Skull Creek Stakeout (Caden Chronicles) Paperback – July 12, 2013

Skull Creek by Eddie JonesThis is the second book in a series (Monster Mysteries Book 2), and allusions are found in several places to Nick Caden and a previous ghost story adventure. But there is no reason that the first novel has to be read in order to enjoy this one. This is story is well-written, in the sweet spot for the Young Adult genre, but I am far from being a young adult, and I still enjoyed it.The story centers on a small town in the mountains of North Carolina called "Transylvania" and, you guessed it, the story features a vampire. The only question is: Is this a real vampire, or is it some sort of macabre plot by a conniving killer? Nick Caden is sent to investigate by his employer, since he is a reporter for the Cool Ghoul Gazette. Separated from his family, 15-year-old Nick, with some help from his Great-Aunt Vivian, and a cute girl named Meg, tenaciously tries to get to the bottom of the mystery.What I Liked:Pretty much everything. The book is full of tongue-in-cheek quips. There are spooky scenes in an old manor that seems right out of every Dracula movie. There are a host of possible perpetrators, red herrings, and an exciting plot. The tone is light-hearted, the dialogue is deft, and the ghoulish environs are deliciously chilling.What I Did Not Like:Some reviewer have noted that Nick seemed to be too savvy to be a believable 15-year-old. I don't share that view. Not really. Some kids are 15 going on 50. But perhaps a bit less sophistication would have been more believable. There were a few editing problems, but one has to look hard to find them. The book was too short. At the end, it seemed that the author just wanted to wrap things up. He could have done more with what he had to work with.Conclusions:My criticisms are minor and the book is really very good. I think it would be enjoyed by many young people in the target group and adults will enjoy it too. I rate it at FIVE STARS.

The voice is like a hard-boiled noir detective story but the lively teenage characters make it funny, and the deadpan delivery of the humor makes it even better. You might think of Veronica Mars as a teen detective reference for the tone.There are a ton of well-loved teen detective tv shows and novels out there. You might think of the basic premise of scooby doo, where fun teen investigators solve supernatural crimes. The set up here is kind of the same but the delivery is masterful. The author kind of avoids all of the cliches of this trope while capitalizing on the things that work and are fun and familiar and pushing the genre in a new direction.Scooby stories are always the same, but the there's something cool about the pattern they use. In the Monster Mysteries, you have a teen sleuth that's a journalist specializing in the paranormal. this framing is perfect for getting right to the action. There are also a ton of mechanical incongruities, such as why would his parents let him do this kind of thing? The author builds succinct explanations for everything in order to keep the story moving. The end result is that the world feels pretty real, but it is still fantastic and funny and has room for weird paranormal monsters. This is the perfect balance for this kind of story in my opinion. Like if you watch scooby, you always wonder about the mechanics: do they all sleep in the van? do they have jobs? who is going out with who? and the stories get boring because they never address any of those questions.Spending time to ground this story in the real world gives the reader a perfect platform for empathizing with the supernatural stuff and taking it seriously. In the discussion of vampires and the inevitable chapters on "Lore" the explanations and ideas about vampire history are really well thought out and well-researched. The frame of the story leaves opportunities for weird characters that are still believable, like going to a spooky bed and breakfast and then finding out the owner is actually a vampire hunter. The pace is really perfect and even if an element doesn't make sense or seems a little out of place, the story moves you to the next scene really efficiently and the whole thing feels fun and adventurous.This would make a great TV show. I wouldn't be surprised to see it picked up by nickolodeon. The only reason I am not giving it five stars is that I found the characterization of the older sister kind of tedious. She is essentially a vapid cheerleader in the style of 1980s blonde jokes. I think this whole character typology is pretty played out and borderline misogynist. The book is a "boys adventure" in the manner of the old encyclopedia brown or the three investigators, but the protagonist is so smart and has so much going for him, I didn't see any need to increase empathy for him by having a garbage sister to hate on. Harry Potter is kind of a boys adventure too, and it only makes it better that there is a world full of cool female characters that young girl readers can be inspired by.This one quibble isn't really a deal breaker, this is a cool story written for boys who love slightly scary narratives. It's edgy and suspenseful, but everything is appropriate for 6th through 9th graders. Go for it! It's fun.

I have a ten-year-old grandson who isn't crazy about reading so I wanted to see if this book might appeal to him. The answer is yes. The book's physical format is appealing, from the book cover to the typewriter-style font to the interesting retro-style illustrations that appear throughout. Nick Caden is a protagonist that I can see pre-teen and teen male readers easily imagining themselves as, and the first-person narrative helps with that. The author creates an interesting, spooky, mysterious plotline full of action and images and that are old-hat for adults but which will likely be spine-tingling to youngsters who haven't done much fiction reading. All in all, this is a very good book for its target audience, and I heartily recommend it.

This is such a great mystery! Jones is a wonderful author, and I was captivated by all the twists and turns. Usually, I can figure out the person who is responsible for the crime, but the clues came so fast a furious I didn’t have a chance. It might be that I was sidelined by all the research into vampires and the lore surrounding them. The story also had the added bonus of the fabulous Aunt Vivian. She was a hoot, and I know a little about hoots. I turn 69 years old this week, and even though this is considered a YA novel, anyone of any age who loves a mystery would appreciate this well-written novel.

I'm sorry. This might be a good book for someone else, but I couldn't get into it. I read about a tenth of the book and got no farther.

I was like, well if my teenaged nephew could like this novel...I’d give it a try. I admit it - sometimes I enjoy teen fiction. Especially if it involves an element of mystery and fantasy like this book does. There is nothing profound here, it reminds me of the Scholastic books I read as a kid. But it does the tropes excellently and most importantly- I think it gets boys interested in reading. A habit they just might form for life.

I read this book to check it out for my teenage son. I am definitely recommending it for him.Great story line, with adventure and mystery that is also gently infused with good values and Christian ideas without being preachy.