#tbt: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Image: Hachette Book Group

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. 400 p. Originally Disney/ Hyperion, now Hachette Book Group, September, 2013. (own)

#tbt features The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. The citizens of England are beset with the Problem. They are overrun with ghosts that are malevolent and deadly. The problem is, they can be seen only by children. There are agencies run by adults who hire children under the age of eighteen, arm them with rapiers, iron chains, and magnesium fire and send them out on missions. Children can see the ghosts, but are not immune to their ghosttouch and many die as well. Lucy Carlyle joins Lockwood and Co., an agency trying to make a name for itself and run by Anthony Lockwood with the help of George Cubbins. The other agencies are not happy about this upstart agency run by a teen boy and when Lucy, Anthony and George inadvertently burn a house down during a job, there are calls to shut the agency down. Anthony accepts a dicey job at London's most haunted mansion in an effort to make a name for himself and the agency.

This series starter is atmospheric and spooky, filled with colorful characters and witty dialogue. The story is told from Lucy's point-of-view. She has a few secrets she'd prefer not to share with Anthony and George. George isn't delighted with Lucy's arrival and Anthony's got some secrets as well.

Jonathan Stroud is a British author who is best known for his Bartimaeus Trilogy. The Screaming Staircase was first published in the UK in August of 2013, and in the US the following month. While it was optioned for film in 2012, the rights were sold. It will be a Netflix series set to release soon.