History Sandbox / AnoneMouseJr

!!Literature.TravisMcGee -- Main section is already on the site. This is for adding tropes to individual books, as I get around to reading them. Series ended.

** Anon's note: I own books 2-9; looking for 1 (read 1-4, and possibly 5, in the past).\\\

* #12: ''Torn Asunder'' (announced for April 2024)

** Anon's note: I own 1-9, 11-15 (including 12.5; looking to fill in the gaps -- 10 and 12 -- before I read these last five).\\\

** Anon's note: I own books 2-3 and 5-8; looking for 1 and 4 (read 1-4, and possibly 5, in the past).\\\

** Anon's note: I own 1-9, 11, 12.5, and 14-15 (looking to fill in the gaps -- 10, 12 and 13 -- before I read these last four).\\\

** Anon's note: I own 1-9; read #1 only as of this writing.\\\

** Anon's note: I own 1-7 (including the e-book).\\\

** Anon's note: As of 02/22/24, I own #2, 4, 6, 7 and 9; first added the series to my wantlist because of its connection to other books I have via an anthology.\\\

[[folder:''Event Group''; by David Lynn Golemon (series ended/on hold)]]

* #1: ''The Cracked Spine'' (2016)
* #2: ''Of Books and Bagpipes'' (2017)
* #2.5: "A Christmas Tartan" (2016 e-book; later collected in the paperback edition of book 3)
* #3: ''Lost Books and Old Bones'' (2018)
* #4: ''The Loch Ness Papers'' (2019)
* #5: ''The Stolen Letter'' (2020)
* #6: ''Deadly Editions'' (2021)
* #7: ''The Burning Pages'' (2022)
* #8: ''Fateful Words'' (2023)
* #9: ''The Poison Pen'' (announced for April 2024)

As of 01/01/24, I (Anon e Mouse Jr.) own seven of the first eleven anthologies in paperback, missing only paperbacks of #5 (''Christmas Cocoa Murder''), #8 (''Christmas Card Murder''), #10 (''Christmas Scarf Murder'') and #11 (''Irish Coffee Murder''). #12 (''Halloween Cupcake Murder'') is slated for MMP release in July 2024 and #13 (''Christmas Mittens Murder'') is slated for MMP release in October 2024, and #14 (''Irish Milkshake Murder'') and #15 (''Easter Basket Murder'') are out in hardcover with no paperback announced yet.%%, while #16 (''?'') will have its initial release, in hardcover, on ??.

* Note: ''Literature/JaineAustenMysteries'', ''Literature/MoongobbleAndMe'', ''Literature/TheEnchantedFiles'', ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'' and ''Literature/OddlyEnough'' were all previously assembled on this page.

!!Miscellaneous non-mystery fiction (5):

[[folder:''Universal Monsters''; by Larry Mike Garmon (series ended)]]

* Literature.UniversalMonsters
** Anon's note: I own 1-5.\\\

''Universal Monsters'' is a six-part series by Larry Mike Garmon, released by Scholastic for younger readers in 2001-2002 and based on some of the classic Franchise/UniversalHorror films. The series begins when three 21st century teenagers -- Robert "Captain Bob" Hardin, Joe Motley and Nina Nobriega -- from San Tomas Inlet in Florida have an accident with a prototype of an experimental holographic movie projector (illicitly borrowed from the Universal Studios theme park) and a lightning storm, releasing the monsters and other antagonistic characters from the films ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}'' (1931), ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' (1931), ''[[Film/TheMummy1932 The Mummy]]'' (1932), ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein'' (1935), ''[[Film/TheWolfMan1941 The Wolf Man]]'' (1941) and ''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'' (1954) into the real world. Consequently, the trio have to hunt down the escapees and return them to the films.\\\

The series consists of:\\\

* #1: ''Dracula: Return of Evil''
* #2: ''The Wolf Man: Blood Moon Rising''
* #3: ''Frankenstein: Anatomy of Terror''
* #4: ''The Mummy: Book Of The Dead''
* #5: ''Creature From the Black Lagoon: Black Water Horror''
* #6: ''Bride Of Frankenstein: Vow Of Vengeance''

!!This series provides examples of:

