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Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase

Book 1

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About this listen

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 . . .

 Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Fantasy Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Paranormal Science Fiction & Fantasy Suspense Thriller & Suspense Haunted Fiction England Exciting

Critic reviews

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.
The book is genuinely spooky and suspenseful, with appealing characters and great dialogue, and all shot through with Stroud's dry wit.
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls
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).
In a world overrun by evil spooks, can Paranormal Detection Agency Lockwood & Co do anything about the ghostly problems besetting London? Suspenseful, supernatural adventure.
One of those books you take with you to the bath . . . Packed with bloodcurdling spectral incident.
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
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.
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.
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.
All stars
Most relevant
it's quite obvious in places that this is intended for a YA audience. even with that though I found myself invested in the world and the world building. narrator does a good job with the prose and adds tense atmosphere to the spooky bits. charachters are interesting and the story is not as cliche as you might think considering it's target audience.

it's an easy listen with an engaging story.

easy spooky listening

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Well if this is for young adults then I guess I must be twenty years younger than I thought! Very enjoyable and really well read. Very reminiscent of the Point Horror books I read when I actually was a young adult, I've already downloaded the second book. It's safe to say I wont look at the spiders in my loft the same way again and I'm thinking about getting a cat!

Young adults book???

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It was a very fun book to listen to, and the narrator did an excellent job portraying different characters. I just had some difficulties sometimes to follow the narration because of the strong accent of the narrator. Being that English is not my first language, sometimes i still struggle to understand strong accents, however, it was a great opportunity to practice my reading comprehension. I'm expecting great thing from the next book

Fun

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Loved it best book I've read for along time definetly going to read more of the series

Absolutely my new favourite book!

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Love the narrator, makes the story a lot better, great read! Definitely give this book at listen and you should also watch the tv show it was really good and was super bummed when they decided not to make a second season I really enjoyed it. (If Netflix is looking please make another season)

Great book and narrator

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