Book Summary (from Amazon):
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.
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.
Book Stats (from Amazon):
Anyone who has read my January book review of the first book in this series, The Screaming Staircase, knows how much I absolutely adore these books. In hindsight, I should have reviewed this book last month, since it was Halloween, and done Golden Son this month, but that's beside the point. I originally wasn't going to review this, as there isn't much I can say differently than what I've said about the first book, but I just realized the third book, The Hollow Boy, is now out, and I read the short story The Dagger in the Desk, recently, and I couldn't help it.
Stroud delivers yet again in this novel - the characters develop, but stay perfectly in character, and the plot flows well from the events of the last book. This book sees Lucy, George, and Lockwood searching for a dangerously haunted relic, while attempting not to fall under its influence. It also builds on their rivalry with Kipps, the leader of another team from the Fittes Agency, one of the largest and best known agencies in London. Stroud effortlessly layers conflicts over one another; there is never a dull moment, and the conflicts are all masterfully tied together in the end.
I've already spent a good part of my last review talking about my love of these characters, and it hasn't changed a bit. If anything, I love the characters even more now than I did in the first book. Stroud builds even more on their personalities and the relationships and conflicts between them. A new character in this installment, who I find interesting and hope to see more of, is Flo Bones, an old friend of Lockwood's, who is a relic-woman. Relic-men and women, as the name implies, are collectors and sellers of old psychic relics and Sources that bind ghosts to the mortal world. Flo is considered young for a relic-woman, and little is known about her or how she met Lockwood. She ends up being very useful to Lockwood, Lucy, and George's quest, and I hope Stroud expands more on her character in the future, because she adds an interesting dynamic to the group.
Besides the quest for the mysterious mirror, the Lockwood and Co Agency's rivalry with Quill Kipps' team from Fittes is the primary conflict, and I find it highly entertaining. The sheer hilarity of a grown man being intimidated by and jealous of a group of teenagers, to the point where he agrees to place an ad in the newspaper lauding them if they beat him, speaks volumes about Stroud's comedic talent. This comedy is another thing that drew me to this series - in books there's two things that are sure-fire ways to keep my interest: quirky, believable character, and humour (especially deadpan) that blends seamlessly into the plot. Stroud delivers on both fronts, and even without the humour, I would be hooked on these stories just for the characters, plot, and incredible world building.
Overall, Stroud has created another masterpiece in this novel. The third installment The Hollow Boy, is out now, and The Dagger in the Desk, a short story, is also available. I've read that one, but I've yet to read The Hollow Boy. And I think I speak for more than a few people in saying I hope there are many more Lockwood and Co stories to come. So on that note, if you need me, I'll be reading.
5/5 stars!
Edit (06/01/16): added hyperlink, fixed cover placement
Edit (06/01/16): added hyperlink, fixed cover placement
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