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the original film, [[spoiler:Maleva is a benevolent ally who tries to help Larry after he becomes a Wolf Man. In book 2, she possesses Wilma Winokea and proves to be as malevolent as the werewolves that feature in the story]].
* AllForNothing: In book 5, Captain Bob uses his [[SkeletonKeyCard library card to try and break into Ben Browning's RV]]. It breaks... and then it turns out the door was unlocked the whole time.
* AllJustADream: Subverted in book 3. Fritz has [[PastExperienceNightmare vague memories of his death at the Creature's hands]] in the movie, but Herr Henry Frankenstein has convinced him they're just a dream. He never figures out Herr Frankenstein was lying.
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: In book 5, while investigating the Gill Man's cave, the group finds a pile of bones, including a skull from a great white shark. Sharks don't have bones, except for their teeth -- the skulls are pure cartilage, far softer than bone.
* BackForTheFinale: All the previously captured monsters are re-released in book 6.
* BerserkButton:
** ''Don't'' mess with Captain Bob's yacht captain's hat. He gets downright ''furious'' when the Wolf Man destroys it in book 2, physically attacking the monster in anger (luckily, the hat is restored when the Wolf Man and its allies are defeated).
** In book 5, the Gill Man's destroying Rita Crockett's teddy bear (a Christmas gift from when she was five) prompts her to go berserk and attack it.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Sister case in book 1 -- when Dracula comes to abduct Angela Chavarria, her big sister Devin tries to save her. It doesn't ''work'', as Devin falls under his sway again, but it's the thought that counts.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: In book 1, shortly after meeting Dr. Dunn, Bob comes under attack by a swarm of oversized ticks. Devin Chavarria, who's becoming a vampire courtesy of Dracula, later claims to have sent them; it ultimately turns out she was lying and they were actually a shapeshifted Dracula (as revealed when more giant ticks later turn up in his base of operations and then turn back into him when Captain Bob starts smashing them).
* BigDamnHeroes: In book 3, Joe has been attacked by the Creature (which intends to kill him), only for Francisco "Trey" Trejo to show up at the last minute and attack it from behind, saving Joe's life. Unfortunately, the Creature is able to capture Trey and run off with him.
* BigFriendlyDog: In book 2, Gayle Braddock (whose boyfriend has become Larry Talbot's Wolf Man) has a big friendly Siberian husky named Snow -- a present from said boyfriend. In her first scene, Snow comes to Gayle's side to comfort her when she's upset.
* BitchInSheepsClothing:
** In book 1, Devin Chavarria's boss is Dr. Abel Dunn. She thinks he's her friend, but in actuality he's Dracula, escaped from [[Film/Dracula1931 his movie]] and out to turn her into one of his brides.
** In book 4, Levi Tovar claims to be the son of Professor Angus Tovar, and a friend of the group. He turns out to be Imhotep.
* BizarreTasteInFood: As revealed in book 1, Captain Bob likes using peanut butter instead of mayonnaise on his sandwiches (including with bologna and other meats) after having first done so years before as an emergency substitution when he'd run out of mayo. It grosses out Nina though. Book 5 reveals that his friend Skylar does the same.
* BrilliantButLazy: Captain Bob. He's got an IQ of 130, but can barely keep his grades up because he thinks his classes are boring and is irritated that the high school won't let him take any advanced classes in his freshman year.
* CanonForeigner: Book 5 features [[spoiler:a Gill ''Woman'', somehow created by the desires of the Gill Man]].
* CassandraTruth:
** In book 1, after their penultimate fight with Dracula, the teens try to warn police detective Turner about Dr. Dunn being Dracula. Naturally, he doesn't believe them and thinks they just hallucinated the vampire stuff.
** In book 4, after they get attacked by a baboon and jackal, Nina tries to tell Levi Tovar about their battles with the monsters. He thinks she's making it up and angrily storms out. He later apologizes, but still doesn't believe... until later on. It ultimately turns out he was faking -- he knew it was real, because he was Imhotep the entire time.
** In book 5, the teens try to convince Rita Crockett that the Gill Man is an escapee from a movie. She doesn't believe them until the very end.
* CatScare: Late in book 1, as the trio are exploring Carfax Hotel, they open one of the basement doors and see a pair of yellow eyes... but it turns out to just be a frightened cat.
* ChairmanOfTheBrawl: During book 4, when he and Nina are attacked by a baboon and jackal (really the reanimated heads on a set of canopic jars), Levi Tovar grabs a lounge chair and throws it at the jackal. Nina later takes it up and uses it to fend off the jackal when it tries to attack her again, and then uses it against the baboon.
* CharacterCatchphrase: Bob's is "I'm off, said the madman". Nina thinks it's a cheesy exit line, but he takes it seriously.
* ChildProdigy:
** In book 1, when Captain Bob asks Dr. Dunn how a 23-year-old is a fully licensed dentist, Dunn claims to have been one of these who finished high school when he was twelve.
** Book 4 has Hannah Tucker, one of Professor Tovar's graduate assistants -- only twelve, but she's already earned two degrees, in ancient languages and anthropology. Unfortunately, she's also obnoxious.
* ClassClown: Captain Bob is always joking around, in and out of school.
* CoffinContraband: A variant in book 4, wherein Joe discovers that the Egyptian exhibit (containing the sarcophagus and mummy of an ancient Egyptian queen, along with the rest of her tomb's contents) includes an ornate couch, and that its legs each hide an ancient figurine containing the four pieces of the Scroll of Thoth that Imhotep needs to revive her.
* ConvulsiveSeizures: In book 3, Francisco "Trey" Trejo suffers from these -- a sudden stabbing pain in his head, falling to the ground with his heart pounding, and sometimes nightmares.
* CrammingTheCoffin: In book 4, Professor Angus Tovar is attacked early on by the mummy of Imhotep. His body is later discovered inside the coffin of the priest who was buried with the queen that would be the focus of Professor Tovar's exhibit. Later, Stacy [=McDonald=] is found alive in Imhotep's coffin. Somehow, she isn't nearly as upset as they'd expect.
