Hello there, Readers! Welcome to our Spotlight for the month of December.
This month we’re looking at an interesting title, to say the least. This is the first novel from the Game Grumps, a group which might not exactly ring any bells if you generally come to these Spotlights in search of new reading material as these guys are mostly known for their hilarious presence on YouTube. The Game Grumps channel is primarily made up of Let’s Play videos where they provide commentary over footage of games they’re playing. This commentary ranges from discussion of the actual game to personal discussions about their lives and experiences and anything in-between. They’ve also branched out in plenty of other directions, from scripted and animated works, video games of their own (Dream Daddy, Soviet Jump Game.) to their Ten Minute Power Hour segments. And the music! Starbomb and Ninja Sex Party are bands featuring members of Game Grumps and both are awesome. I was lucky enough to go and see one of the Grumps live shows in Los Angeles in 2016 and that was an amazing experience. (We played Mario Party as an audience and even though our section didn’t manage to steer Donkey Kong to victory, it was an absolute blast.)
They also have one of the most devoted and lively fandoms I’ve ever seen. Works of fan animation based on snippets of their Let’s Plays alone showcase probably thousands of hours worth of work done by talented folks who just love what the Game Grumps do. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly so talented but I’m still a pretty avid fan. As such, this was an exciting book to read and review!
Having said all that, the author himself is Arin Hanson’s Uncle, so, it’s really nice of them to lend their credibility to his new work. The last one, Cerberus From On High, was apparently a bit of a flop.
So, how do the Grumps stand up to my exacting literary standards? Are they Grump or Not So Grump? Read on to find out.
Book Stats
- Author: Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills
Formats: Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover, and Audiobook.
Price: $9.99 for the Kindle. $15.99 for the paperback. $14.99 for the Hardcover. $9.99 for the Audiobook.
Length: 224 pages or 4 hours 56 minutes in audio format.
Number of books in the series: One, at the time of writing.
Basic Premise
J.J. And Valentine Watts are teen boy detectives (And landscapers if there’s a paycheck in it.) and we pick up with them on their way to their most recent job – the Mystery of the Regular Sized Chateau.
They’ve been summoned by a Mystery author, Wallace P. Gross. The aforementioned has been in retreat at this mountain hotel for the past three years, working (Or not.) on his most recent novel. Unfortunately, something has disturbed him from his ability to work and he needs the help of a couple of super sleuths to get it all figured out. He reached out to Harborville’s best and brightest to get him back on track and hopefully save him from the haunting that has plagued him.
At least, that’s what he would have done, had he survived.
The boys along with their new friend, hotel employee Trudi De La Rosa, team up to solve the mystery of the author’s murder, as well as the mystery of the chateau itself. It’s an old building with its own share of secrets… as well as the promise of treasure. And they have plenty of time to do it as well; the weather, already very cold, has taken a turn for the worse, trapping everyone (Conveniently.) in one place for the duration of the blizzard. This includes, but is not limited to, Deputy Park who’s no stranger to the Watts brothers and their hi-jinks, Rusty Tibbits who’s a mean spirited idiot stuck on vacation with his parents, Marcella P. Gross who’s Wallace’s ex wife, and Thad. Thad has an affinity for walking around the hotel in just a towel.
With such a volatile mix of personalities, this should be a weekend less ordinary. Can our heroes solve the murder of their client? Can they find the promised treasure? Can they survive? Pick up this book to find out!
My take
This book was ordered for me as a belated Birthday gift and as such is signed by Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills himself along with an inscription reading “Learn to Fight.” and contains a membership card for the Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills Fan Society. Upon presentation of this card and performance of the secret handshake (Which the book teaches you how to do.) I am, apparently, entitled to one (1) free fistfight with Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills.
Impending brawls aside, this book is really good. My initial concerns regarding comedy vs. story were quickly allayed. I grew up reading a lot of books with the same bones as this one – junior detective stories like Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Tiger Gang (Look it up. Dafne Bidwell is a great writer and had an incredible life.) and Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators. This last one is the series this book reminds me of most – right down to the presence of the Author in his own story. (To be fair, the Three Investigators stories were written by multiple authors under the Alfred Hitchcock title, but the Master of Suspense appeared in them as a character in his own right.) I’ll be honest, it’s a genre I loved as a kid but not one I had revisited in recent years. Still, once I was nose deep in this book (Or ear deep as I got the Audible version as well.) I discovered a pleasing level of adherence to genre staples along with the comedy I’d been expecting.
All this to say, it’s a fun mystery as well as a funny book. There’s logic puzzles, ciphers, characters with motives that aren’t at first apparent and a little “tweest” at the end that I adored. The story isn’t compromised to make jokes; the jokes are in service to the story and characters and show a love and understanding of the works it descends from.
The print version is illustrated with some well done, comical line drawings, very much in the style of the time when this genre was all the rage. There’s also some diagrams within the book that are hilariously described out loud by Dr. Mills in the audio version.
All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s a fan of the junior detective genre or has been in the past and is looking for a newer take on it.
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