Berryhill - an Old Fashioned Blood-Curdling Gothic

This book definitely borderlines more on the horror side of things than it does the Gothic side.  Published back in 1979 by Manor Books, just two years before the publisher ceased its activities (the same publisher who put out the "King Size Gothic" line, ripping off Popular Library's line of "Queen Size Gothics"), the book promotes itself as "Editor's Gothic Choice," and claims to be "An Old Fashioned Blood Curdling Gothic."  This is one of the very few Gothics that I have read that actually crosses over into the supernatural and delves into witchcraft and ghosts.  It is also one of the few that puts forth very detailed descriptions of some gory and horrific deaths.  The author was Barbara Curry Bennett (1938-2024), and this appears to be her one and only Gothic novel.  Bennett lived in Tennessee, so it should come as no surprise that her story is set deep in the woods of the southern state.

 

Berryhill takes its title from the house in the story, which is set at the bottom of a hill where berries once grew in abundance.  Unfortunately, the ground upon which the house was built has a horrific background, as it was the site of a terrifying massacre of some outcast Indians, the last of whom put a curse on the land - a curse that managed to endure from year to year and generation to generation.  The author takes readers from the time of the early settlers in America in the opening prologue to the current time (well, current when the book was written!) in the epilogue, telling a terrifying tale that lasts over a century.  It opens with a young boy coming across a group of Indians while he is playing in the woods - a group he mistakenly believes are a threat to his family.  He is unaware that the Indians are merely a rag-tag group of misfits, kicked of other tribes for one reason or another and banded together to live a peaceful existence away from everyone.  But the young boy's family, and the other settlers that are with them, come back with blood-thirst in their veins, and they viciously wipe out all of the Indians, from the youngest child to the oldest woman - an old woman who puts a curse on "all white men who dare to walk on this land where the blood of the innocent is shed!" (p. 8),  Half a century later, a man by the name of Aaron DeGault comes across this clearing and decides it is the perfect spot to build a home for his wife and newborn son.  Unfortunately, the curse begins, as Aaron and his wife are tragically killed in a wagon accident, leaving their six-year old son to be raised far away by distant relatives...

 

Until Jason DeGault grew up, married Abigail, and returned to his family's homestead to start a family.  They had two sons, but the War Between the States claimed Abigail's husband and oldest son, and her youngest son, Paul, was missing in action.  That left Abigail to run the farm and care for her sickly daughter-in-law and her grandchild, Alicia.  The horrors of the Indian curse continue when a vile Union soldier shows up, forces his way into the house, brutally rapes and kills Clarice, throwing the infant child across the room in the process.  Abigail finds an inner strength to fight back and takes an ax to the soldier's head, killing him instantly.  She has just enough time to bury the man in the basement before the nearest neighbor, Harry Hunnicutt shows up.  From here, the story moves forward with the Default family, the years pass, and Paul returns home with a wife, step-daughter, and son, moving in with his mother and niece.  The only problem is, Alicia has been raised alone by Abigail, and she is not happy about these people intruding upon what she feels to be her home.  She pushes her new Aunt Sarah down the stairs, killing her without remorse.  You see, little Alicia has discovered the secret in the basement ... and for her, that dead soldier has suddenly become her closest friend and confidant ... someone who is more than willing to help her rid the house of these unwanted interlopers!

 

After Sarah's death, the girls are sent to a boarding school, from which they do not return until they are teenagers.  Alicia's malevolent nature continues, as she not only scares her grandmother to death using the skull of the dead soldier in the basement, but she also seduces her uncle and leads him to commit suicide.  One by one, Alicia removes the obstacles out of her way so that Berryhill can her hers, and hers alone.  All that remains are her cousins, Julie and Michael.  And never you fear, as she has plans for them as well.  Dark, malicious plans that stem from the very evil of the house itself - evil that only Abigail's slaves, Belle and Sally, have the sense to see.  The curse remains within the halls of Berryhill, and that curse has taken complete control of the soldier's spirit and the once-innocent baby that was so casually thrown across the room by his violent rage.  The two form a symbiotic relationship to carry out that Indian woman's curse, and it seems no member of the DeGault family is safe.

 

Flash-forward some more years, and Julie returns to Berryhill with her husband, Phillip Hunnicutt.  It does not take long, though, for Alicia to frighten Julie to her death, which, in turn, leads to Phillip's depression and his ultimate death.  Which leaves only young Michael, who is far removed from the horrors of that house, taken by his grandparents on his mother's side to be raised away from the memories that could scar him forever.   Michael - who has no real memories of the terrors and tragedies that have overtaken his family for generations.  Michael - who is all grown up and ready to return to Berryhill as a married man, to take over control of the farm and start a new family, bringing joy to a house with a history of darkness and sadness.  Michael - who Alicia is none-too-happy to see, and who she is determined to force out of her house.  It all comes down to these last two DeGaults, and the suspense rises to its highest level yet, as readers wait to see whether good will win over evil, or if the dark curse that has held Berryhill and its inhabitants in its sway for so long will have the ultimate victory.

 

Of course, Bennett gives readers a teaser at the end, with a four-page epilogue, set in the present, in which a new generation of DeGaults arrive in a Porsche, set to take over this land that no one in the family even knew existed until a member of the family died, and a long-hidden deed reveals ownership of the land.  Thus, a new family is ready to take over the farm - is the curse gone, or has it simply lain dormant, ready to spring to life again when these latest white men dare to walk the land where innocent blood was shed?

 

Bennett has no qualms introducing the supernatural into the story, and the spirit of the Union soldier gradually taking more and more control of Alicia's decisions (at one point even interacting with her sexually!) is startling to read.  She is a girl-turned-woman without a conscience, and her systematic destruction of her own family is hard to watch. The house is simply filled with evil, and one has to wonder if Abigail had never buried the soldier in the basement, would all of those horrific deaths still occurred?  Was that one incident - the killing and burying of the soldier - the catalyst that released the curse upon the DeGault family?  Or was it merely the means to an end for that dying Indian's curse?  Either way, the story is extremely sad, and there is no happy ending for anyone in this book!

 

No identification of the artist for the cover art, so I have no way of knowing who painted the cover.  It is as creepy as the story itself, with the foreboding house superimposed over a slowly melting candle, while the young woman in the forefront is running away, her long gown flowing in the wind as she runs.  It is sort of an eerie foreshadowing of the story inside - as the candle slowly burns down, so do the lives of those who live inside Berryhill.  It is also a symbol of those rituals that take place in the basement, as Alicia, and eventually the old witch woman who comes to live with her, perform rites over the grave of the long-dead soldier by candlelight - a picture of the evil being released in the house and on the family that lives within it.  This book, by far, as the darkest one I've read to date.

 

RATING:  8 long strands of glimmering pearls out of 10 for an aptly described "blood-curdling" Gothic tale of terror! 

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32011 - Shadows Over Briarcliff

"Her visit vividly brought back the unhappy past - and with it an unknown evil presence..." (cover blurb)

 

I finally reached the first entry into this series by Marilyn Ross (a/k/a W.E.D. Ross, best known for his series of Dark Shadows novels based on the successful television show of the '60s and '70s, as well as his countless other Gothic novels written under various pseudonyms).  Ross wrote a number of series (the Dark Shadows tie-in novels, the Fog Island series, the Dark Harbor series, and others), but he also wrote a few books in various other Gothic series, such as the Birthstone Gothics for Beagle Books, as well as the Gothic Romance line for Harlequin.  This is the first of only two books that Ross wrote for the Harlequin line, and while he captures the Gothic feel of the story perfectly, the ending was somewhat of a disappointment.

