The Secret of the Devil's Cave - a Magnum Gothic original

This is now the second Gothic novel I've read that was written by Jennifer Hale (otherwise known as Frank E. Smith (1919-1984), the previous one being Ravensridge, published in 1971, just two years prior to this one.  The plots of both books are entirely different, but the stories are both exceptionally suspenseful and filled with mystery and drama.  I am still, to this day, awed at the ability of these male authors, back in the day, writing so well books aimed at a female audience, capturing so nicely the strength of their female protagonists without making them helpless (but giving them just enough danger to need a man to assist in their journey through the Gothic tropes).  While this book was also written in a first-person perspective (which I am not a fan of at all!), just like the previous book, I will still able to thoroughly enjoy and get caught up in the story. 

 

The Secret of Devil's Cave is a book I would have picked up on the title alone, as it invokes memories of all those children's series book titles from back in the day (The Mystery of ... / The Clue in ... / The Secret at ... / etc.).  The story centers around young Beth Nolan, whose father has died and left her property in the Ozarks of Missouri, on which is located not only a rather large mansion, but also some cave that goes by the name "Devil's Cave."  Beth is shocked, as her father never mentioned this property, and although Beth knows they moved from Missouri when she was three years old, she was unaware he had no sold all of the property the family owned at that time.  It seems her father had some secrets to keep, one of which is a mysterious photograph of a gravestone that is not engraved.  Who would bury someone, place a headstone at the grave, and then not inscribe it?  Having no other choice, Beth temporarily closes the antique shop she and her father ran and travels to Devil's Cave to claim her inheritance.

 

Hale (a/k/a Smith) sets the mood of the story right from the get-go, with Beth driving through some extremely dense fog, lost within the Ozarks as she tries to make her way to the cave.  When she finally comes across a small gas station / general store, she is met with some hesitation when she asks directions to her destination. From the owner of the store, Beth learns the cave is said to be haunted, with people hearing voices calling out in the cave.  She also learns that two girls have died in the cave - one by accident (supposedly), but the other murdered.  And the alleged murderer was never convicted and still lives on the property that neighbors her own!  On top of all that, Beth also learns the Bratcher family lives on her property, having been there ever since her own family left, and everyone thought the family owned the land.  The store owner warns her the family will not be happy when she stakes her claim.  And, boy, he wasn't wrong!

 

Earl Bratcher and his wife are definitely none-too-pleased at Beth's sudden appearance.  Earl insists he has a signed contract with Beth's father, allowing him to manage the property and tourist attraction, yet he persistently makes excuses why he cannot show it to her.  The Bratchers' two sons - Walt and Mark - run hot and cold: Walt is sarcastic and clearly does not welcome Beth's presence, while Mark is a bit more reserved and takes Beth under his wing to try and protect her a bit from his family's harsh attitudes.  The Bratchers' daughter, Leda, is a bit of a wild child, one who happens to be in love with Charles Woodward - the very man accused of killing the young girl in the cave!  Then there is poor Flossie, Walt's wife.  She is not quite all there (being the product of inbreeding, as Earl so bluntly puts it), but Beth feels sympathy for her and tries to become her friend ... until she learns that some years back, Flossie killed her brother's dog and dumped it down the "bottomless" well inside the cave, all because her husband liked the dog better than her ... and she won't let her husband like anything, or anyone better than her ... including Beth!

 

There is definitely plenty of suspense and mystery in this book - who really killed those girls in the cave?  Why did the Bratchers close the cave, and what happened to the guest who disappeared while exploring the cave some weeks ago?  Is there really a hidden treasure somewhere within the cave?  Why does the father of a local artist have a painting of Beth in his house?  What is the secret behind the photo of that tombstone, and how will the answer to that question change Beth's life forever?  What surprising revelations are being held within the old trunk in the basement of the great house?  And just why does that old woman who claims to be a witch think that Beth is a dead woman come back to life?  What knowledge does she have about Beth, the Devil's Cave, and the Bratcher family that will reveal a past so dark and filled with lies and secrets that no one will come out unscathed?