* CrazyJealousGuy: Slice for Devin Chavarria in book 1. He stalks her, gets violent towards any other man he sees near her, and is very possessive.
* DepravedDentist: Downplayed in book 1 -- Dracula poses as Dr. Abel Dunn, a local dentist, but doesn't torture his patients ''during'' visits. Instead, he uses his assistant and customers to find prospective victims, and has been secretly manipulating said assistant to make her into one of his brides.
* DuctTapeForEverything: Book 5 has the gang visiting Captain Bob's friend Skylar Crockett, who can make anything out of duct tape -- wallets, suits, book covers, a tote bag, Christmas tree ornaments and a football are all mentioned or shown.
* DumbStruck: Claimed to be the case in book 1. After his encounter with Dracula, Todd Gentry was found babbling about a wolf that walked upright like a man; the newspapers say he hasn't spoken since due to the trauma, but his girlfriend admits to Nina that he's talked to her in his brief times awake, blaming himself for his dad's being in a coma.
* EvilAllAlong: In the very end of book 2, it's revealed that the spirits from ''The Wolf Man'' had fused with real people -- [[spoiler:Deputy Chad Barnes and ''his'' mother Wilma Winokea]] -- when they were released from the films. Said characters drive past the trio when the teens are heading out of town, giving them nasty looks and proving they're just as evil even when they ''aren't'' possessed. Joe and Captain Bob later theorize that their evil is what drew said spirits to them when they were released from the films.
* TheExecutioner: Subverted in book 4 -- Joe decides to pull a prank on Nina and Stacy by showing up behind them in an executioner's costume with a fake ax. All it gets him is a black eye, courtesy of Levi Tovar. He later explains that he'll be dressed as one for the period he'll be working in at the exhibit they're taking part in. Another executioner later shows up and genuinely attacks Joe and Captain Bob while they're sneaking around the Egyptian exhibit... except Detective Turner later tells them it was just a robot intended for the exhibit, and they must have turned it on by accident.
* {{Expy}}: Invoked and discussed -- the monsters tend to find or merge with people whom they'll ''make'' fill in the roles of other characters from their movies, which the heroes figure out late in the main events of book 1.
** In book 1, the band member Slice ended up as Renfield, his girlfriend Devin can be inferred to have filled in for Lucy Weston (as Dracula's first female victim), and her sister Angela fills in for Mina Seward.
** In book 2, Don Earl Abernathy ends up in the role of Lawrence Talbot, being bitten by a werewolf under similar circumstances and becoming Talbot's Wolf Man. His girlfriend Gayle fills the basic role of Larry Talbot's love interest Gwen [[spoiler: but adds in a partial werewolf transformation]]. [[spoiler:Wilma Winokea ends up possessed by, and in the role of, the gypsy Maleva, while her son John becomes the first expy of Maleva's son Bela, and her older son Chad, John's half-brother, becomes the second.]]
** Subverted in book 3 -- none of the normal human characters end up filling the roles of characters from the films.
** In book 4, Nina ends up in the role of Helen Grosvenor, whom Imhotep believes is the reincarnation of Anck-Su-Namun, leading him to and sacrifice her to revive his love.
** In book 5, Rita Crockett ends up in the role of Kay Lawrence, as the Gill Man's love interest. [[spoiler: At least, until he somehow creates a Gill ''Woman'' to fill the role.]]
%%** In book 6,
* FailedASpotCheck: In book 5, a teacher stops Captain Bob in the hall and asks for his hall pass. He gets detention for not having one... except later, he finds it was in his shirt pocket (and not his pants pockets, where he'd checked) the entire time. [[SadistTeacher Said teacher, it's determined, must have seen it there but gave him detention anyway.]]
* FightDracula: The plot of book 1 deals with this, as Dracula has escaped from his movie and the heroes have to find a way to send him back.
* FlareGun: In the prologue of book 5, Skyler Crockett tries to use one as a weapon against the Gill Man. Unfortunately, it doesn't work because it isn't loaded. Later, Captain Bob fires one into Ben Browning's dinghy, and ends up blowing up its engine.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Early in book 3, Nina is told about an exhibition opening in a month, which students interested in Western civilization and humanities can help out with... and it includes an Egyptian exhibit, including a mummy. This reveal comes long before the SequelHook at the end has Joe realizing the implications and figuring out that their next monster to deal with will be from ''The Mummy''.
** In book 4, Levi Tovar mentions he's claustrophobic... hinting that he's really Imhotep, because "Who wouldn't be claustrophobic after centuries of being cooped up in a tomb?"
* FrankensteinsMonster: In book 3, Herr Frankenstein creates a new Creature out of dead body parts, which serves as one of the antagonists of the book. However, he comes to realize that this is not the right way, and becomes determined to use a still-living body with a new brain for his next Creature, trying to use Joe as the body and Francisco "Trey" Trejo as the source of the brain.
* FriendOnTheForce: Detective Mike Turner, who serves as the mentor for Joe and Captain Bob's "Forensics Club" at their school. It's subverted in the first two books, where he doesn't believe their claims about movie monsters being on the loose, but becomes a SkepticNoLonger in book 3 after seeing Herr Frankenstein and Fritz and helps the teens out in books 3 and 4.
* FunTShirt: Book 1 introduces a variant, which continues to show up throughout the series -- Captain Bob and Joe each own a leather jacket with "Born to Raze Hell" on the back, specifically embroidered at their request.
* FusionDance: After realizing the monsters have escaped from their movies, Joe and Captain Bob initially theorize that Dracula has fused with a real person and taken him over. It's subverted in his case, but the climax of book 2 confirms that some of the others ''did'' merge with real people when they were first released from the films, [[spoiler:starting with Bela the gypsy and his mother Maleva]].
* GadgeteerGenius: Skylar Crockett in book 5. He's built a "Crockett car", an improvised vehicle, in his tech-ed class -- effectively a cross between a golf cart and an elongated skateboard.
