But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. Though you don't actually have a heart,' she said.

'So you won't keep anything from me again?' With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out. There has been much talk of a Skulduggery Pleasant movie over the last few years but nothing concrete as yet.Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). You’ll be on to book 12 before you know it. Start at the beginning of the series to get Stephanie and Skulduggery’s back story and prepare to get addicted. The books are hair-raising but also very funny and fast-paced. The series is very popular with children ten and over, but it is not just for kids and definitely not just for fantasy fans. The series follows Skulduggery and Stephanie (and her dark alter ego: Valkyrie Cain) as they explore the weird and wonderful magical underworld, fighting the evil forces threatening the world and trying to get justice for her uncle’s death. Together, Stephanie and Skulduggery start investigating her uncle’s untimely demise. As she finds out more about her uncle and the strange Skulduggery Pleasant, who turns out to be a skeleton detective, she realises that although the books her uncle used to write are most definitely horrifying, they are not fiction. Stephanie is intrigued by the mysterious friend of her uncle’s who appears with a scarf covering his face and gigantic sunglasses. The first book starts at the funeral of famous horror writer Gordon Edgley – twelve-year-old Stephanie’s eccentric uncle. The new Skulduggery book 14 Dead or Alive was released in April 2021 and an illustrated compendium The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire in May 2021.Īfter the first Skulduggery Pleasant series finished, in 2017 Derek Landy delighted fans by releasing the first book in a new series featuring the Skulduggery Pleasant characters – Resurrection. The first book was published in 2007 to rave reviews and eleven books later the series is still gaining more and more fans. Derek Landy's books have sold over 2 million copies in the UK and Ireland and the series has won multiple awards including the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Irish Book Award.

The Skulduggery Pleasant books, written by Irish author Derek Landy, are a favourite with readers and critics alike.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy