Author: Jonathan Stroud
Publisher:Disney Hyperion
Date of publication:
In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.
Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.
Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.
The Whispering Skull is the follow up to the Screaming Staircase. IT picks up about 6 months after the first book. This time around, the team are paired up with another agency to find a dangerous haunted object. The two teams are rivals and of course chaos and danger lurks around every corner.
I have to admit that I didn't love this one as much as the first book. For me the pacing wasn't as consistent. It was really dragged in parts. I had no problem stopping the audiobook for long stretches of time. It did pick up in the last third of the book though. The strength of the story is it's spooky setting. The author does a great job of setting the tone and making the reader feel like they are ghost hunting along with the team. I also enjoyed getting to know George a bit more. He plays a larger role in the mystery than he did in the first book. Lucy is beginning to really hone her skill for speaking to the dead.
We do learn a bit more about the Fittes agency and some secrets are revealed. The book also ends on a cliffhanger with a reveal about the mysterious locked room in Lockwood's house. Despite its slow pace, I still did enjoy it. I definitely recommend this series to lovers of middle grade paranormal.
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Publisher: Doubleday Children’s Books
Publication Date: August 29th 2013
When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .
For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.
Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.
Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .
The Screaming Staircase is the first the Lockwood & Co. Series/ It's a middle grade paranormal mystery that takes place in kind of a dystopian future. Ghosts are very real and have become a real danger to England. Children and teens can see and sense them much easier than adults. Agencies have been formed and employ kids to get rid of the ghosts. Lockwood & Co. is a very small company and is run by Anthony Lockwood. Lucy Carlyle is their newest agent. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I don't usually read a lot of middle grade books, so I wasn't sure if I would like it. Having said that, I know I would have loved it in middle school as well.
The story was fast paced, action packed and really spooky. Exactly the right combination for a fun read. The characters were interesting and I genuinely felt invested in their adventure.. Lucy, Lockwood and George made a great team. The way Lockwood was so focused at times really reminded me of a young Sherlock Holmes character. The world building was wonderful. I felt like I was able to really immerse myself in this paranormal, alternate world. I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed the experience. I also got the sense that there is a lot more to learn about what is really going on and hopefully, there will be more reveals in the future. If you have been putting off trying this series out (like I have), I do recommend moving it up on your TBR. There are four more books in the series, so I have some catching up to do.