* GaleForceSound: In the final battle of book 2, the Wolf Man is able to blow Nina, Joe and Captain Bob to the ground just by barking and sending a powerful wind at them.
* GhostShip: As in the original novel, Dracula's presence is first hinted at when father and son duo Ralph and Todd Gentry, out for some late-night fishing, find an abandoned ship, covered in blood with its only occupant a wolf (who turns out to be a shapeshifted Dracula).
* GoingCommando: Referenced in book 5 -- when Captain Bob has to serve detention and won't have time to pack extra clothes before they leave that afternoon, he says he'll just borrow some of his friend Skylar's (since that's who they're visiting). When Joe asks about underwear, Captain Bob shrugs it off and says he just won't wear any. It's subverted when Nina ends up delaying the trip so he can clean off the chalk dust he's gotten covered in, and gets a chance to pack as a result.
* HarpoonGun: Book 5 features Ben Browning, a short-tempered man and retired naval officer (or so he claims; he later says he's a marine biologist from the Florida Keys) who doesn't like anyone setting foot on his property and is willing to threaten (and shoot at) them with a spear gun to make them leave. When the teens team up with him later, he reveals it's actually loaded with tranquilizers.
* HereWeGoAgain: At the end of book 1, Nina shows the others that Dracula may be back in his movie, but the other five films are still missing some of their characters, so they'll have to keep an eye out for signs of them in the real world and send them back.
* HeroicDog: Gayle Braddock's husky, Snow, in book 2. She comes to Gayle's rescue when the Wolf Man breaks into her bedroom, despite the danger to herself, and gives her life protecting her owner. Fortunately, she revives when the werewolves are all defeated.
* HiddenDepths:
** Book 3 reveals that Detective Mike Turner is just as familiar with the classic Universal monsters as the teens, to the point of reminding them that Henry Frankenstein was just a student and therefore ''Herr'' Frankenstein in the movie, not ''Doctor'' Frankenstein.
** Likewise, Captain Bob thinks of high school senior Oscar Morales as just a dumb jock, but his biology teacher reveals that Oscar's actually very smart and a natural for surgery.
* HolyBurnsEvil: In book 1, to protect his friends, Joe pulls out a cross and presses it against Devin Chavarria's forehead, leaving a burn mark (as shown afterward) and causing her to pull away and pass out. In the final battle, Nina holds up a cross in front of a flashlight, causing a giant shadow that burns Dracula himself. Unfortunately, Devin promptly disarms her.
* HolyWater: Used late in book 1 against Dracula and Devin, causing the latter's flesh to bubble as if hit by acid when she gets splashed by it. It also heals Angela, who's been partially transformed, when it's poured down her throat and on her wounds.
* HorribleHousing: Book 5 has a variant -- Ben Browning has rigged up an old bungalow on the beach, full of fish heads and such, where people think he lives. Subverted when it turns out it's a decoy, set up to keep people away (which Nina figures out beforehand because it looks ''too'' unpleasant to be for real), and he really lives in his RV.
* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: In book 2, Captain Bob says all but the last word of the trope name when Wilma Winokea names the place of black water -- Deadman's Landing -- which she says is sacred to her people, and where she claims her son underwent the ritual to become a skinwalker.
* IHeardThat: Late in book 1, Nina mutters an exasperated "''Freshmen,''" under her breath after a back-and-forth with Captain Bob. When he says the trope name, she retorts that he was ''meant'' to. He and Nina later throw the trope back and forth a few times towards the end of book 5.
* ImAHumanitarian: In book 3, Fritz is apparently a cannibal, trying to bite into Captain Bob with the intention of eating him. He's fended off, fortunately.
* InMediasRes: The first chapter of each book starts with a civilian encountering the monster of the film before the second chapter switches to following the PowerTrio of the series.
** Book 1 starts with father and son duo Ralph and Todd Gentry, out for some late-night fishing, finding an abandoned ship that turns out to have been depopulated by a recently [[RefugeeFromTVLand released from his movie]] Dracula.
** Book 2 starts with Don Earl Abernathy and his girlfriend Gayle Braddock attending a carnival before Don gets attacked and bitten by a Wolf Man.
** Book 3 starts with Herr Frankenstein and Fritz stealing a body from a graveyard, intending to use its hands for a new incarnation of the FrankensteinsMonster, while Detective Mike Turner investigates a different crime and ends up witnessing the duo speeding and then carrying their stolen coffin, whereupon he confronts them and ends up knocked out, with Herr Frankenstein planning (but never getting the chance, as later revealed) to harvest ''his'' hands.
** Book 4 starts with Professor Angus Tovar and his student Karl Homer in their office at the San Tomas Inlet Convention Center, the Professor analyzing a recently-arrived strip of papyrus... and after Karl leaves, Professor Tovar suddenly gets attacked by the mummy of the priest he found with the queen who's the focus of the exhibit.
** Book 5 starts with Trent and Skyler Crockett, out fishing in the middle of the night, only for Trent to get mauled by the Gill Man.
%%** Book 6 starts with
* InnocentlyInsensitive: In book 3, after Nina gets back at her classmate Stacy [=McDonald=] with a thinly-veiled insult, Stacy whines to their teacher that Nina called her fat. Mrs. Hoving, however, completely misunderstands and thinks they were both using the slang word "phat", meaning "cool", and asks "Isn't that supposed to be cool with you kids today or something?", causing Stacy to gasp and (just as the bell rings) stomp out of the room.
* InSeriesNickname:
** A self-given one -- Bob Hardin wants everyone to call him "Captain Bob", adapted when his favorite uncle gave him a worn-out yacht captain's hat. Only Joe really uses it though. He also calls Captain Bob by the nickname "madman" from time to time.
** Francisco Trejo, introduced in book 3, prefers to be called Trey.
** Skylar Crockett, featured in book 5, is sometimes called "Sky" for short.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifting: In book 2, Don Earl Abernathy can't control his Wolf Man transformation -- just getting angry is enough to trigger it.
* {{Irony}}: Book 2 has Don Earl Abernathy, a vegetarian, becoming the flesh-eating Wolf Man.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: In book 2, the method that returned Dracula to his film (a modified camcorder, equipped with a reversed version of the program that fixed the faulty film projector) doesn't work on the next monster at first; the trio quickly figure out they have to modify their camcorder for each monster or group of monsters.