 

Shadows Over Briarcliff (I suppose he had to sneak the work "Shadows" in there somehow, eh?) is set in 1884 and features a rather dark mystery surrounding the death of the main character's sister. Jessica Rice's sister, Ann, married well when she wed Stephen Briar.  But something was amiss, and when Jessica leaves London to visit her sister at the somewhat isolated Briarcliff manor, she can sense her sister is worried about something.  Before she can uncover the truth, there is a horrific carriage accident, and Jessica awaks to learn that her sister plunged into the ocean, her body never recovered and presumed to have been washed out with the tide.  Jessica returns home, ultimately leaving her unscrupulous guardians and moving in with a friend's family who help her regain the wealth her guardians had been stealing.  A note soon arrives from her brother-in-law, asking her to come back to Briarcliff, as he was still grieving Ann's death.  Jessica decides to make the trip, but she soon discovers there is evil awaiting her at Briarcliff!

 

In true Gothic fashion, Ross weaves a tale of intrigue, secrets, and possible ghosts that will leave you guessing at the truth.  Is Stephen's stepmother conspiring to regain control of Briarcliff taken from her when Stephen's father died?  Is the neighbor's daughter plotting to marry the grieving widower in the hopes of becoming the new mistress of Briarcliff?  Is Stephen, himself, looking to remove anything and anyone that might reveal the truth about his indiscretions?  Is Adrian Swift, the son of Stephen's stepmother and a flippant gambler, causing problems as a way of getting even with Stephen?  Or is it something far more sinister and far more supernatural - has Ann's spirit returned to the world of the living to stop Jessica from becoming involved with her former husband?   Plenty of questions, plenty of motives, and plenty of suspects ... but so few answers ...

 

The story follows poor Jessica as she must not only cope with her sister's death and Stephen's grief, as well as her own growing attraction to her sister's husband - but she must also face the various attempts to scare, injure, and even kill her.  Plus, there are the mysterious appearances of a ghostly woman in a shawl, wearing the same perfume that Ann wore.  Is her sister's spirit really come back from the grave, or is someone simply trying to make Jessica think that so she will leave Briarcliff and never look back.  

 

There can be no doubt that Ross knows how to build suspense and tension (he certainly had plenty of practice!).  Unfortunately, he spends so long building up the mystery that when the resolution comes, it is a bit of a let down.  For 200 pages of great Gothic storytelling, Ross resolves the mystery, has Jessica face off against her adversary, and gives her a happily-ever-after all within the last four pages of the book!  I don't recall ever seeing a story wrapped up in such a short amount of pages before - I would have preferred to see a more dramatic confrontation, with lots of dramatic fighting and scares before the truth is revealed and the villain ultimately vanquished.  I think this is the first Harlequin Gothic that did not give me full satisfaction with the read, which is surprising, since Ross is one of my favorite authors.

 

The cover art, depicting the scene where Jessica awaits to not only smell the scent of her dead sister's perfume, but also finds one of her sister's handkerchiefs on the floor (p. 99), was pained by Len Goldberg (a/k/a Leonard M. Goldberg), who also provided the cover art for two prior Harlequin Gothics:  Castle at Jade Cove and The Blue House. A superb artist, Goldberg is an expert at capturing terrified expressions on the faces of his women, and it's almost a shame he did not provide the covers for all the books in this series!

 

The next book in the series is also by Ross, so we will see what that holds in store...

 

RATING:  8 large carriages careening off the side of a cliff out of 10 for a psychologically thrilling tale of ghosts, mystery, suspense, and moments of terror!

Classic Ghosts - 1970s Gothic Television

Normally, I don't do reviews of television or movies on this blog, but once in a while, something comes along that so catches my interest and so impresses me, that I have to share it with others.  This is one of those cases.  I happened across this Blu-ray set of movies while scrolling through Amazon - which seems to be the way I come across quite a number of things in recent years! - and having never heard of it before, I was curious as to its contents.  After all, with my love for all things gothic, that tagline definitely had my attention.  And when I discovered who directed four of the five films, well, there could be no doubt but that I had to have this collection!  Thankfully, I was a really good boy this year, and "Santa" gave me the Blu-ray collection, and I was able to check out these classic tales of gothic suspense!

Classic Ghosts was a five-film series aired late nights on ABC television back in 1973 during the "ABC Wide World of Mystery" time slot.  In so many ways, it was clearly inspired by the success of Dark Shadows, the daytime soap which aired on the same network from 1966 to 1971.  All five films were filmed directly on tape and produced in the same manner as daytime serials, so when watching them, you almost get the feel as if you are watching a Dark Shadows-esque series.  While the sets are beautifully decorated and colorful and the costumes are elaborate, if one pays any attention whatsoever, it is easy to see that four of the five films use the same exact set, but simply redecorate it and move the walls around a bit.  Nevertheless, the stories - all of which are based on published stories - are engaging and the actors definitely give it their all (even if some of it comes across a bit campy - and hey, it worked for Dark Shadows, and quite honestly, it works here, too!).  

 

Obviously, I was too young to be aware of these back in 1973 when they first aired, and from what is revealed in the special features, these films were believed lost, never seen since their original airings - however, they were discovered not so long ago in the vaults of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, nicely preserved and ripe for a new generation of viewers!  And thanks to UCLA's preservation services and Kino Cult (a distribution company), I was able to enjoy these classic 1970s gothic films!  The Blu-ray collection does not have them in the originally aired order, so my look at each film below will follow the order in the Blu-ray, and not the chronological order of their airings.

"The Haunting of Rosalind" originally aired on April 10, 1973 and was based on a short story by Henry James titled "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" (1875).  It tells the story of two sisters - Perdita (portrayed by a very young and very beautiful Susan Sarandon!) and Rosalind - who are vying for the attention of the same man - Arthur Lloyd, a friend of their brother who comes to visit.  Rosalind believes Arthur has feelings for her, but he marries Perdita instead. When Perdita dies (under mysterious circumstances), Rosalind worms her way into Arthur's life and marries him - but she can't shake the feeling that Perdita is still haunting her.  All the while, the sisters' brother is beginning to suspect Arthur is not everything he says he is, and quite possibly he murdered his first wife.  Their rush to save Rosiland at the end proves to be a fantastic climax to the tale! While this film has some massive time jumps that are bit jarring, the story is actually really good, and the performances by the actors truly set the tone well.  This movie was directed by Lela Swift, who also directed quite a number of episodes of Dark Shadows, so if you get the vibe of that show while watching the film, you'll know why.

"The Screaming Skull" originally aired on February 14, 1973 and was adapted from a short story by F. Marion Crawford (1908).  This movie tells the tale of Luke Pratt (played by David McCallum, best known for his role on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), a physician who is always engrossed with his research.  He is married to a rather testy woman, Helen, who blames him for not saving her son when he died.  When Luke's brother comes for a visit and relates a strange story of how a woman in South America got away with murdering three of her husbands by a rather ingenious method, Luke begins to gets ideas.  It's never explicitly stated whether Luke kills his wife (it could have been hallucinations, him dreaming of doing the deed), but he thinks he did, so he goes to the grave and removes her head to hide the evidence by keeping her skull among the other skulls in his office.  The only problem is, the skull won't leave him alone!  It appears everywhere, moaning at him, reminding him of what he did, until he can no longer take it.  When he dies, his brother inherits the property - and the curse of the skull!  A rather enjoyable gothic tale, and even though it's clearly the same set redressed, the story and acting are good enough to make you overlook that fact.  This movie was directed by Gloria Monty, who is probably best known for her work on General Hospital in the '80s.

