Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Mark Ryan - Tremor - Book Review

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Britain's Next Bestseller (22 September 2014)
• ISBN-10: 1906954836
• Age: 12+
• 
  
• Book Synopsis: life William knew has gone. His world has been left devastated by the Fossil War. All major governments have been wiped out and the land is now under the control of the company Terrafall. Although Terrafall's intentions seem honest, William wonders if the company will live up to its promises and stop the tremors, which have been plaguing the Earth since the end of the war. And can Terrafall really find out who is behind the recent wave of abductions? 

 When someone close to William disappears, he decides it's time to take      matters into his own hands. But in a land that is on the verge of tearing itself apart, is it a life worth fighting for? If your world was falling apart, how far would YOU go to save it?

Book Review: Is this Britain's next bestseller? In my opinion, yes it is. This is an exciting opener to a great new series known as The Tremor Cycle. It's a haunting dystopian dream that will have you hooked from the very first page. The storyline works really well; immersed in a world filled with devastating tremors and a futuristic vision of climate change bringing the world crashing down around it. 

Politically the world has changed forever. Real food is very scarce with some humans resorting to a cannibalism; this creates a rather unsettling ride. You'll follow the well-written characters on a journey to find more about Terrafall, the company which controls the country after the ravages of a Fossil war. 

This book is a compelling read and will keep you up all night. It's also very thought provoking - it makes you think more and more as you uncover the mysteries to what is really happening in the ever changing world. Crumbling into oblivion, the tag line on the front of the book is: If your world was falling apart, how far would you go to save it? Is life worth fighting for?

This is a great debut book; it has all the right ingredients. William, the main character, is particularly well written. His thoughts, feelings and emotions resonated with me. I instantly liked him and wanted the very best for him. The plot is very well constructed and organised in my opinion. It is full of action and includes some very chilling and dark moments. Whilst a feeling of originality also runs through different parts of the storyline. The more that I read, the more I felt I was in the shoes of the different characters. 

I would really love to see this book do really well. As a younger read, it is bang on trend and shows a future that could become reality if we continued to make bad choices. I'm very pleased to say that when you've finished the last page and finally get your breath back from the climactic ending, it will surely leave you wanting more.....

Mr Ripley's Adult Book Review: David Barnett - Gideon Smith & The Brass Dragon

Reading for pleasure and reading for review purposes are slightly different animals to me. Therefore, when you receive a book that falls into both corners it's always a joy to read. This is a book that I would choose to read as I am a massive fan of science-fiction, especially when it's blended with Steampunk. I love the age when steam power is king, airships rule the skies and clockwork rules the world. This book brings that world to a fantasy universe that I thrive upon and really love.

The first book in the series is entitled Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl. I've jumped into this series at book two, which was fascinating, as I was led down a path that I was unfamiliar with not having read the first book. A number of questions and thoughts occurred to me about what might have happened in the Mechanical Girl.  This has driven my thirst to seek out a copy; possibly the US Tor edition with the fantastic cover by Nekro. 

This is definitely one of my favourite adult reads this year. It's very similar in style to Cherie Priest's 'The Clockwork Century' series. It's packed full of villains and vice at the time when London is the centre of a vast British Empire. Gideon Smith is the unlikely hero of the Empire, but surprisingly, he isn't actually my favourite character. This role goes to the Texas pirate, Louis Cockayne, who for me was the star of the show. Although, his luck may have run out after stealing the mechanical clockwork girl (Maria) and the fantastical weapon, known as the Great Brass Dragon. 

This is a first class piece of literature. It depicts a highly imaginative world where the sense of adventure is written in abundance. The story is filled with adult humour and colourful language.  The characters are full of life and explode of every page. They are cocky, sharp, intense and very witty; a fantastic balance for a story of this nature. 

Steampunk lovers will fall for this book in a big way. It will captivate you in more ways then you may expect. I loved every page of this story and am now a very big fan. Full of spirit and fun, against an alternate historical backdrop, which will leave your fantasy brain on overload.  

I am really looking forward to reading more, but I am going to start by reading the first book.  Mr Ripley's Recommended read for September.... 

Book Synopsis: Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world—including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty’s dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of  the Empire.  But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon—a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east.

Gideon and  his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne’s trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies – to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.

Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

Published September 1st 2014 by Snowbooks in the UK, and Tor in the US. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review: Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre - Cakes In Space

Warning: This book may contain nuts. No cakes were harmed in the production of this book. Well, that might actually be a big fat lie as the reader actually chases crumbs around space! Nevertheless, what an enticing start to a great sugary fantasy.

This is the second collaborative venture by the talented duo Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre - the creative wordsmith is Philip and the imaginative illustrator is Sarah. Although, the word on Nova Mundi is that a bunch of crazy aliens have taken both Philip and Sarah over, so perhaps we don't really know who has done what or even who is in charge of the words and the illustrations. 

This is the best exploration into space that I've undertaken for some time. It left me shaking in my armchair with the wobblies. This book is pure genius - it will lift your spirits up to the moon and back again . . . . . and then some more. The story is highly original and totally wacky; I loved every second that I spent reading this. The gravitational force behind this is pure fun, fun, fun. 

This book is packed full of amazing illustrations which definitely enhance the plot. The mixture of free flowing pencil sketches alongside the bold colourful illustrations create intergalactic ambience. The subdued next to explosive colour is exciting for the reader to engage with and, in my opinion, is well thought out and executed.

This is a great family read that can be shared together out loud or independently. The main character, Astra, is the only person left that hasn't been frozen in time. Faced with a galactic space adventure fighting sweet tooth monsters, escaping an invasion of alien Poglites and encountering a Nameless Horror, Astra has a lot to contend with. Is this too much for her to cope with alone or will the ship's robots come to her rescue?

Don't hesitate to grab a copy to read as you will definitely not look at another cake in the same way. Chocs away!!!! BEWARE - THE BATTENBERG! - FEAR THE FAIRY CAKE! - SHUN THE CHOUX BUN!

Synopsis: Astra's family are all snoring in their sleeping pods aboard their spaceship, but Astra is WIDE AWAKE. With her robot friend, Pilbeam, she goes off exploring and soon finds out the ship is in deep trouble. It's been knocked off course and invaded by a gang of Poglites, an alien salvage crew searching for spoonage (they just LOVE collecting spoons)! But even the Poglites need Astra's help when they discover something far more sinister lurking in the canteen. Sure, they're cakes; but no one would describe them as sweet.

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Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: #1 Book Recommendation September 2014 - Paul Southern - Killing Sound

When Jodie’s parents were killed years ago during one of her father’s experiments with sound waves, Jodie was thought to be the only witness. But something else was released into the room that night. And its silence is deadly …

Jodie is cursed with a terrible gift. She just doesn’t know it yet. When she stumbles across one of her dead father’s old papers on sound waves in the attic, it sets her on a terrifying journey to find out more, leading her across the streets of London to the dark, untrodden tunnels of the Underground, where she is forced to face the truth. Her worst nightmare is about to become real. Worse, she can hear it coming.

Notes from the Author

"I wanted to write a book that, as a teenager, I would love to have read. I also wanted to scare the living daylights out of myself. Killing Sound is a book about the imagination and ghosts and science and superstition. It has a lot of Victorian melodrama and gothic horror to it – very dark and creepy – and I would recommend you sleep with the "I wanted to write a book that, as a teenager, I would love to have read. I also wanted to scare the living daylights out of myself. Killing Sound is a book about the imagination and ghosts and science and superstition. It has a lot of Victorian melodrama and gothic horror to it – very dark and creepy – and I would recommend you sleep with the light on after reading it. It was inspired by a quote I read about the London Underground from 1860: ‘The forthcoming end of the world would be hastened by the construction of underground railways burrowing into infernal regions and thereby disturbing the devil.’ As soon as I saw it, I was drawn inexorably down there to see if it were true."

About the Author

Paul Southern is a former 90’s pop star and academic who has previously written scary crime novels for adults. He was due to be born on Halloween night sometime in the 1960’s, and it still rankles with him that he wasn't . He has lived all over the UK but eventually settled in Manchester (which is quite scary, too). He can be found building various contraptions designed to ward off evil and wearing a top hat on midnight walks.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Children's/ Teen Book Picks - September 2014 US Post

Michael Perry - The Scavengers - Published by HarperCollins (September 2, 2014)

When the world started to fall apart, the government gave everyone two choices: move into the Bubble Cities . . . or take their chances outside. Maggie's family chose to live in the world that was left behind. Deciding it's time to grow up and grow tough, Maggie rechristens herself "Ford Falcon"—a name inspired by the beat-up car she finds at a nearby junkyard. The same junkyard where Ford's family goes to scavenge for things they can use and barter with the other people who live OutBubble. Her family has been able to survive this brave new world by working together. But when Ford comes home one day to discover her home ransacked and her family missing, she must find the strength to rescue her loved ones with the help of some friends.

The Scavengers is a wholly original tween novel that combines an action-packed adventure, a heartfelt family story, and a triumphant journey of self-discovery. It achieves the perfect balance of humor and heart in a world where one person's junk is another person's key to survival.

Kate A. Boorman - Winterkill - Published by Amulet Books (September 9, 2014)

Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters. Living with the shame of her grandmother’s insubordination, Emmeline has learned to keep her head down and her quick tongue silent.

When the settlement leader asks for her hand in marriage, it’s an opportunity for Emmeline to wash the family slate clean—even if she has eyes for another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where she uncovers a path she can’t help but follow. The trail leads to a secret that someone in the village will kill to protect. Her grandmother followed the same path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next.

S. S. Taylor - The Expeditioners and the Secret King Triton's Lair - Published by McSweeney's McMullens (September 23, 2014)

Kit, Zander, and M. K. West are settling into their new lives as students at the Academy for the Exploratory Sciences when Kit finds another mysterious map left for him by their father, the brilliant, famous — and presumed dead — explorer Alexander West. Why did Alexander leave the maps behind, and why are government agents so determined to seize them? What is really going on in a mysterious and unknown stretch of the Caribbean, famous for its violent storms and shipwrecks? And what is the huge contraption M. K. is building in her workshop? As two world powers come to the brink of war, Kit must find a deadly hidden island and unlock its secrets, hoping he has the courage to follow the trail of maps, wherever it may lead.

Julie Berry - The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place - Published by  Roaring Brook Press (September 23, 2014)

There's a murderer on the loose—but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking farce.The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home—unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong.

 Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a smart, hilarious Victorian romp, full of outrageous plot twists, mistaken identities, and mysterious happenings.

Roland Smith - Mutation - Published by Scholastic Press (September 30, 2014)

Monsters of legend come to life! The final thrilling title in Roland Smith's popular series.
Marty and his best friend, Luther, have managed to rescue Marty's cousin Grace from the clutches of the nefarious pseudo-naturalist Noah Blackwood, but their most dangerous mission lies ahead of them. Marty's parents have been missing in Brazil for months and their trail has all but run cold. With time running out, Marty and the Cryptos Island crew race off for Brazil -- where they discover that Noah Blackwood has twisted the natural order of things beyond their wildest, most terrifying dreams.

Carl Hiaasen - Skink No Surrender  - Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers; (September 23, 2014)

Typical Malley - to avoid being shipped off to boarding school, she takes off with some guy she met online. Poor Richard - he knows his cousin's in trouble before she does. Wild Skink - he's a ragged, one-eyed ex-governor of Florida, and enough of a renegade to think he can track Malley down. With Richard riding shotgun, the unlikely pair scour the state, undaunted by blinding storms, crazed pigs, flying bullets and giant gators. 

Carl Hiaasen first introduced readers to Skink more than 25 years ago in DOUBLE WHAMMY, and he quickly became Hiaasen's most iconic and beloved character, appearing in six novels to date. Both teens and adults will be thrilled to catch sight of the elusive 'captain' as he pursues his own unique brand of swamp justice. With Skink at the wheel, the search for a missing girl is both nail-bitingly tense and laugh-out-loud funny.

Mr Ripley's New Children's and Teen Books September 2014 - Post Two

Scott Westerfeld - Afterworlds - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Books (25 Sep 2014)
Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings...Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about 
most.

Kenneth Oppel - The Boundless - Published by David Fickling Books (4 Sep 2014)
After a murder is committed, Will finds himself in possession of a key that has the potential to unlock the train's hidden treasures. Together with Maren, a gifted escape artist, and Mr Dorian, a circus ringmaster with amazing abilities, Will must save the Boundless before someone else winds up dead. With villains fast on his heels and strange creatures lurking outside the windows, the train hurtles across the country as Will flees for his life. His adventure may have begun without his knowing...but how it ends is now entirely up to Will.

Dave Shelton - Thirteen Chairs - Published by  David Fickling Books (4 Sep 2014)
Jack stands in the dark on the landing of the old house, and looks at his feet - He has been here for minutes, his hand on the door handle, debating whether or not to go in. A high-ceilinged room lit only by candles. Thirteen chairs, one empty. Twelve ghostly storytellers, waiting to begin. Come in! Sit down. We have been expecting you. Listen to our stories. Are you brave enough? And what is the story that you must tell? Jack is a curious boy. Are you?

Kendall Kulper - The Witch of Salt & Storm - Orchard Books (4 Sep 2014)

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the sea witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe and prosperous at sea. But before she could learn how to control her power, her mother - the first Roe woman in centuries to turn her back on magic - steals Avery away from her grandmother. Avery must escape before her grandmother dies, taking with her the secrets of the Roe's power.

The one magical remnant left to Avery is the ability to read dreams, and one night she foresees her own murder. Time is running short, both for her and for the people of her island who need the witches' help to thrive.

