LOCKWOOD & CO.: THE WHISPERING SKULL Kindle Edition

Jonathan Stroud cannot write a sequel soon enough. Lockwood & Co. is my new favorite series. Stroud has taken a little bit of Sherlock Holmes and a lot of John Bellairs and thrown them together to create a captivating, horrific, and witty mystery. Stroud's dry wit, (which is sometimes of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind) is not overused. The characters, thrust into a truly fantastic world where ghosts are real and only children can save us, are completely believable.Lockwood, Lucy and George are truly a team, though even Lucy admits that they don't include George enough in the actual action. All three have their flaws, but are saved by the strengths of the other team members. In The Whispering Skull, we learn a huge cliff-hanging secret about Lockwood. We see what George is truly capable of when pushed. And we see how important loyalty and family are to Lucy.Though maybe not as scary as the first book, The Whispering Skull, gives the reader a lot of shivering, hold your breath, moments, where once again the scariest, most dangerous things in the world are the actual people and not the ghosts.A must read.

With this second installment of _Lockwood & Co_, Stroud still managed to pull a rare feat: pull me into a first-person narrative. I really rather dislike most first-person narratives--most of the time I see first person and go the other way. This book was still good, but not quite as good as the first because there was a lack of world-building here and a lack of some further character development. I've never been to London and it's out-lying areas (and never will get to go there). There was no real attempt to paint settings with words here, just a lot of place names that mean very little to me (having never seen London). Readers see a bit more into _Lockwood & Co_'s world primarily through the introduction of some new characters, so the world does expand a bit. The fact that there is as black market for Visitor-related goods (which was probably obvious to more mature readers anyway), but there was really not much new information regarding "The Problem" itself. As a team--and individual characters--though, Anthony, Lucy, and George don't gain much more depth until near the end of the book. I really would have welcomed some more character development, especially if this is going to be a series that goes on for a while yet (I really have no idea, I don't know much about the author or his books). The ending of this one made me swear--and if I'd been reading a paperback, I probably would have probably have thrown it across the room... Finally, there was going to be some progress on developing mysterious Anthony Lockwood... I "turned" the digital page and hit the glossary... The book ended, leaving me hanging! Maddening!There are a couple of dangling story left here, presumably left for other volumes. Who was the blonde young man with the mustache that Winkman referred to as "My lord" (also seen with Penelope Fittes)? What is the harp-like symbol seen on the box that Penelope Fittes gave the young man (and was also on George's goggles)? What about Lockwood's past (and parents)? Will more be learned about the advent and history of "The Problem" and "Visitors"? Will anything *new* be discovered about "The Problem" and "Visitors"? So many questions yet...Being a young-at-heart (adult) reader, with lots of reading experience, I figured out the plot twists. I still enjoyed the ride. I'm a little ticked about being left dangling, but.. Fortunately, I picked up _The Hollow Boy_ when I saw the price had dipped the other day before I had even started this one (it was only briefly discounted, so I'm glad I did). So, once I take a breather and read the short story _The Dagger in the Desk_ (which is currently free), I'll be back... LOL _Lockwood & Co._ is my first experience with this author and I'm enjoying it, for the most part. ;)

I bought Book 1 "The Screaming Staircase" for my grand daughter and I to read. Not only did she fall head over heals for the ghostly adventures of the kids from Lockwood & Co., but to my surprise - so did I ! We are just starting book 4 and I have pre-ordered book 5. I can honestly say this 2nd book in the series does NOT disappoint !. The kids from "Lockwood & Co" face even more difficult challenges trying to save London from a new crop of ghosts and strange hauntings (who knew there were so many types of dead people? LOL) sweeping the city. If you like a good spooky fast moving book without all the gore so many ghost stories seem to have these days, then I STRONGLY recommend this series. Do not let the recommended (children's) age guide fool you- this series of books are for all ages - this 56 yr grandmother has really enjoyed these fun - with just the right amount of spooky- make the hair on the back of my neck stand up- books. Lockwood & Co. has it all - the 3 kids different personalities play well off each other, there's good lighthearted fun and a heartwarming moment spattered here and there to round things out, but mostly Lockwood & Co. are simply really good page turners with lots of: ups/downs, in/out and around, twists/turns, bite your nails, give you goose bumps, make you squirm, wondering "How in the world are the kids going to get out of THIS one ?!!? " books.From the simple Apparitions, to the ghosts, the poltergeist, the "Raw-bones" the "Wraiths" and all of the other different kinds of dead people in- between that the kids must face and fight off, these books are very well written.For me, Lockwood & Co. harkens back to (what seems to be) the "old" art form of story telling- in that the Ghost stories themselves used to actually hold your interest. I find to many authors today seem to feel the need to add 3 paragraphs of blood, guts and gore in every other chapter so that there's more detail in the gore then detail in the story line surrounding the Ghost or the haunting itself. Lockwood & Co. tells the stories and what "ew" found in the books are facts to the story- a reality to the situation at hand and not written just to "gross you out" as a shock factor. This series really has been such a fun and refreshing change!I would not be at all surprised if in the years ahead we have a new generation of ghost / supernatural writers who will cite the "Lockwood & Co." series as the start of their love of the genre.... and I hope to be around to read those books too. :^)

Loved it.

-Si je ne commente qu'aujourd'hui ce roman, je l'ai pourtant lu dès sa sortie en version numérique, me jetant dessus avec l'enthousiasme d'une fan de l'auteur que je suis.Sa lecture m'a enchantée ; j'ai retrouvé la qualité littéraire habituelle (pas de prédigéré pour les petites têtes que seraient nos enfants et ados), moults rebondissements et un crâne chuchoteur à la hauteur de mes attentes.Le point fort est certainement l'évolution subtile des trois personnages principaux, mais l'intrigue et l'ambiance - gothique à souhait - ne sont pas en reste.Les lecteurs qui ont été séduits par le premier tome ne seront pas déçus (l'auteur pense en écrire quatre aux dernières nouvelles). Les commentaires ici et là des internautes mettent en valeur une adhésion très nette des jeunes lecteurs, séduits par cette série écrite - une fois n'est pas coutume - vraiment pour eux.Eh oui, je parle ici des plus jeunes lecteurs, ceux de 9 à 13 ans, pas des ados ! Cette tranche de lecteurs me parait un peu délaissée ces temps-ci, au profit de la plus lucrative "young adult", si florissante depuis l'évolution de la série Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, etc.Je suis admirative de la maîtrise de Jonathan Stroud, qui tient bon et utilise son talent pour gagner à la lecture ceux qui sont encore des enfants - et qui sait dans la foulée retenir l'attention de plus vieux lecteurs, comme moi. Il ne s'en tient pas là d'ailleurs et va à la rencontre de ses jeunes lecteurs, tous trop heureux de mettre en scène le monde décalé de chasseurs de fantômes de l'auteur.Thanks a lot Jonathan, you're the best ! :)

Still a good read but not the page turned that the first was. And seems to be building towards a romance between Lucy and Lockwood which is disappointing. You know you've run put of story to tell when you have to add romance.

...ist die Lockwood-Reihe eindeutig für Kinder/Jugendliche. Sicher war es zuviel des Optimismus, auch bei Lockwood so eine geniale Figur wie Bartimaeus zu erhoffen.

Although this book is considered to be for very young readers, it does an amazing job of keeping a person of any age very entertained. Very good pacing. Jonathon never disappoints! Read it.