The Dark Deception - the second Daphne & Velma Mystery

Those meddling kids are back in a second mystery starring the two ladies of the group - Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley!  In the first book by author Josephine Ruby, Daphne and Velma had to work their way through their own personal issues to help out a friend who had vanished - and in doing so, they uncovered a number of their hometown's secrets.  But, as this second book shows, there are still many more secrets left to discover!  The last page of the previous book found Daphne and Velma receiving a cryptic message from the friend they had just saved - all it said was that Shaggy Rogers needed their help!  But what was his problem, and how could they help him?  Well, as this second book opens, that is what the two teen detectives are set to find out!

The Dark Deception is written by Morgan Baden, and honestly, it is clear that Baden has a better feel for the characters than Ruby did.  That is not to say Ruby did a bad job or anything - I actually enjoyed that first book.  But with this one, as I was reading the story, I could clearly hear in my head the voices of Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and even Fred (in the few instances where he appears).  No voice for Scooby, though, since these novels are set in the "real" world, and here, Scooby is just a typical dog.  The story opens not long after the end of the first book, and Velma and Daphne are tailing Shaggy, trying to figure out just how they are supposed to help him.  Shaggy is not one to just open up to others, and neither Velma nor Daphne know of any problems he has or trouble in which he may have found himself.  He still seems his normal self.  But the events of this day are about to change all of that...

Shaggy enters the jewelry store downtown, but never comes out.  When Velma and Daphne go in to find him, he is gone - and the owner of the store claims she never saw him!  The girls know the owners' daughter, who goes to school with them and is considered an outsider; but she seems to have taken a liking to Shaggy.  Before they can investigate further, however, the whole town is in an uproar, headed for the beach.  With some reluctance, Velma and Daphne head down there as well, where they are shocked to discover hundreds of jewels washing up to shore - diamonds, rubies, emeralds - every jewel imaginable!  The citizens of Crystal Cove believe they have struck it rich!  But Velma suspects something else is going on, as does Shaggy's mom, who happens to be the town sheriff.  And then there is the new reporter for the Crystal Cove Howler, Ramsay Hansen - a very good-looking, intelligent college student who Daphne just so happens to be crushing on!  Daphne is interning at the Howler, and she has been paired up to work with Ram.  But Ram seems less interested in getting to the facts of the story and more interested in stirring up headlines when he questions the Sheriff about whether these jewels are just another part of the town's curse!

Baden provides readers with a great mystery that incorporates a lot of spooky elements that fans of Scooby Doo have some to love over the years.  Creepy old houses, hidden passages, dark caves, haunted amusement parks, dark curses, and ancient legends.  Although it takes Velma and Daphne quite a bit of work to get to it, readers finally discover some of what is troubling Shaggy - but the big question is whether they will truly be able to help him, or if their desire to get to the truth about the jewels that washed up on shore will ultimately destroy Shaggy's family!  And when the infamous Crystal Cove Crystal is stolen from Shaggy's family home, it's up to Velma and Daphne to track it down - even if that means coming face to face with the Lady Vampire of the Bay!

I'm enjoying seeing the Scooby gang portrayed in a "real" way - with families, issues, secrets, and even the real-world trials and tribulations of school, homework, and deadlines.  A third book was solicited on Amazon, Buried Secrets, which was supposed to be released on June 1, 2021 - however, it was never released, and there doesn't seem to be any word on when it will come out.  Not sure what's up with that, but it will be very disappointing if they leave this story unresolved.  

One final note - the author, Morgan Baden, happens to be the wife of Barry Lyga, who has done an outstanding job with the Flash TV series tie-in books for young adults.  So, it's no surprise to me that this Daphne and Velma book is so well-written.  This husband/wife team certainly know how to write!

RATING:  9 facon, egg, cheese, and pickle sandwiches out of 10 for honoring the Scooby Doo gang with a fantastic tale of mystery, suspense, and spooky curses and legends!