When overweight sixteen-year-old Will Halpin leaves the deaf school he has been attending to start mainstream high school at Carbon High, he must deal with a myriad of issues. The star quarterback plummets to his death on a school field trip and Will finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery, with his only, and rather dorky, friend as sidekick. Will's ability to read lips and his keen powers of observation just may help to crack the case.

Witty and laugh-out-loud funny at times, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin is a refreshing read. The story is told from the point of the view of the deaf main character, providing a unique perspective. Issues regarding politics and challenges of those in the hearing-impaired community are thought-provoking and discussion-worthy. Will has a sarcastic sense of humor and is immensely likable. A main character dies partway through the story and it is determined that he was murdered. Language is somewhat strong (d-mn it, h-ll, cr-p, sh-t, godd-mn) but not overly frequent. Sex is referenced and it is discovered that a teacher had a sexual relationship with a student. Teen pregnancy is important to the storyline, and abortion is alluded to. Not just a murder mystery, this story addresses much more, including bullying, making friends, adjusting to a new school, and typical boy/girl dating issues.

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