 

This book proved to be a fantastic read, a page-turner that I literally could not put down until I had finished it.  The cover artist is not identified, and while I do like it, I have to admit it has some oddities to it.  Beth's hair flying up like that makes it seem like there's an air draft coming from beneath her (makes me think of that famous image of Marilyn Monroe trying to keep her dress down as the air blows up from below), and those lamp posts are all leaning inward, pointing toward the mansion behind Beth - not sure why the artist chose that kind of perspective, but it seems just a bit off.  However, the barren trees, the coloring of that sky behind the house, and Beth's expression definitely create a sense of terror that fits the story within.

 

That's two for two with the Jenifer Hale Gothics I have read, so it gives me strong reason to find the rest of her (his) Gothics and read them as well!

 

RATING:  10 glass coffins on display out of 10 for a superb Gothic mystery with just the right touches of supernatural suspense and hellish horror!

Meg and the Mystery of Black-Magic Cave - Mystery #5 in a series

The penultimate book in the "Meg" series is the best one of the first five books.  One has to wonder if the ghostwriter for the previous book also wrote this one, as both books definitely have more mature themes to them than the first three books.  That, of course, is one of the reasons why I wish these book publishers back in the day had retained one author to ghostwrite a series of books, so that they stories would have a certain consistency to them, both in characterization and in tone.  Some series did (such as the Penny Parker series by Mildred Wirt Benson), while other employed any number of writers (such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc.).  While having a series bible may help the writers remain consistent with character names, occupations, hair and eye color, settings, etc., the rotation of writers is still noticeable in the way a story is written and how a character talks and acts.  Now, one could argue that Meg and Kerry have grown some since the first book, and therefore, after solving several mysteries, they might have matured in the way they handle them, but that is stretching it a bit, I think.

 

Meg and the Mystery of the Black-Magic Cave takes Meg and Kerry out of their home state of Virginia and places them in Merrybones, Maine, where Meg's Uncle Hal vacations each summer.  This year, he offers to take them along with him, partially to enjoy the locale, but also because there is a mystery to be solved, and he knows how much the girls enjoy solving mysteries.  And, in case you are wondering, no, "Merrybones" is a made up township in Maine, although it perhaps draws its name from Marylebone, which is in the city of Westminster in London, England.   The mystery surrounds a schoolteacher friend of Uncle Hal's by the name of Emily Hawthorne (p. 16), who has asked for his help.  Now, I have to think that the author specifically chose the name "Hawthorne" for several reasons:  (1) the name is the same as that of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous author who hailed from New England, and (2) Nathaniel Hawthorne's great-great-frandfather (John Hathorne) was one of the judges during the famous Salem witch trials.  And, since this particular book deals with witches...

 

The author delves into a world of witchcraft and black magic, as the girls learn from Miss Hawthorne that someone has threatened her with a curse, and her black cat, Melissa, has gone missing.  Someone wants her out of Merrybones, and it's up to Uncle Hal, Meg, and Kerry to figure out who it is.  As if right one cue, Meg and Kerry learn about a nearby cave that is referred to as "Black-Magic Cave," and while picking blueberries near the cave, the girls find a makeshift altar with a candle burning and a pentagram drawn on the floor in front of it!  This begins the girls' quest to uncover the truth about the cave, the witches' coven operating in Merrybones, and whether the women who make up the coven are responsible for threatening Miss Hawthorne and stealing her cat.   

 

The witches' coven and black magic aspect of the story are played up well, and Meg and Kerry even manage to witness a gathering of witches in what they suspect is a meeting in which the women will attempt to cast a spell to rid the town of Miss Hawthorne once and for all!  But the girls are clever, and while the witches are in the cave, Meg, Kerry, and their new friends gather up the shoes the women left outside the cave and take them with them (so that, like Cinderella, they can identify the witches by having the women try on shoes to see if they match!).  It's quite a climactic confrontation between the defeated women and the police, alongside Meg and her friends.  And the author holds back one particular surprise, which a careful reader will pick up on earlier in the story as to the identity of the specific person that wants Miss Hawthorne gone and why!  Overall, the book offers a well-plotted mystery that is very entertaining reading.

