Meddling Kids

By: Edgar Cantero

Narrated by: Malk Williams

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

A nostalgic and subversive trip rife with sly nods to H. P. Lovecraft and pop culture, in the vein of It and Stranger Things. 

In 1977 the Blyton Summer Detective Club unmasked the elusive Sleepy Lake monster - another low-life fortune hunter who would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling kids. By 1990 the former detectives are haunted by strange, half-remembered events that cannot be explained by a guy in a mask. 

Andy, the once-intrepid tomboy now wanted in two states, wants answers. To find them she will need Kerri, the former kid genius and her excitable Weimaraner, Tim. 

They will also have to get Nate, who is currently residing in an asylum. Luckily Nate has not lost contact with Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star who was once their leader...which is remarkable, considering Peter has been dead for years. The time has come to get the team back together and find out what happened all those years ago.

©2018 Edgar Cantero (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

"If you loved Scooby-Doo as a kid (or as an adult - no judgment), you'll love this sly take on the genre." (New York Post) 

I wouldn't bother

I had bought the Kindle version and struggled to get into it so, for my sins, I purchased it on Audible too through 'WhispeSync' at a reduced price - so there's that at least.
Malk Williams performance on Audible was fine, except for one of the characters called Andrea/Andy (who was supposed to be Latin/South American) receiving a Welsh twang from him for some reason?! - which was slightly off putting, but definitely better than I could do.
I don't usually read others opinions first so I can make up my own mind (I'd seen this book advertised and liked the concept). And I don't usually review - as anyone who can deliver something of themselves on a page and the all consuming process to get it there should be commended, not nit-picked by idiots like me but....I needed to say something in hope of at least warning other potential readers...
Firstly, the mix of traditional third person story telling interjected with script dialogue, including stage direction was just bizarre and didn't work at all - the idea of trying to create something a little different visually is admirable but it ends up looking lazy and half finished. Instead of immersing yourself in a story, which is definitely required for what the author tries to deliver, you keep getting drawn back to this weird shortcut which looks odd on the page and sounds odd on the Audible.
Whether by design or execution, none of the characters were likeable with the exception of the dog, Tim. Be prepared, the author plays out some cringeworthy, over convoluted metaphors and similes throughout - which he's welcome to do. However, it's a bit too much insight into his fantasies about one of the protagonists (Kerry) and her hair - like it's a different character altogether, with her it constantly "sighing", "breathing", "laughing" etc... you get the idea. It's just creepy, not playful. And then trying to clumsily shoehorn in a lesbian love story between her (a mix of Daphne and Velma - red haired, pretty and smart) and Andrea/Andy (badass, military trained *well, for about 5 minutes of basic training, clearly enough to be exceptional at hand to hand combat, munitions etc) is clearly there just to see his fantasy on the page - it seems forced rather than organic.
And that's one of my biggest issues with this book, it feels like the author has just tried to throw everything at this and not in a good way - there's asylums, bar fights, road trips, re-animation, monster fights, magic, supernatural... And not as a positive. What started off as a fun idea unravelled by the page, the potential that, for me has been missed. The characters seemed two dimensional, and any padding that they did receive was secondary and/or cliched.
I've since looked at some critic reviews, admittedly which the publishers use to promote the book and I can only assume people have loved the idea 'of the idea', of a twist on their nostalgia sensors over the actual delivery of the text and even then, the nostalgia element should have been leaned into harder to create some warmth for the 'heroes' - there is plenty of action, drama, gender-realignment and a Lovecraftian leviathan but even then it still manages to fall flat.
Disappointing.

Tremendously good fun.

Essentially mash-up fan-fiction, but the very best of such a thing there can be. Smiles, heart, and action.

Enid Blyton meets HP Lovecraft

This is a such a weird mixture of literary genres that it's hard to describe. It's set, so far as I can tell, in Lovecraft-land, but it features grown-up versions of Enid Blyton's Famous Five, including the dog. In this reality, however, Anne and Georgina are lesbians, Dick is in the nuthouse, and Julian is, well, dead. He still has a starring role, however -- it's that kind of tale.

Nothing about this set-up sounds promising but, in fact, it works really well. The first half of the book -- until the Lovecraftian fish-men actually put in an appearance -- is both funny and creepy. The second half is just silly, but it's clever and funny, so that's forgivable.

Although the story is set in the USA the characters are, presumably, American, the narrator is English, and that adds an odd, but engaging, dimension. After all, an Enid Blyton story should be read by a posh-sounding brit, right?

I shall certainly be looking out for more by this author although, sadly, he doesn't seem to have written much in English.

Like Scooby Doo meets Cthulhu mythos.

An immensely enjoyable and light hearted exploration of Cthulhu mythos, following the adventures of a former young detective club. It was pretty much the perfect example of whatever it was I just listened to.

I'm glad this Kid meddled

Enjoyable listen. Lots of Fun, twists and turns . Would make a good TV show

Great bit of nostalgia baiting fun

I loved the thought of an adult, slightly broken, Scooby Doo like team facing their demons (literally!)

Scooby Doo meets Famous Five with added swearing

really enjoyed this novel the story is interesting characters refreshingly real, narration is perfect.

only thing that makes me think this could be improved is there could have been more done with the ghost angle