* ItsPersonal: In book 3, Captain Bob says this after Fritz's attack on him wrecks his moped, bought with the money he earned interning at Universal Orlando.
* LightningCanDoAnything: The villains are first released from their films when a lightning strike hits while "Captain Bob", Joe and Nina are watching said films on an experimental holographic movie projector. It doesn't help that they took the broken prototype instead of the working version.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Book 5 reveals that Captain Bob has come to think of Joe and Nina as his honorary brother and sister in their time together.
* LivingStatue: In book 4, the statue heads on the canopic jars (containing the organs of the queen whose mummy is on display) are brought to life as full animals (or in one case, an Egyptian warrior) by Imhotep, who uses them to attack people.
* MarsNeedsWomen: In book 5, as in the original film, the Gill Man is searching for a mate. It initially fixates on Rita Crockett, Skylar's older sister, and later tries to abduct Nina.
* MomentKiller: Captain Bob, who somehow interrupts any time Nina tries to get close to a guy. She gets ''really'' irritated about it in book 4 when he interrupts she and Levi Tovar, who has similar interests to her. Captain Bob, for his part, doesn't seem to understand why she's angry at him.
* MonsterMash: Book 6 sees the return of all the previous monsters, bringing them together for the first time in the setting.
* {{Mummy}}: Naturally in book 4. The plot revolves around an exhibit of the mummy and sarcophagus of an ancient Egyptian queen and the contents of her tomb. Imhotep (having escaped from his movie) tries to revive her as Anck-Su-Namun, but Captain Bob and the others stop him.
* MythologyGag: Invoked by the film-escapees, who tend to recreate aspects of their original films in the modern world in this series. Examples from specific books include:
** ''Dracula'':
*** In the original film, Dracula arrives in London on what seems to be [[GhostShip an abandoned ship]], having fed on and killed the crew. In book 1, he's first seen on a similarly abandoned ship, having again fed on the crew.
*** In the original film, Dracula's base in London was the abandoned Carfax Abbey. In book 1, his base in Florida is the abandoned Carfax Hotel. This gets lampshaded in book 2 when Joe, Captain Bob and Nina are recapping what they know about the first monster in the hopes of figuring out how to deal with the Wolf Man.
** ''The Wolf Man'':
*** In the original film, Larry Talbot has his fortune told by the gypsy Maleva, who sees the pentagram on Jenny (a friend of Larry's love interest)'s palm and tells Larry to leave her tent. Soon after, Larry saves a woman from a werewolf via beating it to death with a silver object (his cane) he bought to impress a woman, but is bitten and becomes another werewolf. In this book, Don Earl Abernathy has his fortune told by Wilma Winokea, an Ocala shaman, who sees a pentagram on his forehead and tells him to leave her tent. Soon after, Don Earl saves a woman from a werewolf via hitting and driving it off with a silver object (the belt buckle) that his girlfriend won earlier, but is likewise bitten and becomes a werewolf himself.
*** In the original film, Larry has come back to his father's home in Wales, Great Britain. In the book, the Wolf Man manifests in Wales, Florida. This gets lampshaded when the teens are putting the facts together.
** ''Frankenstein'':
*** In the original film, Fritz tries to steal a good brain, but drops and breaks it, so he takes a criminal brain instead. In ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'', Igor does the same, but claims the brain came from one "Abby Normal" (really "Abnormal"). Captain Bob does a deliberate ShoutOut to this when he explains that Fritz did the same thing all over again -- he claims the stolen brain came from a "De Viant". When Nina doesn't recognize the name and Captain Bob starts snickering, Nina catches on and even lampshades it -- "Fifty thousand comedians out of work and you think you're Creator/MelBrooks!"
** ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'':
*** While looking for the Gill Man, Joe, Captain Bob and their friend Skylar run across a house owned by a man, Ben Browning, whom they think might be the human form of the Gill Man. He's not ([[spoiler: in fact, he turns out to be Dr. Mark Williams -- also escaped from the film -- instead]]), but he shares the same name as Rico Browning, who played the Gill Man in its underwater scenes.
*** Near the end of the book, the characters suddenly realize that Rita Crockett shares her name with the boat that the film characters used to travel down the Amazon River.
%%** ''Bride of Frankenstein'':
%%***
* MysteryMeat: Referenced for humor in book 1, when Captain Bob says he isn't eating the cafeteria food at Ponce de Leon High School that day because they're serving [=UFO=]s -- "Unidentified Food Objects".
* NoOntologicalInertia: When the monsters are defeated and pulled back into the films, people remember what happened, but any damage they've done is reversed as well, up to and including reviving most people who were killed during their rampages and leaving no physical evidence, which helps people rationalize it away as a hoax.
* NoSell: As discovered late in book 1, the monsters are "not of this world" and cannot be killed in the standard methods (like a stake through the heart for Dracula) -- they heal automatically from them. The heroes have to instead find a way to trap them back in their movies.
* OpenFlyGag: Subverted early in book 3. Nina gets back at Captain Bob (who's being his usual irritating self) by telling him his fly's open. Captain Bob promptly looks down and makes a face as he realizes she just tricked him -- he's wearing sweatpants and therefore doesn't ''have'' a fly.
* PastExperienceNightmare: In book 3, Fritz has vague memories of his death at the Creature's hands in the movie, but Herr Frankenstein has convinced him they're AllJustADream.