 

I did find it rather amusing that when the girls find a book of black magic in the attic of the house where they are staying, they discover the words are written rather uniquely - in Old English, where the s's are written like f's, and some words have "e" at the end, which is pronounced like our current "y" (p. 75).  And there is even a paragraph written in that styles, with Old English font!  Definitely a great way to introduce young readers as to how much the English language has changed in the last couple of centuries!

 

The paperback cover art, by Olindo Giacomini, is definitely my favorite of the two, as it has Meg and Kerry hiding behind an old tree, spying on the witches as they are marching out of the cave, holding lit candles.  Of course, the scene is in the reverse in the story, as they watch the witches go into the cave, not out of it.  The cover art on the original hardcover version of the book, by Cliff Schule, depicts the witches heading in the proper direction  (and it even accurately shows 13 witches!).  Interestingly, both covers show Kerry wearing a blue top and Meg with a red/burgundy top, thus maintaining some consistency between the two.  And for those of you who are Nancy Drew fans, you might think this cover hearkens back to the cover art for The Secret of Red Gate Farm, in which Nancy is hiding behind a tree, watching hooded figures going into a cave.

 

I have been really enjoying this series, so it's somewhat disheartening to realize I only have one Meg book left to read, and then I'll have completed the series.  It almost makes me want to put off reading that final book ... almost ... 

 

RATING:  9 stones with oddly carved pentagrams out of 10 for a menacing tale of witches, curses, and black cats!

To the Dark Tower - a Magnum Gothic original

This is another one of those Gothic novels that I picked up because of the cover - in this case, it has a very slight resemblance to the Rudy Nappi cover of the Nancy Drew book, The Sign of the Twisted Candles.  Both books have a single candle prominently displayed on the cover, with the head of a woman next to the candle, and when I saw this book at the used bookstore, my mind immediately went to the Nancy Drew book, so I bought it.  It has been sitting on my shelf for several years, so I figured it was about time I read it.  The back cover blurb cries out "Witch Cult!" and goes on to give a brief synopsis of the story awaiting the reader inside.  Knowing how most Gothic novels of the '60s and '70s often hinted at supernatural tales (but by the end reveal it to be merely a pretense used by a vile villain to achieve his or her goals), I anticipated the same here.  Boy, was I wrong!

 

To the Dark Tower is a somewhat lengthy novel for a Gothic that is not labeled as "Queen-Size" or "Empress Size."  At 187 pages in length, it provides the author with plenty of space to flesh out his story and characters - and yes, I said "his" story.  Lyda Belknap Long is actually a pseudonym for American writer Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994), whose writing includes horror, fantasy, science fiction, and Gothic novels, as well as comic books and non-fiction.  "Lyda" is the name of Long's wife, and so he used her name for his Gothic novels (which is funny, because this particular book has a dedication at the front that reads, "To the untiring help and teachings of my husband, Frank Belknap Long."  I was surprised to learn Long wrote scripts for DC Comics, including stories with Congo Bill and the original Green Lantern, as well as scripts for Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel stories (later known as Shazam!).  When I learned that Long was also a close friend of H.P. Lovecraft, the nature of this story made a lot more sense.

 

When the back cover says "Witch Cult!," it really means it.  The opening Prelude, which is an impressive 18-pages long, does not even introduce readers to the main character.  Instead, we follow a young man named Willie who witnesses a ceremony deep in the Kentucky woods, watching in horror as a young woman is sacrificed to some unseen good.  When he tries to escape, hoping to find salvation in the nearby house of Dr. Wilfred Allen, he is stopped when a robed stranger steps out and leaves an object on the front door of the doctor's house - an object that the doctor finds and with great anxiety throws it into the woods.  Willie finds the object, which is a doll in the likeness of the doctor's female friend, Joan; but the doll has needles sticking into it, and before Willie can do anything about it, he is chased, ultimately meeting his untimely end.

