Never take on a wacko as a client. It wastes your time, and it annoys the wacko. Unfortunately, I forgot this good advice, and found myself tangled in a case as kooky as they come.
But when my partner Natalie was framed like a four-million-dollar Rembrandt and booted out of school, the dingy case became a deadly one. I traced a thread of clues and found myself unraveling a conspiracy big enough to make a bib for a brontosaurus. It led me to a criminal mastermind so brilliant, he made Einstein look like a dim bulb.
And on top of killer robots, lovesick parrots, and a school band called The Stench Bombs, I had to deal with a scary fact: My partner went missing under suspicious circumstances.
Did I tough it out to the bitter end, despite danger to life and limb? Let me put it this way: Even though we geckos may be green-skinned, we can also be true blue.
Mystery buffs — and newcomers to the genre — will devour Hale's funny chapter books.