* PestController: In book 1, an army of giant ticks attacks Captain Bob, and Devin Chavarria later claims she was the one who sent them. Subverted when the penultimate battle reveals they were actually a transformed Dracula.
* ThePowerOfLove: In book 5, this is what [[spoiler:allows the Creature From the Black Lagoon to create a mate for himself]].
* RecklessGunUsage: In book 2, when Joe meets Deputy Chad Barnes, Barnes claims to be guilty of this -- when he was practicing his quick draw, he was startled by Sheriff Marshall suddenly walking in, causing his gun to go off and shoot over the man's hat. Ever since then, he's had to carry it empty, with only one bullet in his possession at a time.
* RedHerring:
** In book 1, the core trio come to believe that Devin Chavarria's boyfriend "Slice" is Dracula, due to his vampire-like behavior. He's actually just a pawn of the real Dracula.
** In book 3, Captain Bob comes to believe that Oscar Morales, a high school senior who's been revealed as a natural at surgery, is Herr Frankenstein's other form. Turns out he's innocent, and becomes Herr Frankenstein's backup choice as a body for his third Creature.
* RefugeeFromTVLand: A combination of lightning and a holographic projector releases characters from the six films. Each book features, respectively:
** Count Dracula (disguised as a normal human);
** Larry Talbot's wolf man (incarnated through Don Earl Abernathy after he's bitten by another Wolf Man), Bela the gypsy's wolf man (incarnated through [[spoiler:John Winokea and later Deputy Chad Barnes), and his mother Maleva (incarnated through Wilma Winokea)]];
** Herr Frankenstein, Fritz and the Creature they made;
** Imhotep (in his guise as Ardeth Bey) and Anck-Su-Namun;
** The Gill Man [[spoiler:and Dr. Mark Williams]];
** The Bride of Frankenstein [[spoiler:and Dr. Pretorius]].
* RidiculousProcrastinator: Referenced in the epilogue of book 1, as Captain Bob looks on one of his websites for the most absurd headline possible for Current Events. One is "Scientist Discovers Secrets of Procrastination: Will Release Results At A Later Date".
* SadistTeacher: Downplayed in book 5, where Captain Bob runs into one of these who gives him detention for not having a hall pass... despite it being very visible in his shirt pocket the entire time. She even has a slight smile on her face as he's on his way ''to'' detention later.
* SequelHook: Each book has one of the cast finding hints, via news articles, of the next monster they'll face.
** In book 1, Captain Bob finds a news article about a giant wolf attacking people in Wales, Florida.
** In book 2, Nina reads a news story that mentions a missing brain, and figures out it means Dr. Frankenstein is involved.
** In book 3, Nina mentions she has to get up early and help set up an Egyptian exhibit at the San Tomas Inlet Cultural Center. Joe later realizes Egyptian equals mummy.
** Early in book 4, the teens find evidence of the Gill Man lurking in the NASA causeway. The last chapter expands on it, with Captain Bob writing in his journal that a friend of his has contacted he and Joe to confirm the reports.
** In book 5, Captain Bob is wondering what the final monster -- the Bride of Frankenstein -- is going to bring against them, when he gets called by Alvin Brown (the security guard who originally let them take the projector), who leaves a warning message for him on the answering machine that "he is in danger and his friends are in danger too. The hair dryer's gone and he's coming after them--" when he's suddenly cut off, sounding like he's being strangled.
* ShoutOut: In book 4, Captain Bob references ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' by misquoting the film:
-->'''Captain Bob''': "Brother, just what we need -- a jurist's princess."
* SkeletonKeyCard: Subverted in book 5, where the teens have to break into Ben Browning's RV. Captain Bob breaks out his library card to try and get the door open... and breaks the card in the attempt. Then [[AllForNothing it turns out the door wasn't locked]].
* SkepticNoLonger: After not believing the kids about what happened in the first two books, book 3 and his encounter with Herr Frankenstein sees Detective Mike Turner finally believing them about the monsters escaping from the films.
* SkewedPriorities: Late in book 4, Stacy [=McDonald=] has been kidnapped by Imhotep for use in reviving his love Anck-Su-Namun. After she's rescued, she's less worried about the ''living mummy'' and ''being kidnapped'' than by the fact that the mummy stole her weave, and "Now I look stupid".
* {{Skinwalker}}: In book 2, when the trio meet Wilma Winokea, she claims that her son John became one of these in an effort to bring honor and glory back to his people.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Late in book 3, Herr Frankenstein's Creature decides to become one on purpose -- thinking that if it kills the people its creator wants to use for a ''new'' monster, it can stop his plans.
* SpitTake: Late in book 1, Captain Bob says a girl's name while he's dreaming. When Nina taunts him with it later, he almost does one of these, to her amusement.
* SprayingDrinkFromNose: In book 2, while he, Captain Bob and Nina are having lunch early on, Joe accidentally laughs his milkshake up his nose at one of Nina's snarky remarks (aimed at Captain Bob), triggering a case of BrainFreeze.
* StaticStunGun: Joe improvises one in book 5, jabbing the Gill Man with the broken-off end of a power cord that's still plugged into the wall to drive the creature off.
* StealthInsult: Late in book 4, Detective Turner heads off for home, with Captain Bob snarking about the man's plans, and Nina gets one in on Captain Bob as a result:
-->'''Captain Bob''': "Now that's sad. A young man like that, and he goes home to leftover meat loaf, a tattered lounge chair, and a rerun of a race he already knows the winner of. Could there be a more pathetic sight?"
-->'''Nina''' (''gives him a meaningful look''): "Yes."
* StuffBlowingUp: In book 1, when lightning strikes Nina's house and overpowers the electrical systems, it also causes the experimental holographic movie projector to explode.
* SympathyForTheDevil: In the epilogue of book 4, Captain Bob admits that in the end, he felt sorry for Imhotep -- the man was just lonely and wanted his lover back.
* TemptingFate: In book 5, while climbing into the NASA Causeway via an old ladder, Captain Bob starts to say "This thing is old. It's a wonder it hasn't fal--" before it promptly falls, sending him into the water (and he can't swim; fortunately, Joe saves him).
