friend who is "a wannabe detective-type too, but honestly, she's less of an idiot than the brothers," you know something is up!

Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and The Secret of the Grande Chateau is toted as The First Official Novel from Game Grumps.  Now, I'll be the first to admit. I have no idea what Game Grumps is, having never heard of it before in my life. Thanks to the handy-dandy thing called the internet, I found their website and discovered that Game Grumps is a comedy gaming show with its own YouTube channel, as well as a game publisher and touring act.  They sell quite a bit of "nerd" type items on their website, include t-shirts, hats, socks, tote-bags, stickers, etc. related to their brand.  And, this book does appear to be the first and only prose novel published by the company (they do have a graphic novel that they have published, but it is unrelated to the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club).

That being said, the first thing we can get out of the way is the bit about the author - Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills. While the book is shown to be authored by Dr. Mills, and the back of the book even features of a picture of the supposed Dr. Mills, it is quite obvious that Dr. Mills does not exist.  He is little more than a pen name (sort of like Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon, so really, there's nothing for people to get upset about - except, for maybe, the fact that CK and FWD never interrupted their stories to insert their own thoughts and comments about the characters, nor did the characters actually contact the authors within the context of their own mysteries!) and is just as much a "character" in this book as the members of the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club.  It may be a bit unusual, but for me, this added to the enjoyment of the story and made it that much quirkier.

Now, as for the story itself - author Arin Hanson ... er, I mean, Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills ... actually provides an intriguing whodunnit that is not so easily solved. The reader, along with brothers J.J. and Valentine Watts (are they really brothers?  that is a question throughout the entire mystery, and although never outright answered, there are some hints about it) and their newfound friend, Trudi de la Rosa, must figure out the clues that will not only lead them to the identity of the killer, but also to a long-lost treasure hidden somewhere on the grounds of the Grande Chateau!   Now, J.J. and Valentine, who are the self-proclaimed "finest brother detectives and private investigators" of their hometown Harborville, are called up to the Grande Chateau to solve a mystery by the mysterious author, Wallace P. Gross.  He has spent three years at the Chateau trying to write his latest novel (which is well overdue!), but he has been bothered by a ghost - someone, or something, that has been watching him. But he has finally put together the clues of who is trying to steal his manuscript - and that is when his head is blown away right in front of the boys! (No, literally - someone shoots Mr. Gross, and his head explodes!)

Definitely a dark and bloody way to start a mystery, but hey - no one said murder was pretty.  The brothers manage to talk their way into a free stay at the hotel while they solve not only the mystery of who killed Wallace P. Gross, but what happened to the manuscript he is alleged to have been writing, and what secrets did it hold regarding the treasure at the Grande Chateau?  Could it have been his ex-wife, who was strangely staying at the hotel as well?  Or was it Gross's agent, who doesn't seem overly broken up over his client's untimely death? Or was it the ghost of the man who built the hotel, the one who hid his treasure within the Chateau, leaving cryptic clues to its location?  With the aide of the front desk clerk, Trudi, the boys begin to investigate, and soon enough they tick off the hotel manager, the ex-wife, the agent, and Police Deputy Park (who is used to being ticked off by these boys, who have bungled more mysteries in Harborville than any police officer ever could!), as well as pretty much everyone else stuck in the hotel.  And yes, I said, "stuck," because as luck would have it, a heavy snowstorm has stranded everyone in the hotel - with a killer on the loose!

Tons of red herrings, a lot of fun puzzles to solve, an underground catacomb of tunnels, a kidnapping, a firing, and more than plenty of squabbling along the way leads to a rather exciting conclusion with the surprising revelations regarding the killer and the treasure!  The book truly is a joy to read, and the internal illustrations by Rachel L. Allen give the reader the sense of reading a children's mystery from days gone by.  It's a shame that this is just a one-off venture by the Game Grumps gang - perhaps if the book sells well enough, they will delve into the world of the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club again!

Highly recommended for anyone who loves mystery, adventure, and fun reading!!!

RATING:  10 dumb fedoras stolen from the lost-and-found out of 10 for mystery, murder, and bumbling detectives that manage to get the job done in a way that's truly enjoyable to read!