The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
Lockwood & Co bk 2. Doubleday Children's, 2014. ISBN:
9780857532664
(Age: 11+) Lucy Carlyle, George Cubbins and their boss, the suave
Anthony Lockwood, return in another spine-chilling case for their
psychic detection agency. Definitely creepier than the first volume
in the series, this one will no doubt have the thrill-seekers even
more firmly hooked.
The team of intrepid investigators are called in by DEPREC
(Department of Psychical Research and Control, a government agency,
which monitors the various agencies and works closely with the
police) when a Victorian doctor's grave is disinterred from Kensal
Green Cemetery. A mysterious, and dangerous, object goes missing
from the coffin and a terrible phantom is released. At the same
time, George has been applying all his energy to discovering more
about a rare skull trapped in a glass jar - one of the many
mysterious and potentially lethal objects which abound in Lockwood's
dilapidated but cosy home and the company headquarters.
Once again, there is a liberal dose of humour to lighten the tension
of the plot which does get fiendishly edgy frequently. The return of
secondary characters from the first book, including the trio's
adversaries from rival agency Fitts and particularly, the
supercilious Kipps, as well as the introduction of new oddballs such
as Flo Bones, a rather unfortunate 'friend' of Lockwood, brings
another layer to the plot with the various interactions between
groups and individuals.
Throughout the novel, Lucy's curiosity about Lockwood's reticence
regarding his personal history and the upstairs room which is
forbidden to both she and George, becomes more and more acute,
particularly when the horrible ghost jar skull starts talking - and
clearly she is the only one who can hear it's insidious words.
The ending - with the successful conclusion of the case out of the
way - has a marvellous reveal which provides just the sort of segue
to keep fans eager for the next instalment.
My searching indicates only that the first novel's film adaptation
is currently in production stages with no release date advised but,
for sure, this will be a movie that will attract a flock of
ghoul-hungry viewers.
Find out more about the author and the series here and see if you have
what it takes to be a psychic detection agent via the interactive
game.
Sue Warren