Avery has never read a dream that hasn't come true, but a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane tells her he can help her change her fate. Becoming a witch may prevent her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers it will also require a sacrifice she never expected. And as she falls in love with Tane, she learns it is his life and hers that hang in the balance.

Mr Ripley's New Children's and Teen Books September 2014 - Post One

Charlie Higson - The Hunted (Enemy Book 6 ) - Published by Puffin (4 Sep 2014) 

The Hunted is Charlie Higson's sixth terrifying installment in the thrilling The Enemy series

The sickness struck everyone over fourteen.

First it twisted their minds.

Next it ravaged their bodies.

Now they roam the streets -

Crazed and hungry

The others had promised that the countryside would be safer than the city. They were wrong. Now Ella's all-alone except for her silent rescuer, Scarface - and she's not even sure if he's a kid or a grown-up.

Back in London, Ed's determined to find her. But getting out of town's never been more dangerous- because coming in the other direction is every SICKO in the country. It's like they're being called towards the capital and nothing is going to stop them . . .

In the penultimate book in The Enemy series, the survivors' stories cross with chilling consequences.

Rick Yancey - The 5th Wave: The Infinite Sea - Published by Penguin (6 Sep 2014)

The Infinite Sea is the hugely anticipated follow-up to the phenomenal - and bestselling - The 5th Wave by Carnegie-shortlisted Rick Yancey.

THE 1st WAVE: Took out half a million people.

THE 2nd WAVE: Put that number to shame.

THE 3rd WAVE: Lasted a little longer. Twelve weeks . . . Four billion dead.

IN THE 4th WAVE: You can't trust that people are still people.

AND THE 5th WAVE?

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others' ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven't seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

Tom Becker - Afterwalkers - Published by Scholastic Press (4 Sep 2014) 

Grave robbery, murder and fear... For hundreds of years the people of Alderston have guarded a terrible secret. When Jamie's family receive a summons to do a mysterious job, they move into a house that looks over the graveyard. Soon Jamie witnesses a series of strange visions and terrible attacks. He begins to suspect that the great iron cages placed on top of the graves are not there to keep robbers out, but to keep the dead in. A curse rests on the town. The undead are in charge, and somehow Jamie is the only hope.

Alex Campbell - Land - Published by Hot Key Books - ( 4 Sep 2014)

The sea rose. Civilisation was wiped out, countries drowned. Out of the ashes of a desperate refugee camp, a new society was born, with a new place to call home: Land. Trapped by an aggressive sea, its citizens were bound to rules that saw the weak removed, marriage and children by approval only, and designated work for all. All for the greater good...Decades later, and seventeen-year-old Christy's life is on the cusp of irrevocable change. She has become eligible for The Pairing, a carefully selected marriage of political and social convenience where romance is out of the question. Her grandmother, Cons, has also reached a significant age - sixty-six: soon the Selection Truck will arrive to take her away forever. Christy's only hope for protection lies with her errant rebel father ...but nothing goes as it's supposed to. As Christy finds a Pairing which might offer a new opportunity for love and security she also uncovers a destiny that has been hidden from her; truths that have been disguised as childhood lies. With Cons' life under threat, Christy is forced to face a whole new world, one where she must choose between those she cares about and the greater good. A new life where she must play the reluctant rebel, revolutionary, lover ...and assassin.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Preview: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare Announce (The Iron Trial) Magisterium Series - First Look

Book One of the Magisterium Series: The Iron Trial. 
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

CAN YOU SAY A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE MAGISTERIUM SERIES?

Twelve-year-old Callum Hunt has grown up knowing three rules by heart.

Never trust a magician. Never pass a test a magician gives you. And never let a magician take you to the Magisterium.

Call is about to break all the rules. And when he does, his life will change in ways he can’t possibly imagine.

The Iron Trial is the first book in an epic fantasy series that I’m cowriting with Holly Black.  The Iron Trial, will be released in September 2014 by Scholastic/Doubleday Children's  Books. Four books will follow, one for year of Call’s life from twelve to seventeen, as he comes of age in a world where child apprentices train to be warriors and dark magicians seek to defeat even death. There’s not much else I can say about the books yet, as I’m sworn to secrecy, but I’ve always wanted to write with Holly, and I can definitely say the collaboration has produced characters I love and a story I hope you’ll find as funny, dark, adventurous and unexpected as I do.

PROLOGUE....

