A chill runs up one of my arms and down the other. I've been here all of five minutes, and I've already seen a dozen open caskets. Not only that, but I have a bad feeling that there's a dead guy in here somewhere. Who knows what surprises my grandfather keeps upstairs?

Brad Stanislawski is looking forward to summer vacation, if only to get away from the classmates who make fun of his size (it's not his fault he's so tall) and his last name (Stan-is-lousy being their insult of choice). So when his mom announces that she's taking a summer vacation by herself and sending him to stay with his grandfather—a man Brad has never met who also happens to be an undertaker—he thinks life couldn't possibly get any worse. Until he hears about the secret hidden in his grandfather's house. Still, as Brad ought to know, first impressions can be deceiving. . . .