"Deadly Visitor" originally aired July 4, 1973 and was taken from Fitz-James O'Brien's short story, "What Was It?  A Mystery?" (1859).  This was the second movie to be directed by Lela Swift, and it stars a very young Perry King  (from the television show, Riptide) as a young writer moves into a boarding house where his artist friend resides so that he can finish the book he is working on.  The room he rents turns out to be haunted, but the landlady, Mrs. Moffat, plays down that fact - no, she is more interested in making moves on Jaime (the writer)!  Jaime, though, has other things on his mind, because there is a ghost in his room that can't seem to decide whether it loves him or wants to kill him!  Jaime begins to think it is the ghost of a woman from his past (especially after they capture the invisible form and make a plaster cast of it, identifying the shape as female), but later learns it could be something far, far worse!  The special effects for this one are actually pretty good considering the time when the movie was made, and I thought the actors did a superb job with the material - especially King, who had to fight with an "invisible" ghost and consistently react to something that was not really there. The ending was somewhat ambiguous, as we do not get any real resolution, but from what I understand, the short story leaves things unresolved as well.

"The House and the Brain" originally aired May 20, 1973 and is said to be based on Edward Bulwer-Lytton's short story, "The Haunted and the Haunters; Or, The House and the Brain" (1897); however, from sources I've found online, the movie has very little connection to the short story.  This was the second film directed by Gloria Monty and stars Keith Charles (known for his work on a number of soap operas during the '60s and '70s) as a military man who has recently been discharged and is looking to rent a room in a beautiful old mansion in New Orleans.  He is at first warned away by the property owner's ward, Marianna, but the housekeeper appears and assures him the room is for rent.  We get glimpses of a mysterious person upstairs with a bird who seems to insist that David (the military man) stay and that he fall in love with Marianna - for what purpose, we don't know right away - but as the movie continues, the clues are there.  The painting of Marianna's great-grandmother who so closely resembles her; the warnings from Marianna; the strange tombstone on the patio; and the cryptic demands that Marianna convince David to fall in love with her ... it seems David's friend, Kate (portrayed by Gretchen Corbett from The Rockford Files) is the only one who realizes there is something fishy going on in that old house...sadly, by the time David realizes it, it's too late!  The actress who plays Marianna was perfect casting - she has that young, innocent look that Alexandra Moltke had when she was cast as Victoria Winters in Dark Shadows, but in this case, looks can be very deceiving - which gives the story the perfect gothic twist!

"And the Bone Came Together" originally aired February 15, 1973.  The story was written by Sholomo Keil and is the only one of the five films that does not utilize that same house set with the staircase.  Instead, this one is a rather unique gothic set in New York City.  It is the only one of the five films directed by a man - Henry Kaplan, who directed quite a few episodes of Dark Shadows, and went on to direct episodes of All My Children, Another World, Ryan's Hope, and others.  The plot involves a widower Jewish man who is being evicted from his apartment so the city can tear down the building and rebuild new, more modern housing.  He is unable to convince the real estate agent to let him keep his home, so he somehow manages to place a curse on the agent, which ultimately affects both him and his pregnant wife (played by a young Robin Strasser, from One Life to Live and Passions).  Strange, supernatural things begin to happen, and the agent becomes possessed by the old man's spirit.  Strasser's character is so scared, she goes to the grave of the old man and begs him to release his hold on her husband, willing to do anything to make that happen - which results in a very surprising twist at the end.  This one is definitely far different from the other four films, not just in location, but in the plot and characterization.  It is not your typical "gothic" tale - yet, it definitely has the elements necessary to fit the genre!

Obviously, the movies do not necessarily hold up when compared to today's films - back in 1973, the industry did not have the same technology today for filming and special effects; however for the period in which they were made, I'd have to give these films two thumbs up.  The sets are magnificent, the acting is well done, and the casting was pretty much spot on for nearly all the characters.  Anyone who enjoys gothic tales will love these films, as they adhere to the standard gothic tropes from the '60s and '70s novels, daring to go a step beyond by including the supernatural elements as real and not merely imagined by the characters.  I highly recommend this collection!

RATING:  9 weeping grave stones out of 10 for a fantastic effort at cashing in on the gothic craze of the 1970s and giving fans some great visual tales of a now almost-forgotten genre!

So Cold the River - a supernatural thriller

This book came as a complete surprise to me.  It was given to me by a friend who lives in French Lick, Indiana.  At first, I turned down the offer, but she insisted, indicating the book was set in her home town, and she even drove me to see the hotel where a portion of the book takes place.  I conceded and brought the book home.  I put it up on my "to be read" shelf with the intention of never pulling it down to read.  It just is not the type of book I normally read.  Recently, though, I was trying to decide what book to read next, and I saw this massive hardcover sitting there, overpowering all of the paperback novels around it, and so I figured, "What the heck.  I'll take it down, read a couple of chapters, and tell Dina that at least I gave it a shot."  So, I opened up this 503-page story and sat down to read it.  Three days later, I finished it!

So Cold the River, written by Michael Koryta, is the story of Eric Shaw, a cinematographer with a failed Hollywood career, a failing marriage, and a dead-end job video-taping weddings and putting together video-taped collages for funerals.  An assignment to put together a video for a recently deceased woman finds him focusing on a photograph of an A-frame cottage painted deep burgundy.  No people in the photo, but something about it draws Eric, forcing him to include it in the shot film of this woman's family and children.  It seems innocuous enough; but after the wedding, he learns the photo holds some important secrets that only the deceased woman's sister knows.  A woman who then hires Eric for a job - to head out to French Lick / West Baden, Indiana to research her father-in-law's life to produce a video about his childhood and history as a gift to her husband.  You see, her father-in-law is on his death bed, and no one - not even his own children - know anything about his life.  Eric declines until the woman offers him literally thousands of dollars to do the work.  So, Eric packs up and heads to Indiana, having no idea what is in store for him there!

If you are thinking that this does not sound overly exciting at this point, guess again.  That feeling Eric has about the A-frame in the photo - well, that is more than just a feeling.  And that bottle of spring water the woman gives him - the only thing her father-in-law has from his past in Indiana - it holds some very dark secrets.  Secrets that Eric begins to learn when he takes a sip from the bottle that has been closed for more than fifty years.  And then takes another sip.  And another.  It becomes an addiction, because the more he drinks, the more he begins to see things.  Glimpses of the past.  Glimpses of Campbell Bradford, the man he was sent to research.  Glimpses of the evil surrounding this man.  It becomes clear pretty quickly this is more than just a regular thriller.  There is a supernatural side to the story that turns dark really quick.  And a book that I had no intention of reading suddenly drew me in just as quickly as that bottle of water and the secret history of West Baden / French Lick draws in Eric.  

The characters in the story are superbly fleshed out, and as a reader, you find yourself drawn to each of them.  There's Kellen, the young college student working on a thesis about his grandfather's life running a speakeasy back in the day.  And his grandfather had told him some unbelievable stories about the town and about Bradford - stories that he begins to realize may not have been the imaginations of an elderly man.  There's Annie, the old woman who has been around long enough to know pretty much everyone in the town - and who has her own stockpile of bottled spring water from back in the day that has its own secrets to tell.  There's Josiah, the descendant of Campbell Bradford who is always getting into trouble - and who might very well be Campbell's path back to the real world.  There's Danny, the dimwitted best friend of Josiah who has always been loyal to Josiah - and who begins to realize that loyalty may come with a price.  And there's Claire, the spurned wife who still loves her husband despite everything - and who comes to Indiana in hopes of saving him from himself, only to find she is the one who needs to be saved!

