Things are thickening as The Undetectables mourn the most recent murder, each expressing their own forms of distress over the unfolding horrors. No solid leads have emerged, even after speaking with police officials who are also investigating the case.
Some attention has turned to the mysterious symbol connected to the Ternion—the goddesses Elizabella, Hexanna, and Blair—who were once tasked with uniting all of Occulture. This leads the three girls to suspect that someone may be orchestrating the recent deaths in an effort to summon the Ternion. The only question is: Who would go to such lengths—and why?
Naturally, the girls each have their own theories. Among the prime suspects are Night Mayor Van Doran, whom Cornelia despises due to his corrupt political dealings, and Becket, Cornelia’s vampire boyfriend, whom Diana dislikes—not just for being a man, but also for his sketchy demeanor and possible secrets. Mallory, meanwhile, suspects D.I. O’Sullivan, a female detective inspector whom both Cornelia and Diana are fascinated by. Mallory’s suspicions stem from overheard police comments following the most recent murder.
Personally, I believe Van Doran is a plausible candidate. He stands to gain the most from summoning the Ternion, especially if he seeks power beyond what Hellmouth politics can offer. His odd behavior and need to secure re-election certainly cast shadows of doubt. Yet… he feels too obvious. Almost like a decoy.
Becket also raises red flags. The Ternion rose at the end of a Great Vampire War, after which vampires—and many other beings in Occulture—were forbidden from harming humans. Given lingering tensions and the fact that vampires lack innate magical abilities, some might see the current occult order as a bitter insult. Becket, as Mallory notes, has a flimsy alibi for the recent death. And while he does possess a calculating mind and a tendency to belittle those around Cornelia, he feels more like a mid-boss villain—the one who gets arrested just before the true mastermind is revealed.
That leaves D.I. O’Sullivan. She's by-the-book, abrasive, and visibly frustrated by the Undetectables’ interference. Occulture and humankind exist in a fragile peace, but prejudices still fester beneath the surface. Cornelia herself recalls feeling ostracized in college when her dormmates discovered she was a witch. It’s not far-fetched to imagine that a non-magical human—or someone aligned with that ideology—would try to eradicate Occulture entirely by harnessing forbidden power. And perhaps, they’d want to test potential opposition before making their final move.
Then there’s Mallory.
She lives with Cornelia and Diana, but her chronic illness, emotional fatigue, and fear of abandonment have left her raw. She feels left behind, tiptoed around, and sometimes bitter toward her companions. There’s a key moment where she enters Cornelia’s “bug room” and causes a mass die-off of a species critical to the investigation. The act appears rooted in jealousy and spite, and even Mallory acknowledges it as unforgivable. Yet… subtle hints suggest she may not have been acting entirely of her own volition. Perhaps her inner turmoil was manipulated—used as a weapon by someone lurking in the shadows to slow the investigation.
And all the while, the clock ticks toward Samhain.
As I mentioned in an earlier posting, this book blends the whimsical mystery of Scooby-Doo with the progressive tonal maturity of Harry Potter. In the first Harry Potter book, the villain is practically telegraphed—understandable, since the story is filtered through the naïveté of an eleven-year-old protagonist. But as Harry grows, so too does the complexity of the narrative: heroes become morally gray, and villains gain dimension.
Meanwhile, Scooby-Doo always introduces the same three archetypes: the sheriff, the red herring, and the actual villain. The gang often suspects the red herring because they’re the one acting strange, trying to push them out of town. Similarly, Van Doran, Becket, and D.I. O’Sullivan each fit a familiar mold: the corrupt politician, the shady boyfriend, and the overzealous inspector. All are compelling suspects. All are suspicious. But in classic mystery fashion, only one can be the true mastermind—or none at all as there are other potential villains hiding in plain sight that the girls haven't yet considered to be "The Whistler".
And that’s what makes this story so delightfully unpredictable.
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