The story is set in a version of modern-day London experiencing an event called "the Problem," ghosts which appear throughout the city at nighttime and attack the living. Agencies have been created to fend off the ghosts and protect the public for a fee. However, only certain children and teenagers have the "talent" to sense the ghosts, which they gradually lose as they reach their twenties. The agencies are run by those who have passed the ghost-sensitive age, and the agents are the youth with the talents necessary to solve the hauntings, which puts them in danger in the process.
The story follows Lucy Carlyle and Lockwood & Co., the only supernatural agency in London run by children. The agency is led by Anthony Lockwood and has one other member prior to Lucy's joining, George Cubbins. As the series progresses, they investigate and solve hauntings and find deeper truths behind the ghosts and the Problem.
Plot
A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all natures of ghosts, haunts, and spectres, who are weakened by iron and salt, are appearing throughout the city, and they are not exactly friendly. All ghosts have a "source" where they originate from, though if the "source" is destroyed or neutralised the ghost will be as well. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see and eradicate these unnatural foes. Many different Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business. When the brave Lucy Carlyle joins the small but enterprising agency Lockwood & Co., which consists of George Cubbins (researcher), Anthony Lockwood (leader), and Lucy Carlyle (assistant), approximately a month later they are sued for a job gone wrong, resulting in the house of their employer burning down. So that DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control) does not close down their agency, they are forced to take on the de-haunting of the most haunted house in England for the sinister millionaire John Fairfax (owner of Fairfax Iron, an iron manufacturing company) with even odder conditions, such as no explosives.
The group ultimately survives the night and solves the mystery of the house and Fairfax, and the book ends with a celebration.
Characters
Lucy Carlyle:[4] The newest member of Lockwood & Co. and the narrator of the book, Lucy is 15 years old,[5] and is described as quick to start a fight. She was known in earlier revisions as Lucy Purser.[6] The daughter of a stationmaster in the North of England, she joined a local agency at an early age. However, after a disastrous case resulting in the loss of her fellow agents, Lucy left her former employment and family to start again in London. Lucy's Talent lies in her hearing and empathy through touch.
Anthony Lockwood: The leader of Lockwood & Co., often referred to as just Lockwood. He is described as "dashing" and "a bit reckless".[6] His Talent is a sharp "sight"—seeing ghosts and deathglows, the psychic residue left by a violent death. Lockwood is known for his quick yet thorough approach to hauntings and prides himself on his abilities. He is a mysterious young man; orphaned and left with the family's property.
George Cubbins: Anthony's deputy, and quite cynical. He is rather portly and a little slovenly.[6] George is much more focused on research and preparation than the other two agents, and prefers a longer waiting time between assignments. He rarely gets along with his fellow agent Lucy, but he shares a strong passion with Lockwood. He is also quite attached to a skull in a glass jar which he owns. The skull is possessed by a ghost.
Suzie Martin: The daughter of Mrs. Hope, she meets Lockwood & Co. in her mother's absence, so they can investigate the presence of a Visitor in her family's home. She is quite sceptical of how young the agency is.[7]
Annie Ward: A young woman who returns as a type-two ghost following her death. Lockwood & Co. encounter her at the beginning of the book, and then go on to solve the mystery of her murder. Her Source is a locket which Lockwood and Co. found around the neck of her corpse. She and Lucy share a strong psychic connection.
Inspector Barnes: An investigator of DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control), which is based at Scotland Yard. Barnes seems to disapprove of and possibly dislike Lockwood and George, however cooperates with them in the case of Annie Ward
Sir John William Fairfax: The wealthy industrialist who owns the haunted Combe Carey Hall, assigns Lockwood & Co. the mystery within the mansion and offers them the money needed to save the company from debt.
Hugo Blake: Annie Ward's 22-year-old boyfriend, who was accused of murdering Annie Ward.
Sequels
A sequel to the book, titled The Whispering Skull, was published in September 2014.[8][9] A second sequel, titled The Hollow Boy, was published in September 2015.[10] The fourth book in the series, The Creeping Shadow, was published in September 2016. The final book, The Empty Grave, was published in September 2017.[11] A related book, The Dagger in the Desk, was published in February 2015.[12]