The book is a definite page-turner, with so much tension building and so much suspense, you won't be able to put it down.  I give Koryta credit - he writes a very powerful story that will keep even a non-interested reader like me on the edge of his seat, waiting to see what is going to happen next and how it will all turn out!

NOW - all of that being said, I will give you one warning.  If you are thinking about watching the film adaptation of this book that was released back in 2022, I've got one word for you.  DON'T!!!  Under no circumstances should you watch the film if you've read the book.  I don't know what the filmmakers were thinking, but the movie is so far removed from the book, all it will do is drive you crazy and make you wish you could get back that hour-and-a-half of time you wasted watching it.  I made the mistake of watching it on a streaming channel, and throughout the entire movie, I'm screaming, shaking my head in disgust, and complaining at how much destruction the filmmakers did to this amazing tale.  The characterization is WAY off, and the story is so butchered, it's almost unrecognizable.  So, if you are thinking about watching the film, again - DON'T!  You will regret it!

Stick with the book - it is a million times better and well worth the read!

RATING:  9 tubs of sulfur-smelling spring water out of 10 for a shockingly great thriller with some unexpected twists and backstories that will leave you breathless by the end!

stranger things happen - a short story collection

This book is an oddity with me.  I rarely buy books that are not a part of a series, but this one was recommended to me by a book dealer at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair earlier this year.  I had been talking with this dealer, explaining my love of children's mystery series and, in particular, the character of Nancy Drew.  She told me about this book she had read that featured a unique take on the character and that I HAD TO check it out!  She showed me the cover to the book, and that was enough to sell me.  A blond-haired female detective shining a flashlight into the dark woods - such a spooky, haunted scene, how could I possibly pass it up?  I mean, I have plenty of other one-off books that celebrate, parody, or in some way utilize the world's most famous teen detective, so why not this one?  Well, nothing in the world could have prepared me for the ride I was in for, that's for sure!

stranger things happen is a collection of short stories by author Kelly Link.  And, yes, the lack of capitalization in the title is not a mistake - that is how the title is actually written on the book.  Nine of the eleven short stories in this collection have been previously published, between 1995 and 2000.  And the blurb on that front cover is so perfectly accurate - there is no way anyone could possibly label this genre-bending set of stories, as they do not fit any one particular form.  They definitely deal with romance - except when they don't.  They feature supernatural elements - except when they don't.  They have a certain amount of horror in them - except when they don't.  And they definitely have a sense of mystery to them - except when they don't.  The stories are blunt - they are moving - they are horrifying - they are sad - they are shocking - they are subtle - they are subverting - they are over-the-top - they are unbelievable - they are reality.  Link has a most unique style of writing that, well, quite frankly, does not fit any other style I've ever read.  Which is why it is so extremely difficult to pin down a simple description to her stories and her writing.

I'm not going to say I liked all of the stories, because I did not.  The first story, "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose," just didn't do it for me.  It was different, but I just didn't feel it.  I tried to like it, I tried to make sense of it, but it just fell flat for me.  But I didn't give up.  I knew that there was a story about a girl detective waiting for me at the end (why, oh why, didn't they start off with that story - of course, if they had, I would probably have not read any of the other stories, and might have missed out on a few good ones....).  Some of the others were okay, but they just didn't strike me as all that likable.  And who knows, maybe they weren't meant to be.

That being said, I did rather like "Vanishing Act."  This was a different kind of tale about a young girl who is basically invisible and another young girl who wishes she could disappear like her.  I think, to a degree, there are a lot of us who wish we could wish ourselves away, to go be with ones that we love that have gone away in one fashion or another.  For the characters in this story, that wish became a reality - but it took a lot to get there.  I also enjoyed "Shoe and Marriage," which was a re-imagining of sorts of some very familiar fairy tale stories.  You will probably recognize some, but perhaps not all, of the characters in this short tale.  And "Survivor's Party, or The Donner Party" is a strange story that leads you (the reader) in some different directions, and when you think you understand it, you realize you really don't, and so you go back and read it again.  This one would definitely make for a great horror film!

The others I'll just pass over, as none of them was the story for which I bought the book.  "The Girl Detective, that final story that begins on page 245, is the one I was dying to read.  It is not quite what I expected, but based on the rest of Link's stories, it's pretty par for the course.  The story is told from an observer's point of view - who is the observer?  Who knows.  It could be the author.  It could be a fan.  It could be a neighbor.  There's not clear definition.  And maybe that's the point.  The girl detective is not given a name, but it is clear who she is supposed to be (uhm, Nancy Drew, anyone - or maybe Kay Tracey - or perhaps Penny Parker - or possibly any of the other plethora of girl sleuths that have filled children's mystery stories for so many years....).  Her mother disappeared (died) years ago.  She lives with her father and her housekeeper. As so perfectly described on page 251, she is courteous, brave, and well-groomed.  She loathes injustice, and is good at finding things.  On page 258, we read about Fred or Nat, you know - that boy that was in love with the girl detective, but somehow always ended up on the sidelines.  As fans of children's mysteries, it is often easy to spot a villain based solely on superficial factors.  For the girl detective in this story, it is the same - only she sizes people up by their names. And in-between the glimpses back and forth into the past, present, and future of the girl detective, we are treated to an off-beat mystery involving an overweight father and his twelve dancing daughters.  The observer (the reader?) follows along with the girl detective as she searches for her mother (solves the mystery of the twelve dancing daughters), and he/she (we?) are there when the girl detective disappears in the end ....and then reappears - or does she?

To say it is a very odd story is truly putting it mildly.  But it definitely pays homage to Nancy Drew and all of her sister sleuths down through the decades.  The mystery certainly isn't any less crazy than some of the children's mystery stories I've read (Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion, anyone?).  I give Link credit for taking a shot at the girl detective genre and writing a story that looks beneath the surface and makes the reader really think about what he or she is reading.  

The title to this book is definitely fitting - Stranger things happen in this book than any other that I've read (although The Prescient Wisdom of Nancy Drew certainly comes a close second to this one).  Would I recommend it?  Well, if you can handle out-of-the-norm, truly off-beat stories, then yes, this is for you. If you prefer the more straight-forward, linear tales in third person only, you might find this a difficult read.  But if you are a Nancy Drew completist that must have anything and everything even tangentially Nancy Drew-related, then you need to pick this up.

RATING:  7 aisles of breakfast cereal and canned tomatoes out of 10 for viewing the girl detective genre through an entirely different kind of lens with no apologies or explanations!

The Haunted Studio - The Hayley Mysteries, Book 1

I keep telling myself I am NOT going to pick up any new series, I am NOT going to start reading any new series, and I am NOT going to look at any new series that I may come across while in the bookstore or strolling through Amazon.  Then, of course, I happen across a new series that catches my eye, I pick it up and look at the premise and story, and I suddenly find myself buying a new series.  (SIGH)   I supposed I'm addicted, what can I say?  But, at least so far, I have been pretty good at picking up new series that are actually worth reading (only a few here and there have been less than stellar).  And The Haley Mysteries is no exception.  My eye happened to catch the cover art for the first two books that were on display at Barnes & Noble - the painted cover with the eye-catching logo (where the word "The" is placed within a magnifying glass next to Hayley's name!) - and I found the third book shelved in the children's section.  So, I picked up all three books with the hope that I would not be disappointed.

