Ever wonder what became of the Mystery Inc. kids from Scooby-Doo? After all the years of fake hauntings, bogus monsters, and old men in masks, did those meddling kids (and that damn dog) go on to be movie stars? Paranormal investigators on cable? Burnouts? Edgar Cantero’s fun and inventive novel, Meddling Kids, answers that question in an enjoyable homage to Saturday morning cartoons with an adult, Lovecraftian twist.

In 1977, the Blyton Summer Detectives Club—comprised of cousins Nate and Kerri, Kerri’s dog, Sean, tomboy Andy, and their leader, Peter—foiled an attempted robbery of the DeBoen Mansion by The Sleepy Lake Creature, unmasked to be Thomas X. Wickley, a treasure hunter who would’ve gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids. His arrest would be the BSDC’s last case. Thirteen years later, Andy’s a fugitive, wanted in at least two states; Kerri’s an academic burnout living in New York City with Sean’s grandpup, Tim; Nate is a patient in an asylum in Arkham, Massachusetts, and he’s the only one in touch with Peter, who committed suicide several years prior. The case has haunted them for years, and when Andy shows up at Kerri’s door with evidence that Wickley may not have been guilty, that there really may have been a Sleepy Lake Creature, they decide to spring Nate from the crazy house, drive across the country to Blyton Hills, Oregon, and reopen the case because some things do not add up. What they saw as kids has affected them throughout their lives, and these ghosts need to be put to rest.

This was a blast to read; well-paced, great action, and just plain fun. Cantero balances funny and freaky in a deeply engrossing tale about friendship, PTSD, and the things we repress as children. It was similar in theme to Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane but less morose and wistful. Cantero’s pop-culture references are perfectly dated, and the whole thing feels like a thoroughly twisted Saturday morning cartoon, complete with laugh-out-loud moments peppered throughout. At just over 310 pages, it’s a perfect weekend read.

Of course, like the show that inspired this book, there are certain leaps in logic you have to make to have the plot make sense in its third act, and there’s a small but noticeable deus ex machina toward the end. This story is so well told, however, these things can be easily overlooked.

A fun weekend read. 4 out of 5 stars.

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