From a distance, the man struggling up the white face of the glacier might have looked like an ant crawl- ing slowly up the side of a dinner plate. The shantytown of La Rinconada was a collection of scattered specks far below him, the wind increasing as his elevation did, blowing powdery gusts of snow into his face and freezing the damp tendrils of his black hair. Despite his amber goggles, he winced at the brightness of the reflected sunset.

Still, the man was not afraid of falling, although he was using no ropes or belay lines, only crampons and a single ice axe. His name was Alastair Hunt and he was a mage. He shaped and molded the frozen substance of the glacier under his hands as he climbed. Handholds and footholds appeared as he inched his way upward. By the time he reached the cave, midway up the glacier, he was half frozen and fully exhausted from bending his will to tame the worst of the elements. It sapped his energy to exert his magic so continuously, but he hadn’t dared slow down.

The cave itself opened like a mouth in the side of the moun- tain, impossible to see from above or below. He pulled himself over its edge and took a deep, jagged breath, cursing himself for not getting there sooner, for allowing himself to be tricked. In La Rinconada, the people had seen the explosion and whispered under their breaths about what it meant, the fire inside the ice.

Fire inside the ice. It had to be a distress signal . . . or an attack. The cave was full of mages too old to fight or too young, the injured and the sick, mothers of very young children who could not be left — like Alastair’s own wife and son. They had been hidden away here, in one of the most remote places on the earth.

Master Rufus had insisted that otherwise they would be vulnerable, hostages to fortune, and Alastair had trusted him. Then, when the Enemy of Death hadn’t shown up on the field to face the mages’ champion, the Makar girl upon whom they’d pinned all their hopes, Alastair had realized his mistake. He’d gotten to La Rinconada as fast as he could, flying most of his way on the back of an air elemental. From there, he’d made his way on foot, since the Enemy’s control of elementals was unpredictable and strong. The higher he’d climbed, the more frightened he’d become. Let them be all right, he thought to himself as he stepped inside the cave. Please let them be all right.

There should have been the sound of children wailing. There should have been the low buzz of nervous conversation and the hum of subdued magic. Instead, there was only the howl of the wind as it swept over the desolate peak of the mountain. The cave walls were white ice, pocked with red and brown where blood had splattered and melted in patches. Alastair pulled off his goggles and dropped them on the ground, pushing farther into the pas- sage, drawing on the dregs of his power to steady himself.

The walls of the cave gave off an eerie phosphorescent glow. Away from the entrance, it was the only light he had to see by, which probably explained why he stumbled over the first body and nearly fell to his knees. Alastair jerked away with a yell, then winced as he heard his own shout echo back to him. The fallen mage was burned beyond recognition, but she wore the leather wristband with the large hammered piece of copper that marked her as a second-year Magisterium student. She couldn’t have been older than thirteen.

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Preview: Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2 by Jonathan Stroud - UK/ US COVER and GERMAN

UK COVER - Published by Doubleday Children's (25 Sep 2014) -  This is to tie in with this summer (July) release of The Screaming Staircase in paperback in the UK and across the world. For the UK market, Random House has designed a new look – a striking image of Lockwood  himself slightly silhouetted with the moon behind him. This bold new look promises to attract a new sets of fans, and is sure to grab the eye of younger readers too.

Book Synopsis: 

When the dead return to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in.

A series of grisly thefts have been taking place across the capital: powerful supernatural artefacts have been stolen, and their warders murdered. In an atmosphere of mounting panic, a mysterious skull in an iron box is unearthed in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Witnesses hear it whispering urgently, but the words cannot be understood. Lockwood & Co. will have to use all their ingenuity and skill to uncover the secret of the whispering skull.

US COVER - Published by  Disney Press (16 Sep 2014) - So what do we think?  

German Cover - Published by cbj (27. Oktober 2014) - Another interesting book cover.

Wenn Londons Geisterwelt erwacht
Dank des spektakulären Erfolgs im Fall der seufzenden Wendeltreppe ist Lockwood & Co. nun eine der angesagtesten Geisteragenturen Londons. Doch inzwischen wird die Metropole bereits von einer Reihe neuer grausiger Ereignisse erschüttert: In einer beispiellosen Diebstahlserie werden mächtige magische Artefakte entwendet und deren Hüter grausam ermordet. Als dann auch noch auf einem Friedhof ein schauerlich eiserner Sarg geborgen wird, dessen Inhalt unter mysteriösen Umständen verschwindet, steht fest: Ein klarer Fall für Lockwood & Co.! Nur wenn das Team um Anthony Lockwood, Lucy und George ihre ganze Genialität im Umgang mit übernatürlichen Ereignissen in die Wagschale wirft, kann es ihnen gelingen, die Verschwörung, die hinter all dem steckt, aufzudecken.