Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull

Book 2

By: Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by: Katie Lyons

**Named an ‘Amazing Audiobook for Young Adults 2015’ by the Young Adult Library Services Association**

“The spine-tingling performance of Lyons’ narration will keep listeners on the edge of their seat.” – YALSA committee

"Stroud is a genius" Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series.

Ghosts and ghouls beware! London’s smallest, shabbiest and most talented psychic detection agency is back.

Life is never exactly peaceful for Lockwood & Co. Lucy and George are trying to solve the mystery of the talking skull trapped in their ghost jar, while Lockwood is desperate for an exciting new case.

Things seem to be looking up when the team is called to Kensal Green Cemetery to investigate the grave of a sinister Victorian doctor. Strange apparitions have been seen there, and the site must be made safe. As usual, Lockwood is confident; as usual, everything goes wrong – a terrible phantom is unleashed, and a dangerous object is stolen from the coffin.

Lockwood & Co must recover the relic before its power is unleashed, but it’s a race against time. Their obnoxious rivals from the Fittes agency are also on the hunt. And if that’s not bad enough, the skull in the ghost-jar is stirring again…

The author of the blockbuster BARTIMAEUS sequence delivers another humorous and chilling instalment in the critically acclaimed LOCKWOOD & CO. series.

Critic reviews

The second volume in Jonathan Stroud's exceptional series . . . Stroud's writing is inventive and funny, but be warned: this is packed with grisly ghouls and is not perhaps for the faint-hearted. (Lorna Bradbury)

Seriously scary, brilliant prose.

Plenty of humour alongside the chills.

I’ve waited with baited breath for the second instalment of Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co novels. At last, The Whispering Skull is here and it is definitely worth the wait.

Stroud delivers another riveting narrative

Rousing adventures for young tomb robbers and delvers into realms better left to the dead

There was a fight between me and my 11-year-old about who got first to Jonathan Stroud's Whispering Skull . . . A blissful read.

As in the first volume there are plenty of heart-stopping moments and a generous dollop of gore, but nothing most teens and confident readers can't handle: in fact, the problem will be to persuade them to put the book down. In short, it's both gross and engrossing!

The Whispering Skull frees Stroud to let his flair for spectacle run riot, resulting in several deftly constructed set-pieces far more akin to true horror than the ghost house antics of the first book.

As in the first instalment, Stroud manages to perfectly balance grisly encounters with gleefully sarcastic humour.

Entertaining second book.

I enjoyed the second Lockwood &Co. book. Loved the narration by Katie Lyons. The story itself went sometime all over the place and I found the first book better.

Such An Underappreciated Series - so good!

The Whispering Skull continues smoothly from the first book: the Lockwood and Co crew will have a new assignment to solve, rivals to beat, confront the reality that the The Problem is escalating in unexpected ways, and learn more about Anthony Lockwood's family secrets.

Story: Lucy, Lockwood, and George are dismayed to learn they must solve a case with the assistance of Quill Kipps and his eccentric team from Fittes. The investigation involves a Victorian doctor who robbed graveyards in order to plumb the mysteries of life after death. When his corpse is unearthed and then subsequently robbed, both teams will watch the situation reverberate through all levels of society. It will take all their luck and guile to not only solve the case but also to survive it.

Once again, we have a very engaging story that is never straightforward or easy. Our characters grow and learn about themselves and others, and along the way there is plenty of action. Stroud does an excellent job of dropping just enough hints and mysteries to be intrigued but never so much that we have nothing left to discover. Actions by the characters make sense (both what they do right and what they do wrong) and each person who shows up in the book has a very distinct and unique personality.

As with the first book, at the end of The Whispering Skull we are left with tantalizing hints of the story to come. The plot builds organically yet unexpectedly and the book-length story arcs fit seamlessly into a series-long set of mysteries. From the clues, it looks like Stroud will eventually tackle the root of The Problem and we'll learn what started it and now escalated the return of The Visitors. It will be interesting to see if George's skull will be at the heart of the mystery.

In all, greatly looking forward to the next book in the series.

Terrific sequel to Screaming Staircase

If you enjoy Garth Nix, you will love Jonathan Stroud. My two teenagers are delighted by these funny, creative, scary stories. I enjoy them too!