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: In the final battle of book 1, as an effort to weaken Dracula, Captain Bob throws a set of Communion wafers at him. They end up functioning like this, exploding on contact and stunning him.
* TooDumbToLive: Late in book 5, Ben Browning's greed gets the better of him, as he holds up a remote detonator ''in the middle of a lightning storm''. It promptly gets struck by lightning, exploding it and nearly costing him his hand in the process.
* TrashOfTheTitans: In book 5, Skylar Crockett's room is a disaster area, cluttered with trash and dirty clothes. His sister takes one look at it and says "Sky must have cleaned up in here", indicating that it's usually worse.
* VampireVannabe: In book 1, Joe and Captain Bob discover that Devin Chavarria's boyfriend "Slice" owns a book, ''The Legend of the Vampire'', that's essentially a guide for people like this -- it's all about vampire worship, how to become one and similar things. He apparently wants to be one himself, having even filed his teeth down to points.
* VampiresHateGarlic: In book 1, Captain Bob tries to use this against a vampirized Devin Chavarria. Unfortunately, she's able to keep him from hitting her with it. It later helps against Dracula in bat form, but less so when he attacks the Chavarria house; Captain Bob then uses it successfully in the penultimate battle, as it burns him. It's also found that putting garlic and a cross around Devin, while she's unconscious, will start to revert her to human. They have to stay in place or she'll start to turn back though.
* VampiricDraining: In book 4, the trio learn that Imhotep is stealing blood from people, using a needle. In the original film, he never did so, leaving them confused about his motives; it later turns out it was meant to replace Anck-Su-Namun's dried-up blood.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Used a lot in book 1.
** Per his film abilities, Dracula can turn into a wolf at will, which is first seen in the book's opener when he attacks the Gentrys as a wolf. ''Unlike'' the film, he's seen slowly turning back into human form after chasing Todd away. He uses the form again later, attacking Joe and Captain Bob.
** It's also believed to be the case when Captain Bob is attacked by a swarm of giant ticks (which Dracula never turned into in the film, as Joe notes; Bob, however, says that it's the 21st century and he can appear as anything he wants). Initially subverted when Devin Chavarria claims to have sent them... but in the penultimate battle, it turns out they actually ''were'' a transformed Dracula.
** Late in the book, Nina gets attacked by a bat, which turns out to be a transformed Dracula. He uses the form again soon after, attacking Joe and Captain Bob. In the penultimate battle, he turns into a human-bat hybrid form.
** During the same battle, Dracula takes the form of a red mist. He later uses this form in the penultimate battle to escape being strangled by a rope of garlic.
** In the penultimate battle, Dracula initially appears as Dr. Dunn, the disguise he used to blend into humanity, before reverting to his original form from the movie.
* WeaponsThatSuck: In order to trap the monsters back in their movies, the lead trio have to suck them back in via filming them with a modified camcorder, equipped with a disc that's been programmed with a reversed version of the program that fixed the faulty film projector. They have to augment it with other specialty modifications in later books:
** Book 2 has them having to film and capture the original Wolf Man and its servants ([[spoiler:John Winokea and Sheriff Marshall]]) before adding a silver dreamcatcher, with a woven-in pentagram, to the camcorder to capture the true villain -- [[spoiler:Maleva the gypsy]].
** Book 3 has them use the recording disc in Herr Frankenstein's computer, later realizing that since Herr Frankenstein had adapted to using modern technology, they had to use his own equipment against him.
** Subverted in book 4, where the camcorder isn't used at all -- instead, Captain Bob crushes the scarab representing Anck-Su-Namun's heart, and then she embraces Imhotep before both crumble to dust. Captain Bob and Joe later figure out that the scarab and the Scroll of Thoth acted as a conduit to send the pair back to the movie.
** Subverted again in book 5, where the camera isn't used again -- instead, after it kills its tormentor (another film escapee), the Gill Man simply finds true love, is enveloped in a beam of white light from the sky and returns to the movie.
%%** Book 6
* WeightWoe: Captain Bob, being more than a little chubby, takes extreme offense when it's pointed out. He ends up arguing with Joe about it in book 4 while they're under attack by someone in an executioner's costume.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: In book 2, this is Don Earl Abernathy's reaction when he awakens in the Ocala National Forest after transforming for the first time the night before, and discovers the taste of blood and meat in his mouth.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: In book 5, Ben Browning is so obsessed with capturing the Gill Man that he doesn't care if it dies -- as he says, "No crime in killing a fish."
* WomenAreWiser: Nina, a junior to the boys' freshmen, is by far the most reasonable of the group.
* WoodenStake: Suggested in book 1 as a way to get rid of Dracula. Nina, who isn't entirely convinced he's become real though, objects to doing so. Even after coming to accept that they're dealing with a real vampire, she still objects to using this method at first, though she eventually changes her mind. Joe actually ''does'' try to use one against Dracula in their final battle with him; unfortunately, he's able to fend it off, and a second attempt later reveals that because he's an escapee from a movie, it doesn't work anyway. Fortunately, they figure out an alternative solution to send him back to his film -- in the final battle, after he's been stunned and blown into a wall, Joe pounds a wooden stake through his heart to weaken him long enough to get in close with a modified camcorder and suck him back into his movie.
* XCalledTheyWantTheirYBack: In book 3, when Nina's being annoyed by her classmate Stacy [=McDonald=], she snarks back with "Does Creator/CamrynManheim know you stole her wardrobe?" Stacy recognizes it as the YouAreFat insult that it is.
* YourMom: In book 4, while rescuing Stacy from Ardeth Bey, Nina taunts the villains by yelling "Your mummy wears army boots!"

