In the Shadow of Spindrift House

Why did this fall flat for me, when it has so many elements I love? I guess maybe that's the reason it fell flat - it felt like someone dumped “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” [b:The Haunting of Hill House 89717 The Haunting of Hill House Shirley Jackson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327871336l/89717.SY75.jpg 3627], and [b:Meddling Kids 32905343 Meddling Kids Edgar Cantero https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491342454l/32905343.SY75.jpg 53521810] into a bowl and unsuccessfully tried to mix them into a confection. It all struck me as shallow and derivative.I feel strange complaining that there wasn't enough of something I didn't like, but this might have been more successful as a full novel - the characters were really flat and would have benefited from being fleshed out and relatable. Also, the mystery was never very mysterious, so I got bored. Teasing out crumbs of information along the way might have worked better for me.