 

Long then jumps to our main character, Joan Lambert, who is driving her car along the desolate backwoods Kentucky road, trying anxiously not to allow her fear to overwhelm her.  An archeologist, Joan has just returned from Spain, where she found some ancient cave writings that revealed a witch cult that existed centuries ago - and her exploration of those caves released an unholy, unseen terror that has followed her across the ocean to Kentucky!  She hopes Dr. Allen can help her get these terrors under control, but the sudden appearance of a man in a monk robe standing in the middle of the road causes her to swerve up an embankment.  What follows is a rather lengthy story of dark horror that wavers between the real and the imaginary.  Are Joan's fears grounded in reality, or are they all really just in her head?  Dr. Allen has invited a group of specialists to his secluded home in the hopes of helping Joan.  But when Willie's body turns up, and a young couple on their honeymoon wind up dead in their car at the bottom of a gully, it is clear there is more going on here than imaginary fears.

 

I do give Long credit for making the cult very real.  The deaths of Willie and the young couple (as well as another couple who stop to help them) are rather brutal and unexpected, making the book all that much darker.  What has me confused, however, is the title and the cover to the book.  To the Dark Tower would seem to hint that there is some tower of a great mansion involved in the story somehow - even the cover has painted a dark mansion in the background, behind Joan's floating head.  Yet, nowhere in the story is there any tower (not even mentioned in passing!), nor is there any house that would resemble the one on the cover.  In fact, there is also no candle used anywhere in the story!  The tale is set in the modern time, with motor vehicles, electricity, and such, so there is no need for any candles.  So, this begs the question - what prompted the title and the cover art?  I'm aware that many publisher used (and re-used!) cover art for their Gothic novels that had no real relation to the story inside; they simply wanted covers that would attract those who were hooked on the Gothic craze that had taken over store bookshelves everywhere.  But the title?  It has no connection whatsoever to the story, so one is left to wonder why...

 

I did like the fact the story was set in Kentucky, my home state.  I wish Long had narrowed down a location within the state, even if it was simply to have the characters drive through a specific area or mention a nearby town.  Instead, Long keeps it vague, simply keeping it in a small town with plenty of wooded area.  Even his references to Joan's time spent in Spain does not narrow down the location to any particular area of that country.   There are, however, a few names in the book that caught my eye.  When Joan meets the specialists at Dr. Allen's house, the men's names (which I'm guessing were arbitrarily chosen by the author) brought a smile to my face.  The first is John Claymore (p. 132), whose last name is also the name of a city used by Mildred Wirt Benson in her Madge Sterling series, her Penny Parker series, and a few other of her books.  The second is Joseph Moulton (p. 133), whose last name was the middle name of the creator of Wonder Woman (William Moulton Marston).  The third is Helen Traven (p. 133), whose last name is shared by novelist B. Traven, which was a pen name of an unidentified activist who authored a number of books between the 1920s and 1960s.  It is doubtful Long pulled those names from those particular places, but it is a fun coincidence.

 

The story is very heavy on exposition and very light on dialogue, which is one aspect that I did not enjoy.  The majority of the book focused on Joan's fears of the unseen terror that seemed to lurk just out of sight, always following her, always leading her to wonder if death might not be a better option than living the rest of her life with this fear overpowering her.  Long stays inside Joan's mind, with her obsessive fear completely taking her over, and after a while, you (as the reader) wish the author would ground the book in some level of reality with conversations and interaction with other people.  However, finding out after I finished reading the book that Long was friends with Lovecraft, it gave me a new point-of-view with the story, and I think I can appreciate his writing style a little more.

 

This is far from your typical Gothic novel of that era.  If you are expecting a story of a young, innocent woman being whisked away to a foreboding mansion with two men vying for her affection with dark secrets surrounding them at all every turn - this is not one of those stories.  But, if you want something a bit different, a bit darker, and a bit morbid, then this one is for you.

