Skulduggery Pleasant

by Derek Landy

Summary: Stephanie is close to her eccentric uncle, but is still shocked at the reading of the will, in more ways than one. She has inherited his fortune, and meets an odd man named Skulduggery Pleasant, whose face she can't see at the reading. He quickly reveals himself to be a detective, bent on finding the secret behind her uncle's murder, and a skeleton, held together by magic and dressed by a really good tailor. Skulduggery is convinced that an evil man is out to kill Stephanie, so they team up to try to stop him, and have lots of wild experiences along the way, some funny, some terrifying.

My thoughts: What an adventure! Stephanie and Skulduggery are a great pair. Their conversations are smart and funny, and the situations they encounter are sometimes downright scary. If you like The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, or the Artemis Fowl books, check this one out! The sequel is called Playing With Fire.