Book Review: The Screaming Staircase: Lockwood & Co. #1

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Published: 2013

Format Read: Library EBook

Genre: YA Supernatural Mystery

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

I currently base my reviews loosely around the CAWPILE system developed by Book Roast on YouTube. I modify the categories depending on the format of the story I’m reviewing.

My star ratings are purely by my opinion and not measured by any particular metric.

SPOILER WARNING: This review will contain spoilers! Proceed with caution!

Summary

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.

Characters

Even though the characters are teenagers, they are written in such a way that I really like them and they each have their own personalities.

Lucy is our POV character. Her ‘talents’ are introduced as touch and listening and I suspect are much more powerful than she realizes. She occasionally has doubts about herself and her usefulness but pushes through. While she respects Lockwood as the boss and potentially an unspoken crush, she doesn’t just follow him blindly.

George is the researcher of the crew. He can be abrasive and butts heads with Lucy, he doesn’t let it get in the way of doing the job. He clearly cares about his friends and I’m sure some of his testiness is due to jealousy that Lucy takes some of his best friend’s attention.

Lockwood reads like an homage to Sherlock Holmes, with better people skills. I don’t think it’s wise for him to keep his friends in the dark so much, but I’m sure that is addressed in a later book.

Atmosphere

There’s immediately an air of mystery concerning the ‘problem’ and these kids hunting ghosts. The entire book has a very dark and slightly apprehensive air about it. Every one in the world constantly has an undercurrent of unease. Not enough to be a horror, but enough to be interesting, a little bit of a thriller story.

Writing Style

Easy to read and understand, even though some of the dialogue sounds a little bit loftier than I would expect of teens. But the balance is such that it still reads well and I was never confused about where I was or what was going on. It moved well, even in the slower sections.

Plot

They have the mystery of the murdered girl to solve and the problem of money to fix. We follow them as we try to handle these and Lucy learns more about her place in the company. There’s just enough mystery that pops up to keep you interested.

Intrigue

Again, lots of mystery, with clues given at good intervals to keep you invested. They also weren’t so complex that you couldn’t eventually figure it out.

Logic

Sine if the ghost hunting stuff mirrors “known” tactics and such. Everything made sense and new concepts were explained well.

Enjoyment and Final Thoughts

I loved this book. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and this book got me out of it. The characters are fun, the world is intriguing, and the story is compelling. I can’t wait to read the next one.

Would I Recommend?

Absolutely! This book may be targeted at a slightly younger audience, but it is written well enough that anyone can enjoy it.