 

RATING:  8 peculiarly shaped musical instruments out of 10 for giving readers a completely different side of the Gothic tale. 

 

Shadow of a Witch - an Ace Gothic by Dorothy Eden

Not gonna lie - I picked this book up mainly for the cover art.  Sure, it's a gothic mystery, so that, in and of itself, is appealing to me.  But for this particular book, it was the cover that that attracted me to it.  Yes, it has the standard gothic trope - a woman running in the foreground, looking back at a dark, foreboding castle/mansion with just one light in an upper window, shining out against the darkened sky.  But it is the young woman that caught my eye - her facial expression, her hand coming up to her mouth, her eyes ... quite frankly, I would swear the art is done by Hector Garrido, who provided very similar art on the cover to the 75th Nancy Drew Mystery, The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery.  But, more on that later...

Shadow of a Witch is the first gothic novel I've ready by author Dorothy Eden.  And if the rest of her books are anything like this, it definitely won't be the last.  While the story was a bit slow in getting started, once it did, it had me hook, line, and sinker!  The protagonist is a young woman - Julia French - who is determined to land an interview with the elusive architect, Mark Winterton, who has completed work on the restoration of an old church.  Winterton is known for his aloofness and his unwillingness to discuss his private life after the death of his wife in a plane crash some time ago.  Julia has no intention of falling for the man, particularly after seeing him with his daughter and a woman she wrongfully assumes to be his wife (but who turns out to only be taking care of the daughter). But, in true gothic fashion, fall for him she does, and soon enough, he falls for her, and the two are married - and that's when all the problems begin.

Eden writes a tale with a number of twists and turns (and, surprisingly, several different points of view).  While Julia is the main focus of the story, Eden also provides moments from the point of view of Estelle, the woman taking care of Winterton's young daughter, Flora, and who also happens to be vying for Winterton's attentions.  But her motives are less than pure, as Julia soon discovers when she overhears a conversation between Estelle and a woman named Beryl.  We also get a few brief moments from Beryl's point of view, as well as that of Estelle's aunt, Gertrude.  Yet, despite the differing points-of-view, the story flows smoothly, and the tension builds as the mystery presents itself.  Young Flora is nearly run down by a car when she thinks she sees her mother alive and well across the street, beckoning for her.  Winterton is upset by his daughter's actions, and Winterton's older sister, Kate, who lives with them, believes Flora is merely still trying to process her mother being gone and her father taking a new wife.  All too soon, though, there is real concern that Eugenie Winterton is still alive, in which case, Julia's marriage would be a legal nullity!

The only drawback to the story is that Eden reveals too much early on.  Any astute reader (and perhaps even some not-so-astute readers) will be able to spot the devious plot that is being hatched as soon as it begins.  I think if Eden had avoided giving readers the scenes from Estelle's, Beryl's, and Gertrude's points-of-view, it might have made the revelation at the end a lot more exciting than what it was.  Yes, it was fun to read along with Julia as she slowly pieces together the parts of the puzzle, and I found myself rooting for her to realize who the real villain was before she walked into his trap.  Thus, even though the scheme was obvious way too soon, I still enjoyed the read.  Eden made Julia French into not only a very likable character, but also an almost Nancy Drew-like protagonist.  Which brings me to the cover art for this edition of the book (yes, there are other editions that have different cover art).

Sadly, the publisher does not identify the artist, and nothing I could find online revealed the name of the artist; however, the face, the post, the positioning of the hand, the opened mouth, all of these things combined, particularly when compared to Hector Garrido's other art (especially on The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery) leads me to believe Garrido may very well have provided the painted art for the book.  At the very least, it is evident the same modeling photo was used for both books, albeit in mirrored images.  But I definitely prefer the art on Shadow of a Witch better - it has a darker mood to it, the castle/mansion in the background reflects a much more gothic architecture, and for some reason, those tree branches right behind Julia as she runs from the castle really strike a frightening chord.  It is funny, though, that this scene depicted on the cover never actually takes place anywhere in the story.  For that matter, there is no "witch" in the story at all - about the closest we get to any reference is when Kate refers to her brother's deceased wife as a witch, in a figurative sense, not in the literal sense.  I can only assume the title stems from the fact that poor Julia is living in the shadow of her new husband's deceased wife, who was not a very nice person at all.

