Skulduggery Pleasant #3: The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy

My name is Skulduggery Pleasant, and I've been fired by the Sanctuary. That's okay since, the Head Mage is a traitor and his new lead detective is an idiot. There is only one surviving Teleporter, all the rest have been murdered, and it has something to do with bringing back the Faceless Ones. The Diablerie is behind it, and they already have their sights set on the Grotesquery's remains. They plan to use it and the last Teleporter to open a portal for the Faceless Ones to return and kill mankind. Unofficially, I'm protecting the last Teleporter, but he's an obnoxious, arrogant, young twit. We need to reassemble the Scepter as a last resort against the Faceless Ones, but Valkyrie is the only one who can touch the black crystals. She has the blood of Ancients running through her veins, but I worry that I always put her in danger. She should be enjoying her life as a teenager, not helping me save humanity.

Important aspects to Skulduggery's character are his confidence and sense of humor, although he is least humorous in this book. He still gets his jibes in, but there always seems to be something dire and serious going on. A major issue in the series is Valkyrie's role as his sidekick versus life as a normal teenage girl. Skulduggery wonders about it, but other characters tell him he should not be putting her into these situations. However, Valkyrie points out that she'll only disobey if he tries to keep her out of the investigations. The return of the Faceless Ones has been the ongoing problem since book one, and each book introduces new characters to take up the cause. The author has the characters use magic as tools or weapons, but Skulduggery still likes driving his Bentley, although in this book he's forced to drive the Purple Menace. I'm enjoying the adventure in the books, as the detectives are constantly forced to save mankind. Skulduggery comes up with plans that rarely work, but he likes the unexpected surprises. The last few pages of this book present a surprise ending that will have a dramatic effect on the next book. I've already started reading Dark Days.