The Skull-S.D. Tooley

The Skull
S.D. Tooley
Full Moon, Dec 2006
ISBN: 9780978540210

Thirteen year old Remy Bauer is a highly intelligent teen who lives with her single mom and her paternal grandmother while her absentee dad travels the world gambling just like his late father did. Remy enjoys her lifestyle as the other females in the household encourage her to be all she can be. She especially enjoys forensics.

At the Sycamore Mansion estate sale, Remy buys a monkey’s skull with plans to construct the animal. She asks Rob “Roadkill” Haislett who photographs dead animals and orphaned Andy the runaway to help her learn how the animal died. As they become friends, they obtain summer work at Sycamore Mansion. This enables them to seek clues to the monkey’s death. However, instead of learning that, Rob proves the skull belonged to a newborn human. The three young teens tries to learn what happened and when, but someone has other ideas as to what to do with three nosy thirteen years old youngsters

This excellent young adult forensics mystery is fast-paced yet provides a discerning look at social issues facing tweeners such as peer pressure, youth gangs, and abandonment. The three amigos are unique eccentric protagonists who make this a fun amateur sleuth for readers of all ages.

Harriet Klausner