Overall, I enjoyed this read, and I look forward to reading more of Eden's works.  Hopefully they stand up as well as this one does!

RATING:  8 delicious chocolate eclairs out of 10 for tension-filled tale with a number of twists and turns that, while not totally unexpected, do make for a great read!

The Montague Twins, Vol. 2 - The Devil's Music

I can't believe how long it has been since I read the first graphic novel in The Montague Twins series! Over two years!  How in the world did that happen?  I enjoyed the first graphic novel so much, and it was with much anticipation that I got this second one - yet, somehow, I kept putting it off and putting it off.  Well, no more!  I finally pulled out my copy of The Devil's Music and sat down to find out just what kind of trouble Peter and Alastair Montague can get themselves into this time.

In the first book, Nathan Page and Drew Shannon introduced readers to the Montague twins who, along with their younger step-sister, Charlie, discover their small town of Port Howl is an epicenter of magic, and they have abilities they never knew about.  Now, in this second book, the adventure continues when a mysterious stranger comes to town.  Gideon Drake is a famous rock star, but his music is quite dark, and a rather vocal group of concerned parents have taken it upon themselves to warn people of the dangers that rock music can bring upon their children.  (This is the late 1960s, remember.)  Well, little do they realize just what a danger that music can be when it is infused with a magical spell!  This book is full of superb supernatural mystery - we find out more about the Faculty; we meet Uncle Eli, an uncle we - and the Montague twins! - never knew they had; we find out who has a crush on Al; we see Rowan teaching the teens more about how to handle their powers; we find out who Pete has a crush on; and we see the Montague twins' relationship put to the test!

Page builds a great mystery - is Drake causing all of the mysterious deaths, and if so, what is his reason for doing so?  Is Pete setting himself up for a huge let-down, or is he putting his life in jeopardy by trusting a complete stranger?  What is Uncle Eli's real reason for being in Port Howl, and what interest does he really have in Al and Pete?  And just how does the Faculty figure into all of this?  Page manages to keep the solution to this mystery from being easily figured out, and he keeps you guessing pretty much until the final chapter.  He perfectly captures the teenage angst, while throwing in the whole magical angle, which one would expect to be completely unreal - yet, somehow, with the Montague twins and their friends and family, it all seems to fit.  Page also paces the story nicely, so that it slowly builds to the point where you just about think you have it all figured out, and then he manages to throw in a surprise or two - and that final page - WOW!  There better be a third graphic novel on its way (not seeing anything yet on Amazon, so I'm holding on to hope...)!

Shannon's art is consistent with the previous book, which is good, because it gives the reader the same feel for the characters and the magical town in which they live.  This time, we also get the town carnival (to help close out 1969), as well as the dark and mysterious underground headquarters of the Faculty.  Shannon gives the cloaked members of the Faculty, with their unseen faces hidden behind the shadows of their cloaks and the dark, barely-candle-lit cavern in which they conduct their clandestine business, a sense of foreboding and secrecy that leaves the reader wanting to know more!  And Rachel's dream sequence in chapter five is an absolute beautiful sight to behold - with no words, the art conveys everything the reader needs to know and then some!

I truly hope these graphic novels are selling well, as I do want to see more of The Montague Twins - this series provides a unique twist on the teen mystery genre, and the fact that it is in comic book form only adds to its success (in my opinion).  So far, they have faced The Witch's Hand and The Devil's Music - so one has to wonder what might be next?  The Demon's Curse?  The Warlock's Cloak?  The Angel's Harp?  Guess we will have to wait and see...

RATING:  10 broken records out of 10 for creating characters the reader easily relates to and cares about and a crafting a mystery that is not necessarily what it seems!