The Haunted Studio is the first of the Hayley Mysteries.  It introduces readers to thirteen-year old Hayley and her two best friends, Aubrey and Cody.  Hayley is the star of a TV series called "Sadie Solves It!" about a young teenage sleuth, aided by her two friends, played by Aubrey and Cody.  The three young friends are getting ready to start filming the second season of their show and are a bit nervous - the show was successful enough to have it moved from the studios were the first season were filmed in the Valley to a major studio in the middle of Hollywood!  There are a number of new crew members on the set, and when one of them warns Hayley and her friends about the ghost that is said to haunt the studio, Hayley has to wonder if it is true or not.  Aubrey is confident it is true, but Cody doesn't believe in ghosts. Soon enough, accidents begin to happen on the set, and the young actress who plays Sadie's younger sister on the show claim to have seen the ghost up in the rafters.  The show starts to fall behind schedule, and the director is growing concerned that if they go over-budget, the show may get cancelled!  Not wanting to see their show cancelled, Hayley, Aubrey and Cody set about trying to uncover the truth behind the ghost - is a young actress who died in a tragic accident years ago really haunting the studio?  Is she the reason the show that was filmed here last season was cancelled?  Is the ghost now trying to prevent Hayley from having a successful second season?

I have to say, I am rather impressed with this first mystery, particularly since it was written by Hayley LeBlanc, a thirteen-year old actress and social media star who happens to have been in the online show, Chicken Girls (which, interestingly enough, had one mystery book published that I read and reviewed back in September 2019 on this blog).  Now I can't say whether Hayley actually wrote this book herself, or whether she plotted and outlined it and a ghostwriter actually did the writing - but I can say that the story was engaging, the characters are definitely likable, and the mystery itself was well-thought out (although for seasoned mystery fans, it is not really too difficult to figure out who the culprit is).  I also enjoy the fact that Hayley has a pet cat, Salmon, that goes with her to the set and who she carries around quite a bit.  Being a cat fan myself, I enjoy seeing cat-lovers in the books I read.

The cover art and interior illustrations are done by Alessia Trunfio.  I'm not familiar with this artist, but I do enjoy her art tremendously.  I miss the days when the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and other mystery series books had internal illustrations to complement the stories, so it's great to see that some newer series are following in that tradition.  

Overall, this was a great start to a new series - it introduces readers to the characters in a very natural way, so that you get a good feel of who each one is, and it provides an overall feel to the type of mysteries the kids will be solving.  I still miss the days when the sleuths in children's mystery series were 16 or 18 years old, instead of the 12 to 14 year old sleuths of today's series, but I suppose the times, they are a'changing!  I would recommend this to any fan of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Boxcar Children, Happy Hollisters, and such - it rates right up there with them.

RATING:  8 cans of tuna for Salmon out of 10 for kicking off a brand new series with a brand new sleuth in such a great way!

Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and The Express Train to Nowhere (Book 2)

When I first read Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Secret of the Grande Chateau, I had a small hope in the back of my mind that this would make a fun series; but, being a parody as it is, I didn't really expect to ever see any more GHAC books by Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills.  I figured that the one fun romp of adventure with J.J. and Valentine Watts (are they really brothers?) and their mystery-solving partner, Trudi de la Rosa was going to be it.  So, color me surprised when I was scrolling through Amazon and came across this second book starring the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club!  It was quite literally a dream come true!  With another beautifully painted '50s-style cover by Paul Mann, this time showcasing J.J., Valentine, and Trudi staring right at the reader, this was an instant buy for me - as well as an instant read!  Usually I try to read the books in the order I buy them, but for this one, I just couldn't wait.

Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Express Train to Nowhere follows the format of the first book, in that Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills introduces the story and the characters (much as Alfred Hitchcock did back in the early Three Investigators books).  Of course, Mills reminds readers that he is only in this for the money, and that the success of the first book prompted this second book for young adults, a genre he clearly does not like (particularly since he considers J.J., Valentine, and Trudi to be complete and utter idiots - but wait!  Isn't he writing them?  So, if he's calling them idiots, then why doesn't he simply write them a different way?  Or is it, perhaps, that they are not really idiots, and he's just trying to cover up the fact that he has created some wonderfully lovable characters that readers enjoy?  Or, just maybe, it's a simply attempt at humor, poking fun at his own breaking of the fourth wall in this book....)  In any event, he finally shuts up and allows this second adventure to begin!

The story picks up not long after the events in the first book.  Trudi is an official members of the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club, and J.J. has set up the Club's First Inaugural Leadership Summit!  As luck would have it, he managed to snag three tickets on the Harborville Express, headed to New Troutstead.  He has plenty of projects, assignments, and team-building exercised planned for the three of them, to better their skills as detectives and as a team.  But, as with any good mystery, fate has other plans.  Soon enough, Siobhan Sweeney, the boy's sworn nemesis, shows up at the door of their train cabin, throwing Valentine completely off-balance.  Then they discover she is working as security for a museum curator who is transporting a priceless ruby jewels to another museum.  Only to find out the jewels are on loan from a small country of which no one has ever heard.  Which turns out to to in very bad relations with a neighboring country who claims the jewels are rightfully theirs.  And thrown into the mix is the local baseball team enjoying a ride on the train, as well as a group of train nerds enthralled with the Harborville Express!  And when the necklace disappears during a short trip through a dark tunnel, the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club is on the - - well, they would be, if Inspector Sandor Horvath didn't happen to also be on the train and take over the investigation.

It's definitely another kooky mystery, which, quite frankly, might even stymie the most die-hard Christie or Doyle fans!  J.J., Valentine, and Trudi are positive Siobhan stole the jewels with the help of her quiet but loyal partner, Luther.  But the Inspector is haphazardly making his way through the suspects (he might as well be named Inspector Clouseau - and if you don't know who that is, then go google it - I'm not telling you!), and the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club happen to be in his sights.  The next thing you know, the train ends up broken down in the middle of Nowhere - and no, I did not capitalize that word by mistake - that's the name of the abandoned town where the train happens to get stuck (hence, the name of the book!).  And it's there that all the craziness really begins, as we soon learn that half the people on the train are not who we thought they were, and our intrepid sleuths finds themselves in one danger after another - from collapsing buildings, to booby-trapped caves, to train-roof chases, to burning train cars - you name it, these kids face it!

I think this book features more self-awareness than the first one, particularly since "Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills" happens to be writing this very book on the same train that the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club are on!  Trudi confronts the author with questions, while Valentine does not have time to deal with him when he happens upon his creator.  And Mill's decision to kill off one of the major characters in the book takes a surprising twist at the end (and even leads you to wonder how in the world the book was able to come to such a satisfying conclusion after the death occurs!).  I just hope that Mills' statement in the epilogue that this is the very last Ghost Hunters Adventure Club book is a misdirection, as I want - no, I DEMAND - to see these characters return and solve more mysteries, catch more criminals, and have many more adventures for me to follow.  J.J., Valentine, and Trudi are just way too much fun to be put away and fade into obscurity.

So, I will keep my eye on Amazon and keep my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that book 3 will eventually appear...

RATING:  9 existential fights at The Whistle Stop out of 10 for offering up a parody series like no other, that combines Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and the Three Investigators with the humor of John Byrne's She-Hulk and Marvel's Deadpool films!

