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Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase

Lockwood & Co. (Book 1)

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What to expect

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 . . .

Critics Review

This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you'll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your 'need to read' list.
Rick Riordan
The book is genuinely spooky and suspenseful, with appealing characters and great dialogue, and all shot through with Stroud's dry wit.
Guardian
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls
Kirkus
Stroud (the Bartimaeus series) shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments).
Publishers Weekly
In a world overrun by evil spooks, can Paranormal Detection Agency Lockwood & Co do anything about the ghostly problems besetting London? Suspenseful, supernatural adventure.
Metro
One of those books you take with you to the bath . . . Packed with bloodcurdling spectral incident.
Evening Standard
I have a particular terror of anything involving unfriendly ghosts and usually steer clear, but this one was just too tempting. Scare me it did, but the thrills were perfectly balanced by the intriguing plot twists and the humorous banter of the three main protagonists. It’s a little bit Sherlock Holmes, a little bit Skulduggery Pleasant, with a terrifying haunted house thrown in for good measure. You definitely won’t be disappointed
Waterstones.com
This was absolutely excellent. I loved the story, the amount of suspense and creepiness was exactly right to keep me reading page after page very quickly.
Guardian online
Stroud is one of the smartest and most talented writers around . . . Be prepared for lots of humour and some very creepy moments. You're going to be hooked.
Children's Books Ireland
It's a ripper! . . . With plentiful wit and good humour, more than a few chilling moments and, above all, refreshing creativity, Jonathan Stroud has constructed an energetic, fast paced narrative that trips nimbly back and forth from the present to the past as he first sketches and then deftly paints this fascinating landscape.
Science Fiction World

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
Author Jonathan Stroud
Narrator Miranda Raison
Series Lockwood & Co.
Duration 10 hours and 6 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781448186044
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Horror and ghost stories, chillers
Availability AU, GB, IE
Rating
5.0 (1 review)
Narration
5.0 (1 review)

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