In the 1830s an Irishman named James F. O'Connell acquired a full-body tattoo while living as a castaway in the Pacific. The tattoo featured traditional patterns that, to native Pohnpeians, defined O'Connell's life; they made him wholly human. Yet upon traveling to New York, these markings singled him out as a freak. His tattoos frightened women and children, and ministers warned their congregations that viewing O'Connell's markings would cause the ink to transfer to the skin of their unborn children. In many ways, O'Connell's story exemplifies the unique history of the modern tattoo, which...

An inheritance with a twist...

A wanderer and confirmed loner, Francine Pond is not thrilled to inherit her great-aunt Trues sprawling mansion. Shes even less pleased to learn she is required to solve a mystery involving a series of clues contained in Trues will. And she only has seven days to complete the task.

Complicated by life-sized games, ghosts, and a cast of improbable tenants...

Pond is not alone in this house of oddities. In addition to a teenaged storyteller and an enigmatic chimney sweep, she is joined by Ferdinand, a mysterious man who wants to help her in her mission for...