Skulduggery Pleasant

       Stephanie's Edgely's Uncle,  a well known novelist, dies of suddenly, leaving her with his mansion and his money. Stephanie spends a night alone in the mansion and is attacked by a mysterious stranger who wants the "key", she is saved by someone she saw at the funeral, Skulduggery Pleasant. Skulduggery Pleasant throws a fireball at her assaulter and then shooting him for good measure. Skulduggery's disguise slips off to reveal that he a wizard as well as a skeleton. Skulduggery takes Stephanie under his bones and they go looking for the Scepter of The Ancients,a weapon known only in folklore. Skulduggery's old enemy, Nefarian Serpine, has already taken the Scepter for his own and Stephanie and Skulduggery may be too late to prevent this disaster.