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!!Trivia:

* {{Blooper}}:
** In book 2, "madman" is accidentally spelled "mad man" the one time it's used. It happens again late in book 4.
** Garmon misspells Frankenstein's name as "Frankenst''ie''n" on multiple occasions in book 3.

[[/folder]]

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** Anon's note: I own 1-5.\\\

** Anon's note: I own and have troped #1-3 (including 2.5), and own but have not yet troped #4-11 (including 6.5), #13-sequel series #1, and sequel series #3; need to fill in #12 and sequel series #2. (And sequel series #4.)\\\

* #1: ''Death by Coffee'' (2015)
* #2: ''Death by Tea'' (2015)
* #3: ''Death by Pumpkin Spice'' (2016)
* #4: ''Death by Vanilla Latte'' (2017)
* #5: ''Death by Eggnog'' (2017)
* #6: ''Death by Espresso'' (2018)
* #7: ''Death by Café Mocha'' (2019)
* #7.5: "Death by Hot Cocoa" (2019)[[note]]Collected in Carlene O'Connor's ''Christmas Cocoa Murder'' anthology, along with books #6.5 of Maddie Day's ''Literature/CountryStoreMysteries'' and #2.5 of Carlene O'Connor's ''Literature/IrishVillageMysteries''.[[/note]]
* #8: ''Death by French Roast'' (2020)
* #9: ''Death by Hot Apple Cider'' (2021)

* #12: ''Death by Peppermint Cappuccino'' (2023)\\\

** Anon's note: As of 06/10/23, I own #2, 4, 6 and 9; first added the series to my wantlist because of its connection to other books I have via an anthology.\\\

Due to publishing company Kensington's practices, as of 2023, a total of fourteen series by twelve authors are connected (though not part of the same continuity) via fourteen [[GenreAnthology anthologies]]. A fifteenth has been announced for 2024.\\\

* #11: ''Fur Love or Money'' (announced for February 2024)

* #11.5: "Hopped Along" (announced for January 2024)[[note]]Collected in [[Literature/LucyStoneMysteries Leslie Meier's]] ''Easter Basket Murder'' anthology.[[/note]]

* #15: Leslie Meier's ''Easter Basket Murder'' (collects ''Lucy Stone Mysteries'' #29.5, ''Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mysteries'' #16.7? and ''Maine Clambake Mysteries'' #11.5) (announced for January 2024)

As of 01/01/24, I (Anon e Mouse Jr.) own seven of the first eleven anthologies in paperback, missing only paperbacks of #5 (''Christmas Cocoa Murder''), #8 (''Christmas Card Murder''), #10 (''Christmas Scarf Murder'') and #11 (''Irish Coffee Murder''). #12 (''Halloween Cupcake Murder'') is slated for MMP release in July 2024, #13 (''Christmas Mittens Murder'') and #14 (''Irish Milkshake Murder'') are out in hardcover with no paperback announced yet, while #15 (''Easter Basket Murder'') will have its initial release, in hardcover, on January 23.