Poor Stephanie recently lost her Uncle Gordon. She is stunned to find out that she, a 12 year old, has inherited most of his estate, but that is just the beginning of the surprises for her.

A mysterious-looking individual attends both her uncles funeral and the reading of his will. He is fully covered with a long coat, a scarf, sunglasses, and a large hat. It is what is behind his costume that is really surprising. Skulduggery Pleasant is a man with no flesh! That's right. He is just a skeleton, but he walks and talks just like anyone else.

Skulduggery introduces her to a world of ancient magic. He was a good friend of her uncle's, and now he has taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her. Skulduggery believes that Uncle Gordon was murdered because of an important secret he has relating to magical tools ... secrets that might change the balance of power for those who can wield magic.

After saving Stephanie from an attack at the home she has just inherited, Skulduggery takes her on as an apprentice as the two of them work together to solve the mystery of her uncle's death. This brings them head to head with the evil Serpine, who is trying to obtain a scepter that her uncle might have known the whereabouts of. It will be a race filled with action, adventure, and humor as the two of them, along with a couple of allies, attempt to find the scepter before Serpine does.

This is a quick-moving, fun novel. While the mystery of who murdered Uncle Gordon is quickly resolved, it is just the first step of a series of puzzles they must figure out in order to prevent Serpine from getting what he really wants.

For me, this was like a junior version of the Dresden Files series that I love to read, which is also marketed primarily for adults. It is quick-paced and laugh-out-loud funny! Since it is written for a younger audience it is also a shorter read. I am definitely glad I picked this one up!