"THE FACELESS ONES," by Derek Landy, HarperCollins, 432 pages, $16.99 (ages 9-12)

Have you heard of Skulduggery Pleasant? You really should have by now. No? Well now's your chance.

Skulduggery is, well, there's no kind way to say it, decidedly different. You see, Skulduggery is a skeleton detective. That's right, a collection of bones walking around with no skin, muscles or organs. Oh, and his head, it's not even his own. He won the skull he's wearing in a poker game.

Skulduggery is the brainchild of author Derek Landy, whose first book about the skeletal detective, "Scepter of the Ancients," made it onto Oprah's Book Club Kids Reading List.

"The Faceless Ones" is the third book in Landy's Skulduggery series, and it's just as exciting as its predecessors.

Stephanie Edgley was a typical teenager until her uncle Gordon died. That's when things took a definite turn to the weird side.

Not only did Gordon, a best-selling author, leave Stephanie his mansion and the majority of his fortune, he left her a new best friend in Skulduggery Pleasant.

A friendship with Skulduggery isn't without perks — fabulous adventures and magical powers — but it's dangerous, too. Skulduggery is always on the lookout for trouble, fighting some evil entity or searching for magical weapons. As his friend, Stephanie is subject to those hazards and even takes on a new name, Valkyrie Cain, for safety.

It's been a few years since Stephanie's first adventure, and she wouldn't go back to her old life if you paid her. And it's a good thing Stephanie, who'd rather you call her Valkyrie, has a mirror double, or she'd have a lot of explaining to do with her parents.

So far, Valkyrie has helped save the world twice, but that doesn't stop the bad guys from trying. "The Faceless Ones" opens with the examination of a crime scene, the same as three others. Someone is killing Teleporters, and it's up to Valkyrie, Skulduggery and their friends to find out who is doing it and why. The fate of the world depends on it.

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Reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events," Landy's prose has a distinctly smart feel to it. Like Snicket, Landy doesn't speak down to readers, rather he writes in an engaging tone that is welcoming, fast-paced and quick-witted. And though the Skulduggery series is a bit more graphic when it comes to violence, it doesn't feel gratuitous or out of place.

If there is a downside to "The Faceless Ones," it's that to understand what's going on, you have to know a little bit from the previous two books. The upside, though, is that the first two books are now in paperback and are worth reading.

The Skulduggery series is perfect for readers on the lookout for something new. And with vibrant action sequences and a strong female lead character, it will appeal to boys and girls alike.

e-mail: jharrison@desnews.com

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