Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - review

'Peculiar? Mysterious? Thrilling? Frightening? Yes, to all of the above!'
Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant - book 1)
Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant - book 1) Photograph: Public Domain

Peculiar? Mysterious? Thrilling? Frightening? Yes, to all of the above! Skulduggery Pleasant is a living skeleton, held together by magic. He is a detective who solves crimes for mortals and immortals alike. He does have enemies, however, namely Serpine, an expert in magic, who he fights together with Stephanie, his talented 12-year-old companion. At one point, Skulduggery throws a fireball at an enemy (Serpine's servant) which doesn't kill him because of a magic charm; however, Stephanie then cunningly leads the servant into the river where he dissolves into oblivion.
Full of action and suspense, this book is the first in the series and is seriously gripping. I could hardly put it down and can't wait to read the others!

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