Ominous October – The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co. #2) by Jonathan Stroud

I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Whispering Skull Series: Lockwood & Co. #2
on September 16th 2014
Pages: 448
Format: Hardcover
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In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.

The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.

Lockwood & Co. Series

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1) by Jonathan Stroud {Purchase – My Review}

 

“Well, I make that one murder victim, one police interrogation and one conversation with a ghost,” George said. “Now that’s what I call a busy evening.”
Lockwood nodded. “To think some people just watch television.”

Lockwood, Lucy, and George are back and at it again, diving straight into another perilous assignment this time involving the most dangerous Visitor they have yet to go up against. After a recent job goes awry and the recently excavated burial site has been looted, including a most peculiar bone mirror, Scotland Yard hires the trio to track down the object as it seems to leave nothing but death in its wake. In addition to that adventure, the strange skull in the corpse jar is talking to Lucy much more frequently and he seems to actually be of some help with their latest case, but whether he can actually be trusted is the real question.

‘There are other things in the house to fear, besides me.’

The skull’s communications with Lucy added a strange and mysterious side story to The Whispering Skull since this skull seems to know a bit about the secretive door that Lockwood has forbidden everyone from entering. It arouses her curiosity and she has enough on her mind as it is and can’t afford to be distracted. This case involving the bone mirror is far more intricate than any of them seem to think, and will involve many close calls before the final page is turned. I’m constantly enthralled with the cases of Lockwood & Co. and this one was no exception. Not quite as scary as I found their Screaming Staircase case to be, but it was certainly no less engrossing and was actually quite a bit more fascinating.

​​‘And a quick word of advice. No cheap comments at her expense. She’s easily offended and would probably disembowel you.’
‘Story of my life,’ George said.

Once again though, I find myself completely smitten with this cast of characters. The stories themselves are phenomenal and will no doubt keep you entertained, but Lockwood, Lucy, and George are characters you will wish could come to life and befriend you. The Whispering Skull succeeded in expanding our knowledge of the group and leading to tremendous growth in the characters themselves. The new addition to the trio was a surprising new favorite, but you can never go wrong with a hilariously snarky character even if he is a skull trapped in a jar. The skull had his malicious moments and certainly complicated things occasionally but really added a welcome level of hilarity to the story. I’m hoping we continue to see him in future installments.

Such fun and entertaining stories, I look forward to more tales of the group’s thrilling adventures and hope they take their time growing up. It will be devastating when they are forced to retire from ghost hunting. Once again, I must highly recommend this undervalued series that is perfect for all ages and for fans of mysteries, ghost stories and anything Victorian.

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