The Montague Twins, Vol. 1 - The Witch's Hand

 Picture it! It's the late 1960s in small town America. Three young teenagers are ready to solve a mystery - two brothers - one with dark hair, the other blonde - and a girl with reddish hair. They just finished finding a lost dog for one of the town's wealthy residents, and although they turned down any reward, they find an envelope with cash in it waiting for them when they arrive home. The cover features a cloaked figure, with the two brothers looking out over an inlet where a lighthouse sends out its warning light.  Think you know who I'm talking about here?  Well, think again!  If you said Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, you would be dead wrong.  Nope - I'm talking about twin brothers Alastair and Pete Montague and their sort-of sister, Charlie Faber. 

 

The Witch's Hand is the first graphic novel in The Montague Twins series of mysteries. And as first books go, this one certainly is a doozy! The story opens innocently enough - Pete Montague arrives home to discover that the family for whom he and his brother found a lost dog has left him and his brother a monetary reward.  Pete, and his brother Alastair ("Al"), whose parents died in an accident, live with their guardian, Professor David Faber, and his wife and daughter, Charlie ("Chuck").  When the Professor sends all three of the teens out for the day, it is to give them a break from solving mysteries in their small New England town of Port Howl.  But, in true teen detective fashion, that "free day" turns into their latest mystery to solve...

 

Author Nathan Page provides readers with an absolutely fantastic supernatural mystery in the tradition of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. A mysterious lighthouse. A cloaked figure running down the stairs. A missing girl. A strange box. And a most unusual storm that centers just above the lighthouse. Oh, yes, there's also that other cloaked woman who appears to all three teens - Al, Pete, and Chuck - and who appears to have some supernatural powers of her own. What does it mean? Well, it turns out that the sleepy little town of Port Howl is an epicenter of magic, where practitioners have been learning and teaching for generations. The teen detectives are already aware of this, but have stayed silent for years. Now, however, the secret is out, and the Professor asks his apprentice, Rowan, to teach his daughter and the brothers how to properly use the magical powers that they have and to not abuse them while investigating their cases.  It's a nice twist on the typical teen detective story, but it never takes away from Al and Pete (along with Chuck) actually having to use their regular deduction and observational skills to solve the mystery!

Artist Drew Shannon is not necessarily what you'd call your standard comic art. The characters are not necessarily drawn life-like, but at the same time, they are not overly cartoony. In fact, the art reminds me a lot of the art of Michael Cherkas from the old comic book series, The Silent Invasion from the mid 1980s.  (And this, as far as I'm concerned, is quite the compliment!)  Many panels have no background whatsoever, allowing the reader to focus solely on the characters and what they are saying without any distractions; while other panels have some very detailed backgrounds, which set the tone and build on the growing suspense within the story. Shannon definitely knows how to move the story forward through his art, and he is a master with expressions - page 20 is a perfect example, where the final panel, with no words at all, says everything you need to know about Pete!

Put Page and Shannon together, and you've got a perfectly-paced, suspenseful mystery that builds and builds to an explosive conclusion. And what is TRULY genius about the story is that appearances truly can be deceiving - the true villain(s) of the story are not necessarily who you think they are! This makes for a much more interesting and enjoyable read and leaves the reader with a great sense of satisfaction. (Sidebar - there is also the resolution of a very minor subplot in the story that will bring a smile to your face when you read it involving a certain dog...).  And just to add icing to the cake, the story is set in the late 1960s, which means no cell phones, no computers, and no "easy" ways to find facts or search histories of the characters and town available to detectives of today - plus, there are several important events in that time period that play a part in the story (and we will likely see more of these in future volumes as well) and have a subtle affect on the characters.

Fans of comics - fans of mysteries - fans of supernatural - fans of pretty much any genre will thoroughly enjoy this first volume of The Montague Twins, and quite frankly, I don't know how I'm going to wait an entire year (!!!!) for the second volume in the series to come out!

RATING:  10 mystic cleansings out of 10 for bringing a new kind of teen detective into the world and combining two of my favorite things - comics and mysteries! - for what definitely needs to be an award-winning book!