Phantoms & Felonies - a Haunted Mansion Mystery (#2)

It absolutely sucks when you find a new series that you enjoy, with a writer that you find has created some engaging characters and a world full of great mysteries, and then have that rug pulled right out from under you after only two or three books when you discover that - oh, guess what?!  The series is over, the publisher and/or the writer has decided not to do any more books in the series.  It has happened to me more time than I care to admit.  The Change of Fortune series by Jesica Estevao ended after only two books.  The Lilly Long series by Penny Richards ended after only three books.  The Devlin Quick series by LInda Fairstein ended after only three books.  And the list goes on and on.... And now, here I have yet another wonderful series to add to this list - the Haunted Mansion Mystery series by Lucy Ness.  I came into the game a little late, picking up both the first and second book in this series after the second book was published.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, and so as time came around and I picked up the second one to read, I did a search to see when the next one was coming out.  Only ... there is no "next" book for this series.  (sigh)

But that did not dampen my enjoyment of this second trip into the world of Avery Morgan and the Portage Path Women's Club.  Phantoms & Felonies finds Avery getting ready for the murder mystery party that the women's club is hosting, and resident ghost Clementine Bow (or "Clemmie" as she likes to be called) is eager to help Avery get the former speakeasy in the basement ready for the event.  A local theater troupe is going to be staging the interactive play, in which the guests at the club will have the opportunity to solve the murder that is going to take place.  But, as fate would have it, a real murder is on the menu for the evening as the local banker, Bob Hanover, who is playing the lead role in the play, turns up dead in the speakeasy - and Avery's aunt, Rosemary Walsh, is found standing over the body, a bloody knife in her hand!  Boy, does Avery have her work cut out for her!

Ness cooks up quite the little murder mystery with this one.  It turns out there were any number of people who were actually out of the dining room when the murder took place and could very well have gone down into the basement and done the deed.  The banker's wife, who was fearful that her husband was cheating on her ... the banker's ex-wife who never liked the fact he left her for his secretary ... the playwright who believes the banker stole his play and intended to sell it as his own ... the local landscaper whose was put out of business when the banker refused to give him a much-needed loan ... then there's the overly nervous waitress who takes the heat off of Aunt Rosemary when she confesses to the crime!  But Avery as well as the police do not think she did it.  Which begs the question - who really killed Bob Hanover?

The story is filled with suspects, clues, and secrets galore, and poor Avery has to make sense of them.  Clemmie tries to help, but she's in danger herself of being exposed, because Aunt Rosemary is almost certain she can feel a presence in the Portage Path Women's Club, and she is determined to ferret it out, even if that means calling in reinforcements to hold a seance.  The only problem is, when you start messing with the other side, you just never know what ... or in this case, who! ... you manage to reach.  This book definitely ups the ante when it comes to ghosts and the other side, as Avery does everything she can to keep Clemmie's presence a secret, as well as her own ability to see and speak with spirits.  All of this, plus solving a murder, definitely keeps our amateur sleuth busy.  

It's truly a shame that Ness is not continuing the series.  I would love to see more Haunted Mansion Mysteries.  Avery Morgan is a fun character, and her interactions with the self-absorbed playwright, Fabian LaGrande, are priceless!  (And let's face it, she picked the right surname for the character!)  Who knows, maybe if I'm lucky, Ness will shop the series around and find another publisher that will pick up on the series.  In the meantime, I would definitely recommend this and the previous book for anyone who enjoyed a good murder mystery with some ghosts thrown in the mix.

RATING:  9 pale aqua beads spotted with gold out of 10 for mystery, ghosts, and fun all rolled into one!

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

I happened across this book on Amazon, and debated on whether to get it for quite a while.  I'm not really into non-series books, but this one kind of struck my interest - kid detectives investigating a haunted hotel, where a group of seemingly unrelated individuals are summoned by invitation.  The cover art is a bit cartoonish in nature, but the concept was enough to draw me in, so when I saw the book at a local independent bookseller, I decided to take a leap of faith and buy it.  While it is definitely a book for pre-teens, it was a rather enjoyable read.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel is written by Fleur Bradley and illustrated by Xavier Bonet.  I am not familiar with either of these individuals, but after reading this book, I'd say that both of them have talent in their respective fields.  Bradley's story is superbly plotted, with just the right amount of clues scattered throughout the story that the reader, if following closely, can figure things out along the way.  The writing itself is simple, with short sentences and clear, easy language that a youngster can follow and understand.  The art consists of black-and-white line drawings, often utilizing a lot of shadows and shading to keep the mysterious tone of the story, but in a style that could easily translate to a cartoon of today's standards.  The writing and art work hand-in-hand to provide readers with a fun story that's easy to read.

The story opens with Mr. Barclay sending out special invitations to five select individuals ... invitations to enjoy a weekend at his secluded Barclay Hotel.  Each of the five invitees were specifically selected for reasons known only to Mr. Barclay.  It was intended to be a very surprising weekend for everyone...

The author introduces each of the invited guests as they receive their invitations.  Jackie Jacobson, a hard working mother who rarely had time for vacations, receives the first invitation.  She doesn't want to go, but her son J.J. insists, with him tagging along.  Buck Jones, a cowboy working on a large ranch outside of town is the second to receive an invitation.  A weekend at a hotel could be just what he needs.  Chelsea Griffin, the third to receive an invitation, is the town librarian.  There's so much she wants to accomplish for children, but perhaps this weekend would offer her a bit of a respite.  Frank Walker is a retired detective, and with his young granddaughter Penny visiting, he's not sure what to do with the invitation he receives.  But it says there is no cell phone reception ... and a hot tub ... and Penny likes the idea of the huge library there.  And last, but not least, the actress Fiona Fleming, who also dabbles in the realm of psychic readings.  She nearly missed the opportunity by not reading her invitation.

And there are the five attendees - a busy CEO, a candy-loving Cowboy, a tired Librarian, a retired Detective, and a psychic Actress.  Oh, and the two stragglers, J.J. and Penny.  Seven guests who have no idea the weekend that is in store for them.  Nor do the realize that five of the seven guests have secrets that they would rather not have revealed.  Oh, and did I mention that their host, Mr. Barclay, happens to have been murdered, and they have been invited to the Barclay Hotel so that the murderer can be revealed?  And that the Barclay Hotel is allegedly haunted, where the ghosts like to come out when it is ... midnight at the Barclay Hotel!  (Gee, ya think that was an ominous way to fit the title of the book into this review?)

Of course, the guests aren't the only one with secrets.  It is revealed pretty early on that Mr. Clark, the butler for the hotel, has a secret.  As does the Chef.  The adults are none too happy about the ruse to get them there, but the children, J.J. and Penny, are more than excited - J.J. has a chance to investigate for ghosts (he LOVES ghosts) and Penny has the chance to be a real-life detective.  With the help of Emma, Mr. Barclay's young daughter, the two children set about to find out what really happened to Mr. Barclay (I mean, was he really poisoned by a cupcake?) and who had the means, motive, and opportunity to kill him.  The author does a fantastic job with subtly planting clues throughout the story, not just about Mr. Barclay's murder, but also with respect to the secrets that so many of the characters are carrying around.  But, as with any good murder mystery, the secrets all eventually come out, and after a couple of twists (that to an adult who has been reading mysteries for decades now were not really surprising, but for the age group at which this story is aimed, I'm sure they will be fun reveals), the truth comes out, and the killer's identity is revealed.

