Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase: Book 1

So, I know I’m probably slow on the uptake of the phenomenon that is Lockwood and Co, but after spending a chilly Monday at the end of January watching the first series of the Netflix adaptation, I knew – just know I had to read at least one of the books. And I was not disappointed. At all. Lockwood and Co maybe the smallest psychic detection agency in London, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the best. And when Lucy Carlyle joins after her previous employment went wrong, it certainly had the cause to claim it’s title as London’s best agency. Along with Lockwood and George Cubbins, Lucy has Talent. She can hear the voices of ghosts, she can see their apparitions and she can also feel them through objects. All incredibly useful considering the Problem, which has caused an epidemic of undead Visitors to Britain and their deadly touch. Because if a ghost touches you, you die. And, it’s only really the young who hold the Talent, as if fades the older you get. The Screaming Staircase starts with a simple enough job for Lucy and Lockwood. A haunting at a modest house in the suburbs. But, when the ghost manifests as a strong Type Two, the job quickly goes wrong, and the agency, as a result, is in danger of closing. To keep their jobs, and indeed, their home, Lockwood and Co must somehow salvage their reputations by taking on more risky cases, while also solving the murder of the ghost haunting the modest house. Honestly, even though I knew who the bad guy(s) were through binging the series, I was hooked into the book. First off, I was pleasantly surprised by how close to the book the series was – a lot of adaptations wander off from the source material – but not with Netflix’s Lockwood and Co. Everything, down to Lucy’s first meeting and exchange with George, was perfect. Granted, there’s a couple of changes with some of the characters appearance, but when it comes down to that, who cares? What matters is the acting chops and the story-telling, and the adaptation hit the story aspect superbly, mainly because the source material is so exceptional anyway. As for the acting? Well. As reading, I imagined the actors. So, yeah. They got that right too. So, OK, I know this review is a bit weird. It’s a combined review of the first half of the series and the first book that it was based on; but right now, they’re almost impossible to separate. They’re so close to each other, they’re intwined eternally – and that can only be a good thing. Either way. I whole heartedly recommend reading Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase and then watching up to episode 3 of the series. You will NOT be disappointed, I promise

A riveting read. J.Stroud, has once again thrilled his readers. I was in anticipation after the Bartimaeus Trilogy, but in no way disappointed. Witty, intriguing, excellent depth of characters, enough twists to keep you guessing but not confused. Left me in no doubt that I want more..Brilliant!

I still have to finish the book but I have a complaint against the people selling this. First chapter of the book is incomplete, why am I paying if I don't have the complete stuff. Now I'm dreading reading it further not sure of how much more could be missing..please fix so I can rate this properly