The Screaming Staircase

Miranda Raison's narration of this ghost cum mystery cum horror story is a genre mesh that provides plenty of drama. Raison adds even more with her renditions of the dynamic characters of Lockwood & Co., a team of psychic young adults who struggle to rid London of the malicious ghosts that have plagued it for 50 years. Raison's portrayal of the witty, sometimes combative narrator, Lucy Carlyle, is compelling. Her co-worker, George, drips sarcasm, and the layered picture of Lucy's boss, Lockwood, is both caring and opaque. Dialogue sizzles throughout their plans and adventures. The pacing is fast, and Raison amps it up, utilizing pauses and rushes to intensify a book that sets a high standard for the series to come. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2013
In what has come to be called “the Problem,” the British Isles have become plagued with ghostly Visitors in this highly entertaining first book in Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. series. Since children and young teenagers are most able to sense the ghosts, psychically gifted youths are employed by agencies large and small, and use iron chains, magnesium flares, and salt bombs to contain and dispatch the Visitors. Narrator Lucy Carlyle has moved to London following a ghost-hunting mission gone very wrong, and her luck improves when she joins a small, independent outfit run by the dashing Anthony Lockwood and his studious and exasperating (to Lucy) partner, George Cubbins. 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). Stroud plays with ghost story conventions along the way, while laying intriguing groundwork that suggests that the Problem isn’t the only problem these young agents will face in books to come—the living can be dangerous, too. Ages 8–12.

January 27, 2014
Stroud’s first entry in his new Lockwood & Co. series begins with all manner of spirits and ghosts haunting London. To address what becomes known as “the Problem,” young Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood, and George Cubbins must rid England of its otherworldly visitors using their ability to perceive spirits. Stroud’s novel comes to life thanks to the narration of Raison. Her performance is reserved, but this proves a wise choice for such an outrageous story, with the narrator employing slight shifts in tone and style to create realistic and believable character voices. This straightforward approach makes the audio edition all the more immediate and thrilling. Ages 8–12. A Disney-Hyperion hardcover.