I do enjoy the way Bradley manages to throw in the ghostly elements in such a way that the reader can't really be sure whether the ghosts are real, or if there is an actual explanation for the so-called ghostly experiences (i.e., books falling of shelves, marbles rolling in from nowhere, an elevator stopping unexpectedly, something ticking a character's foot, etc.).  But, by the end of the book, the reader will know for sure whether Barclay Hotel is truly haunted, or if the murder mystery that has everyone on edge simply has people imaging the ghosts!

This was a truly enjoyable read, and although Bradley's next book has different characters and a different setting, I'm likely to pick it up to see if it is as much fun as this one!

RATING:  9 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of 10 for keeping it simple, but keeping it fun!

Haunted Homicide - a Haunted Mansion Mystery (#1)

Wait, what? Another new series?  But, Todd, I thought you weren't picking up any new series!  And a cozy series, at that?! Yes, yes, yes, I know.  But when you go to Barnes & Noble time and time again, and there are no new books in the series you do read, and you stumble across the start of a new series about a haunted mansion with a ghost that helps the new young business manager of the woman's club that houses its meetings and events within that haunted mansion - plus, with the unique font used for the title and the awesome cover art - well, let's face it, I couldn't help myself.  I picked up the first two books in the series and figured I would give them a try.  If I didn't like them, I knew I could always pass them on to someone else.

Well, I have no intention of passing them on!

Haunted Homicide, the first of Lucy Ness's "Haunted Mansion Mystery" tales, is a delightful little mystery with plenty of colorful characters.  Of course, when you are dealing with a bunch of high society, older-than-dirt women, you're pretty much guaranteed to have some fun characters!  The story centers around Avery Morgan, who has come to the small town of Portage Path (interesting name) to take over as business manger for the PPWC (Portage Path Women's Club).  Avery's parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her rather eccentric aunt who claims to see and speak with the dead.  Avery has never believed in any of that, and his move to Portage Path gives her a chance to get away from it all.  Or so she thinks...

Avery is welcomed into the PPWC by everyone except one - Muriel Sadler, an old, rich socialite who makes it clear that she does not want Avery there.  All of the others ladies on the Board for the women's club are happy to have Avery - Patricia Fink, Gracie Grimm, Valentina Hanover, and Agnes Yarborough.  The cook, Quentin, and the hostess, Geneva, are also thrilled to meet Avery.  But as soon as she arrives, she realizes things are not going well for the club.  Membership is down, attendance at meetings is low, and one of the rooms in the old mansion is having to be repaired because Agnes fell asleep in the records room and dropped her cigarette, starting a fire that nearly wiped out the room.  Enter: Jack Harkness.

Yes, you read that right.  Jack Harkness. No, not THAT Jack Harkness.  Although, it would have been rather hilarious if Jack Harkness turned out to be Captain Jack Harkness (as played by John Barrowman) in the Doctor Who series.  But, sadly, this is only a super-tall, super-good looking restorationist who will be fixing the Marigold Room.  However, I did smile every time I read his name, as I could only picture in my mind John Barrowman as Jack Harkness.

Anyway, before you know it, Muriel Sadler winds up dead at the bottom of the basement stairs.  Avery stumbles across the body - literally! - and she is left to wonder if the young woman in the 1920s flapper outfit she sees in the basement is connected to the murder.  Of course, Sergeant Oscar "Oz" Alterman and his policemen are unable to locate any woman in the basement.  Avery gets the suspicion they think she imagined the woman.  But she didn't.  She knows she didn't.  She spoke with the woman.  She was real.  Wasn't she?

With a series called "A Haunted Mansion Mystery," I think you pretty much know the answer to that.  Ness plays the story realistically (well, as realistically as you can with a ghost), and Clementine Bow (the ghost) is not able to simply tell Avery who the killer is.  Rather, Clemmie simply helps Avery talk through all the facts she uncovers about the suspects and the night of the murder, and she even manages to eavesdrop on some conversations that help Avery connect some dots about Muriel Sadler.  Of course, if she's going to figure out who killed the former president of the PPWC (at the request of the other board members, of course), she's going to have to get some answers to some important questions, like:  where did Patricia get those bruises? why was Muriel's husband at a movie the night of the murder when he told the police he was at home? what was Gracie doing with some of the records books at her house?  why did the previous business manager not turn in her key when Muriel fired her? and was it true that the former groundskeeper was stealing from the club, as Muriel accused him of when she fired him?  So much misinformation, so many lies, and so many secrets - all of which make for a great mystery!

Ness is off to a great start with this first book in her new series, and I hope the series sticks around for a while and doesn't disappear like Clemmie after only two books!

RATING:  9 purple t-shirts and purple-glittered hair out of 10 for kicking off this new series with a fun new mystery-solving duo!

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!

G.F.F.s (Ghost Friends Forever), Volume Two - Witches Get Things Done

G.F.F. (Ghost Friends Forever)
"Witches Get Things Done"
Publisher: Charmz (division of Papercutz)
Publication Date (October 2018)
ISBN 10 - 1545801517
ISBN 13 - 978-1545801512
70 pages of story & art

It's time to return to Spectreville in this second graphic novel about Sophia Greene-Campos and her family of ghost hunters. In the last graphic novel, Sophia met and ultimately freed the ghost girl, Whitney, from being stuck haunting a bridge - but that freedom was short-lived, when Whitney was pulled away during a ritual gone wrong (to rid their school of a teacher who was not everything she seemed to be).

Now, in "Witches Get Things Done," writer Monica Gallagher and artist Kata Kane, introduce a new player in Sophia's world, the daughter of a tarot-card reader, Charlotte. Sophia is anxious to learn more about spells, like her father, so she can find a way to bring Whitney back from wherever she is. Her parents are not overly pleased with her brother's antics at the end of the last book, so they are unwilling to teach her just yet ... but Sophia has other plans! Charlotte is a willing accomplice, and the two (along with the help of Sophia's brother) set out to cast a spell that will bring back the ghost that Sophia likes.

But what about Jake, the boy that likes Sophia and that she claims she doesn't have an interest in? What happens when Charlotte expresses an interest? And who is that red-haired boy that Whitney finds down in the caverns of who-knows where? And what exactly is Sophia's father up to with Charlotte's mother? And just what is up with that two-headed ghost that keeps haunting the dreams of Sophia's family? And just what are their plans for that poor red-headed boy?

This second volume is chock full of mysteries, and while a few of them get answered, a few are just harbingers of things yet to come. Gallagher does a very good job of weaving all of the stories in and out of each other, and in true soap opera fashion, manages to resolve some stories, while introducing others and building on others still. This is not a series of done-in-one mystery stories, but an entire world of supernatural mysteries with a strong-willed, yet inexperienced female protagonist. And the ending sets up what appears to be an interesting trip for Sophia...

While this series appears to be aimed at teens, I am impressed with the fact that Gallagher has created a protagonist that likes other girls, but does not force the issue or make it into any kind of political book; rather, she simply writes the story about a girl who likes girls and makes no big deal about it. I give her kudos for keeping the book more about the mysteries and the relationships, and not at all about her orientation. As far as the art goes, I do admit, it seems a little less refined in this book than it did in the first, but it is cute, and Kane seems to be developing a good grasp of facial expressions.

This is a book I would recommend to any age - no cussing, no sex, no nudity, no adult situations, no extreme violence - just good story-telling and well-written mysteries.

RATING:  8 back-to-back creature features out of 10 for providing an all-ages book that is not dumbed-down or overly cartoony.

