I was very excited about reading this, as I had really enjoyed the first book in the series, The Screaming Staircase. I was not disappointed. It was great to be reunited with Tony, Lucy and George and follow them on to their next case. There have been strange ghostly sightings at a derelict sanatorium, and at a grave at Kensal Green cemetery. Lockwood & Co are hired to investigate, but to their dismay their greatest business rivals, the Fittes agency, are also hired to work with them. The case turns into a battle of wits as they race each other to solve the case, but more importantly, to try to stay alive. A relic from book one, the titular Whispering Skull, plays a big part in their case - both a help and a hindrance. And what of the strange, secret room in Tony's house which Lucy and George are forbidden to enter?
The story is captivating, the ghostly scenes are full of suspense, but my favourite bits are the really humorous parts when Tony, Lucy and George are talking amongst themselves. There are some great one-liners, and some brilliant put-downs, mostly about poor George. I really hope a new character who appears in this book, Flo, reappears in the next one. She's brillliant. There are two things that I can't get out of my head while I'm reading these books: 1) they are set in modern-day London - I keep visualising Victorian times; 2) Lucy is the narrator - I keep getting Tony's voice in my head!
I finished this far too quickly, which of course just means I'll have even longer to wait for the third in the series!
