Left to fend for himself in 1839 after his parents and siblings die, 12‑year‑old Matthew Morrissey takes a job with Dr. Asa B. Cornwall, a phrenologist who “reads” people’s skulls. While Matthew is grateful for the doctor’s kindness and for the food, shelter, and education that come with his new position, he soon learns that he’s expected to dig up graves at night to get skulls for the doctor’s intellectual pursuits, a job he finds incredibly distasteful. But Dr. Cornwall is such an engaging and nurturing character that Matthew can’t help but get caught up in his work. He becomes eager to acquire the skulls of contmporary great dead men, such as Aaron Burr, Voltaire, and--the greatest head of all--Napoleon Bonaparte. But throughout their journeys to seek out the graves of the famous throughout Europe and America, a mysterious and threatening person seems to be following. Who can it be? And what does he want? This deliciously eerie historical mystery has a strong plot, lots of action, marvelously offbeat characters, and just the right touch of macabre humor. (Ages 9‑13)

In 1839, twelve-year-old Matthew's job as assistant to the phrenologist Dr. Cornwall takes him up and down the Eastern Seaboard and to Europe, as they rob graves and try to find out who is following them and why.