G.F.F.s (Ghost Friends Forever), Volume One - My Heart Lies in the '90s

Mysteries and ghosts are always a great combination.  Just ask the Scooby gang – it’s been their schtick for decades! So now Charmz, an imprint of Papercutz (who published those Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew graphic novels a few years back), has offered up a new series called G.F.F.s – Ghost Friends Forever.  It’s a new series (hopefully!) of graphic novels written by Monica Gallagher and drawn by Kata Kane about a fifteen-year old female protagonist, Sophia Greene-Campos, who comes from family of paranormal investigators.  Thus, ghosts don’t scare her and solving mysteries – well, it’s pretty much in her blood.

“My Heart Lies in the 90s” not only introduces readers to Sophia, her brother Felix, her boyfriend Jake, and Sophia and Felix’s parents, but it also presents readers with Sophia’s first ghost, Whitney – a young girl who died twenty years ago.  She has no memory of what happened to her, she only knows she is stuck on the bridge Sophia happened to be crossing and can’t move away from it.

Until she meets Sophia!

Something about Sophia opens a door for Whitney, and suddenly the young (?) ghost finds she can move away from the bridge – a little more each day.  Meanwhile, Sophia has decided to make it her business to figure out what happened to Whitney so the girl can move on.  But Felix finds out, and warns her that he will rat her out to their parents, since they were both forbidden to go into the family business until they had been properly trained.  And with her parents split up and living separately, Sophia knows there is no hope of that any time soon.

Gallagher provides a well-plotted mystery for the teenage paranormal sleuth to solve – what happened to Whitney and who did it?  But even more than that, Gallagher throws in several subplots involving Sophia’s parents and what happened that caused them to separate.  And what happens when Sophia suddenly finds herself breaking the one big rule that her parents were always warning her about?  Don’t get attached to the ghosts!  Only, Sophia can’t help herself, because the more she helps Whitney and delves into the mystery surrounding her death, the more she finds herself attracted to the young girl.

Gallagher’s dialogue is natural and flows smoothly among the characters, giving each one his and her own distinctive personalities.  There is plenty of teen angst, jealousy, betrayal, as well as a bit of humor thrown in for good measure, and the story has all the makings of a great ongoing series.  Hopefully sales on this first book will be enough to warrant future stories.

Kane’s art is simple, but effective.  It’s almost a cross between Manga and old-style Archie, and it almost has a feel of a Saturday morning cartoon from yester-year.  The backgrounds are detailed, without being overpowering, and the only critique I have is that the characters in a lot of places look cardboard (meaning when there is action, the reader doesn’t get the feeling of movement like you do with other artists).  However, it was not something that took me out of the story, just something I noticed as I was reading.

What’s in store next for Sophia?  Only time will tell…

RATING:  7 servings of orangey spicy pasta out of 10 for serving up a good little mystery and introducing a new gang of supernatural sleuths!

Flagler's Few, Volume 3 - The Vampirate of Matanzas Inlet

Matanzas Inlet is a small channel just south of St. Augustine, Florida.  It is named Matanzas (the Spanish word for "slaughters") due to the massacre that occurred back in the late 1500s when the Spanish came in and murdered over 200 French Huguenots.

It also plays an important setting in Andre R. Frattino's latest Flagler's Few graphic novel, The Vampirate of Matanzas Inlet.

As with Frattino's prior books, this story is fiction mixed with a good dose of non-fictional history.  Told between flashbacks and present day events, the story focuses on Roger and his ancestor, the famed pirate Captain Rogerick Blimes.  Centuries ago, Captain Blimes defeated the evil "Mad Eyes" Gaunt and captured his demon-possessed soul in a skull, which he later hid somewhere around St. Augustine, Florida.  Obviously, that very skull plays a very important part in events occurring in the present.  With the Flagler's Few two members down, Roger feels as if he has been betrayed by all of his friends - until he runs into a friend from his past (quite literally), who reminds him what loyalty is and what fun living a "pirate" life can be.  Raven and the Professor are worried about Roger, but he doesn't see it that way.

Now, you may be asking - what about that "vampirate" referenced in the title to the story? Well, that's another little subplot being told throughout this story. It seems Captain Blimes, in exchange for help in defeating Gaunt, agreed to assist a pregnant woman escape capture - but he was never able to rescue her, as she died giving birth during their escape.  He took the child with him - a child that just so happened to be born cursed as a vampire!  Raised on a pirate's ship (raised as a boy, mind you), Maddie grew up with indebted to Captain Blimes, and ultimately, to his descendants.  Which, of course, brings us to the present, where a young vampire girl (or rather, young in appearance) seems to be protecting Roger at every turn.

Frattino weaves another fun tale with banshees, vampires, possession, and good ol' pirate excitement. It's not only a tale of treasure hunting and high-seas pirating, but it's also a tale of friendship, loyalty, and well - the return of a member of the group thought gone (and his return brings with it some great geek-out references!).  The art, by Frattino, with Effie Rodriguez on inks, isn't quite as refined as the previous two books.  The characters' looks are not always consistent, and some of the panels seem a bit rushed.  However, none of that detracts from the story, and overall, the book was a great read (with a really good payoff at the end).

Don't see any word yet on a fourth graphic novel, so I guess I'll have to wait until I see Frattino at another comic convention and ask him then...

RATING:  8 witchy telepathic things out of 10 for taking the real history and locations of Florida and mixing them up with some great supernatural tales!

Flagler's Few, Volume 2 - Lost Souls of Savannah

Writer and artist Andre Frattino takes a quick detour from his Flagler's Few regular cast to spotlight the ghost that was seen in the first book - Victor, the guitar-playing ghost.  Frattino provides a rather detailed backstory for Victor - not necessarily his life, but rather his death and his after-life.

Lost Souls of Savannah tells the story of Victor's journey - his journey to find a way to get his life back, but also his journey of self-discovery and the darkness that resides within him, now that he is dead.  While the first graphic novel brought together the team of ghost-hunters through mishaps and a bit of fun, this one takes a more serious turn.  Victor is told by a Hoodoo priestess that he can regain his life if he first collects five souls that haunt the streets of Savannah, Georgia.  Desperate to become solid again, Victor agrees to the deal.  With the help of the priestess's son, a would-be writer, and a young photographer, Victor tracks down the five souls that will give him back his humanity.

Or will they?

Frattino provides a few twists along the way that will make the reader question the characters and reminds readers that inside of everyone there's both good and bad - it's up to each individual to choose which path he or she will take.  In fact, there are two huge twists as the story winds down, and they provide a very satisfying ending to Victor's backstory.  The story is a nice change of pace following the action packed first graphic novel and definitely showcases his talent as a writer.

The art actually feels a little less refined than the first book - and I wonder if that isn't because Frattino brings in inker Ryan English to "bring his pencils to life," as he indicates in his introduction to the story.  Personally, I think Frattino's art already shined; however, perhaps writing, drawing, inking, and lettering a book like this might be a bit taxing for one person, so I can forgive the fractional depreciation of the art. And maybe English is a very talented artist in his own right; I just don't think their combination necessarily works so well together.

I bought this book (as well as the third one) at the same time as the first book, so it also has a personalized drawing in the front, with the creator's autograph - this time, depicting me holding the all-important lantern (you have to read the story to understand what the lantern's significance is).  While the books can be bought online, I'd suggest finding Frattino at a convention so you can get them personalized this way - it makes them all the more special.

RATING:  7 union sharpshooters out of 10 for telling a good ol' fashioned ghost story from the ghost's point of view!