Comments were made in the, er, comments of my previous Three Investigators review, The Secret of Phantom Lake (1973) regarding an apparently love-it-or-hate-it element to the next title in the series, The Mystery of Monster Mountain (1973) by M.V. Carey. So, well, let’s get into it.

Once again, Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews are away from Rocky Beach — this time visiting the picturesque Sky Village with Bavarian brothers Hans and Konrad who help out at the Jones Salvage Yard. The purpose of this visit is to stay for a week or so with Hans and Konrad’s cousin Anna, who owns a guest house in the beautiful hamlet, with mountain views right on the doorstep. And so, of course, there are serpents in Eden, as no sooner have our quintet arrived than the surprises start coming thick and fast.

Look, I’ve just sat staring at my screen for about 20 minutes because, in all honesty, I don’t really know how to write about this one.

The fact is, The Mystery of Monster Mountain, the twentieth entry in the series, and the third to be written by M.V. Carey, is actually pretty spectacularly structured. There’s the argument to be made that, if you know too much about it going in, you’re going to have the effect of it spoiled in some way, and Carey’s done such a fabulous job balancing everything that I’m reluctant to undo her good work. This might be the first book in the series to actually function as a legitimate fair play mystery, too, with cleverly-placed clues well-sprinkled amongst the various goings-on, so that — while the adults in the room are unlikely to fall for any of it — as a kid this could well be the first proper taste of declaration you’d have, and it would leave a superbly lasting impact.

So, what can I tell you?

Carey writes very well indeed, for one, with some good character beats making uncommon impressions for how lightly observed they are: c.f. Hans persevering in a slightly awkward situation “with the air of someone who is determined to be pleasant”, or Jupe’s wounded pride when someone exhibits not one scintilla of interest in the fact that he heads up an investigative triumvirate…I mean, people have always been interested before, and it’s rather fabulous that Carey takes the time a) to have the boys so casually dismissed and b) show us, in however minor a fashion, the effect it has on them.

The upshot of this good writing, quite apart from the sheer line-by-line enjoyment of reading it, is that the setting, while unfamiliar, is drawn well, and the situation in which we find ourselves is always developing. This is helped, too, by good characterisation of the various suspicious types who fill out the cast, including Mr. Smathers, the second sinister vegetarian to make it into Three Investigators lore. And the dialogue is good, too, with playful little touches which inform the characters as much as any actions we see them undertake.

Richardson opened his eyes as the boys approached.

“Having a good hike?” he wanted to know.

“You’ve been talking to Mr. Smathers,” said Pete.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Richardson told them. “He’s been talking to me.”

So, the writing’s great, the characters are great, the setting is great, and there’s a well-motivated and fairly-clued mystery at the heart of this…all of which bodes very well indeed. But, yes, there’s that controversy — no spoilers — so where do I stand on this divisive element of this otherwise-superb little book?

Honestly, I don’t mind it.

I can understand why it mightn’t go down well with some people, but equally the considered and intelligent nature of everything that has come before shows — or at least gives the impression — that it’s not a choice Carey is making lightly. And, if I think about it, I don’t think it would even bother me at the end of a less successfully-wrangled investigation, either, given the nature of the, er, possibilities explored, shall we say. Yes, it could be set up to pay off in a more traditional manner, but I think that would almost be a book in its own right, and Carey has done more than enough to earn no small amount of goodwill and be allowed a pass on this one. After all, it’s not like this particular controversy is going to come back in future books…is it?

Is it?

The Mystery of Monster Mountain shows The Three investigators in good hands, and perhaps enjoying as rich a vein of form as they have since series creator Robert Arthur passed away. Both Carey and William Arden, who would between them write 28 of the 33 titles in the series not penned by Arthur, have done strong work in recent entries, and, controversy or no, I keenly anticipate the future adventures of Jupe, Pete, and Bob. I may have missed out by not reading these books until I was an adult, but I’m here now and having a wonderful time.

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