Title Page

Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days

Derek Landy

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Laura.

I’m not going to make any jokes here, because apparently you are the one person on Earth who does not find me even remotely funny.

I am HILARIOUS. Ask anyone. Ask your sister. She thinks I’m HYSTERICAL (you do, don’t you Katie…?)

And yet, even though you refuse to recognise my comedy genius, and you refuse to publically admit how impressed you are by everything I do, you’re still getting a book dedicated to you – because without you, Skulduggery wouldn’t have his Valkyrie.

You’re my best friend and my muse, and I owe you a lot.

(A “lot” being, of course, entirely figurative, and in no way implies that you’re getting a share of the royalties.)

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

1 SCARAB

2 HOME INVASION

3 THE PLAN, SUCH AS IT IS

4 BRING ME THE HEAD OF SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT

5 THE REVENGERS’ CLUB

6 INTO THE SANCTUARY

7 BACK TO ARANMORE

8 CALLING DIBS

9 DEAD NEW WORLD

10 BLOOD AND BULLETS

11 THE FACELESS ONES

12 DOWN THE BARREL

13 NO THANKS

14 THE FACT OF THE MATTER

15 BACK ON CEMETERY ROAD

16 THE TEMPLE

17 DEAD MAN TALKING

18 DARQUESSE

19 THE NEW PET

20 THE ZOMBIE HORDE

21 THE RAID

22 THE MAN WHO KILLED ESRYN VANGUARD

23 CRUX

24 THE PLOT THICKENS…

25 LAST VAMPIRE STANDING

26 KIDNAPPED

27 WHEN KENSPECKLE MET SCARAB

28 THE MIDNIGHT HOTEL

29 THE SIT-DOWN

30 MID-AFTRNOON OF THE DEAD

31 BILLY-RAY

32 THINGS GET WORSE

33 POSSESSED

34 THE MEETING

35 MYRON STRAY

36 PLAYTIME

37 CHINA’S DARK SECRET

38 THE CASTLE

39 HOLLOW MAN

40 WITH GORDON

41 THE EXORCISTS

42 THE NECROMANCERS

43 THE ROAD TO CROKE PARK

44 REVENGE

45 SEARCHING FOR SCARAB

46 ENDGAME

47 CRAZY

48 A QUIET MOMENT

49 ESCORTING THE PRISONER

50 BACK TO HAGGARD

51 WHISPERS

Preview

Also by Derek Landy:

Copyright

About the Publisher

1 SCARAB

1
SCARAB

W hen Dreylan Scarab had been locked away in his little cell, he’d thought about nothing but murder. He liked murder. Murder and long walks had been two of his favourite things when he was younger. He’d walk a long way to kill someone, he’d often said, and he’d kill for a long walk. But after close to 200 years in that cell, he’d kind of lost interest in walks. His passion for murder, however, burned brighter than ever.

They let him out of prison a few days early, and he stepped into the Arizona sunshine an old man. They had kept his power from him, and without his power his body had withered and aged. But his mind stayed sharp. Try as they might, the years could not dull his mind. Still, he didn’t like being old. He counted how long it took him to cross the road and wasn’t pleased with the result.