Chicago native Joey Crouch experiences a spell of rotten luck when he is sent to live with the father he has never met following the accidental death of his mother. When Joey meets Kenneth Harnett, who lives in squalor in a cabin in small town Iowa, he realizes his life has taken a serious turn for the worse, but things are just beginning a downward spiral. Not only is his dad a stinky social misfit who disappears for days at a stretch, but the kids in town call him the Garbageman, and immediately begin to excessively bully Joey. Joey is understandably miserable, but curious as to where his sullen father disappears to. He follows him one night, and to both his horror and intrigue, discovers that his father is a professional grave robber. Strangely fascinated, Joey convinces him to take him on as an apprentice. In doing so, he enters the weirdly scientific, gory, and engrossing world that is the secret society of the Diggers, an organization of rapidly aging grave robbers. To his great surprise, he discovers a great deal about his own family history, and begins to grow in confidence, even as the stakes are raised and a family feud resurfaces to wreck havoc on his newfound semblance of stability. At times both brutal and gruesome, this story is not an easy one, but like Joey, readers will be unable to tear their eyes away from the page. It is recommended for strong stomached adult and teen readers grades 10 and up.
