The first novel was an interesting new take on one of the most well known groupings of characters ever produced.
But was it a legitimately fun and fresh new take on the world’s most famous mystery solvers or was it the start of a calamitous fluke?
I think you know where this is headed, so let’s dive in with both feet, gang!
You know the drill, consider this your obligatory and official ***SPOILER ALERT***
Also, I highly suggest you read my review of the first book in this series (Find it HERE) to understand where things are.
We rejoin Daph & Velma, now back to being the bestest friends ever, a few weeks after the events of The Vanishing Girl, they’re still pondering what Shaggy’s secret could be.
Soon, a near panic grips Crystal Cove as mysterious jewels wash up on the beach and the entire town gives in to the hysteria of a vampire, the haunted history of the original settlers, and any other shadows they can think to give their imaginations up to.
Again, Velma seems to be the most well rounded character.
Though you don’t see her parents, the story of their struggle to get back the home that was stolen from them and how they’re preparing it makes for the most relatable and interesting of the personal life aspects of the story.
I can’t put my finger on what it is exactly, but I love this universe’s version of Velma.
The only issue I have on this front is that, sadly, the other members of the gang aren’t handled with nearly as much care or written as interesting.
But I can’t blame Morgan Baden for that, she’s just playing with the cards she was dealt…or is she?
We still don’t know who Josephine Ruby is.
On that topic, I like Baden’s style.
If she isn’t Ruby, she does a damn good job of mimicking her voice and style.
In a situation like this, with shifting authors, that can be a killer for the flow between books.
Baden continues most of the story threads set up in book 1, as well as kicking off a few of her own to keep things fresh.
Daphne’s instant crush on a fellow intern at the local gossip rag provides her with a good conflict for this outing, and it’s handled believably.
The mystery is suspenseful and twists enough to keep you from solving it instantly, and the cliffhanger again leaves you wanting more now!
Which is, possibly, the best thing you can say about such an earnest tale of teenage mystery solvers.
My only complaint here would be the repeating of the “men are evil and stupid” type stuff that’s kind of annoying.
As for the the men of Mystery Inc, Fred & Shaggy play a slightly larger role this time, which is definitely a plus.
And they are set up to have bigger roles in future installments.
These novels are like being in your 50s and hanging out with your best friend since childhood who also just so happens to have been your neighbor for the entirety of both your lives and hearing him say some weird shit like “Did I ever tell you about the time the wife and I liberated a small village from a central American warlord and captained an aircraft carrier back home?”
All of the words, in theory, make perfect sense, but you’re confused as to how these people you have known LITERALLY all of your damn life are revealing this wildly different and unknown side to you for the first time ever in the most random and nonchalant way possible.
That is truly how these books feel to me.
In these last 21 years, I have spent more time in the company of Mystery Inc, be it through Movies, TV Shows, Comics, or Books, than I have almost every family member or the revolving door of people I thought were my friends.
And that’s not to say I don’t appreciate or enjoy this series, I absolutely do!
But they throw me so off kilter with the rearranging of personality traits and social hierarchical changes.
It’s weird to be so off balance when I’m with my friends, but I love hearing that they have interesting new stories and I am hungry for many more.
The bottomline is that this series, if kept on course, has the potential to be so incredibly satisfying.
I wish it was more in line with the Scooby I know and love, but I suppose some of the fun is found in learning the new dynamics.
I’ll always hold out hope for a serious series of Scooby novels, but until that happens I am more than happy to devour the books in this universe.
Let us what you think of this review in the comments below or share this post on Twitter with the Hashtag #TNBBookReview.
Special thanks to @ACFerrell1976 for her continued editorial assistance.
Also, get ready, Knights Of Nerd Blitz-Dom, the 100th episode (200th ep between the 3 shows) of the main show drops this weekend!
Your ears are not prepared for this monstrous onslaught of hard core nerdery.
We hope you enjoy it, gang.
