Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero, 322 pagesEver wonder what happened to the Scooby Doo gang after all the unmasking? Or what might happen if they discovered the culprit wasn't a creepy old man in a costume, but rather a necromancer bent on bringing about the apocalypse (complete with slimy, fangtastic creatures)? Apparently these were things that Cantero long considered, as that's pretty much what happens in Meddling Kids.
In 1977, the Blyton Summer Detective Club (two teenage boys, two teenage girls, and a dog, of course) thought they'd solved the mystery of the haunted Deboen Mansion when they trapped a costumed man hunting for pirate gold in the house. But 13 years later, the three remaining members of the club (and their dog, natch) return to Blyton Hills, suspecting that there was something more to that mystery. The book is chock full of nods to the kids' mystery shows and books of the 1960s and 70s, with a healthy dose of Lovecraft. While it has plenty of plot holes and some weird screenplay bits thrown in at random and without warning, it's still a fun read. Cantero's creative turns of phrase are charmingly funny, and his projected future for the Scooby Doo gang is excellent (for us, not them). Fans of Grady Hendrix's Horrorstor and My Best Friend's Exorcism will enjoy this one.
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