Barney Delaney is 13. He also has Cherubism – the rare genetic condition which disfigures the face and causes all kinds of problems. On top of this, he has a mother who is often tired and unwell and a father who is nearly always away working. It's not easy being Barney Delaney, you know.


An adventure book for both adults and teenagers with a penchant for discovering, The Number 3 Mystery Book is a darkly humorous investigation into the search for truth and what it means to accept your fate. As well as that, it's a tale about the pain of learning to love and forgive in the face of adversity, and how, when it comes right down to it, friendship matters more than anything.



The Number 3 Mystery Book was not what I was expected. I knew the author was funny, but honestly, how do you make a 13 year old with a grossly deformed face funny (if you giggled you're going to hell)? 


This book is whimsy, charming, and terribly droll.

Once again forced to experience the cringe worthy tribulations of adolescence, you can't help but think of Barney as your slightly demented younger brother who needs to stop acting like the world is a magic place full of wonder, and start to act like the misbegotten oddball he is. Not that your words of caution and woe would stop this rascally devil from achieving his goals. 

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