Lockwood & Co: The Empty Grave

By: Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by: Emily Bevan

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

After their recent adventures, the Lockwood & Co team deserve a well-earned break...so naturally they decide to risk their lives breaking into a heavily guarded crypt. A building full of unsettled souls, it's also the final resting place of Marissa Fittes, the legendary and (supposedly) long-dead ghost hunter. What they discover their will change everything.

So begins a race to get to the truth behind 'the Problem' and an epic struggle against the Fittes agency. A struggle that will pit the team against the most terrifying enemy they have ever faced. Not even the dead will survive unscathed....

Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists and frights, with incredible revelations that will send listeners back to the first book to start the series all over again.

©2017 Jonathan Stroud (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Stroud is a genius." (Rick Riordan)

Excellent Finish

I have enjoyed few series as much and Lockwood & Co - brilliant writing, fast-paced action, interesting characters, and a wonderful series-long mystery. For me, this does for ghost stories what Harry Potter did for wizards - created a very intricate world full of fascinating and distinct characters, with great humor but also pathos, suitable for adults and middle grade at the same time. It's a series I will enthusiastically recommend to anyone looking for the thrill they got from Harry Potter, but with a supernatural twist. My only disappointment is that this was the last book in the series since I wanted more. I can only hope Stroud decides to continue with a new series arc in the future.

Story: With the revelation from the skull that Penelope Fitts IS Marissa, the supposedly dead founder of the powerful Fitts Agency, Lockwood and Co set out to discover if Marissa's grave is empty. This sets into motion the events that will uncover the truth behind the hauntings in London but also puts the crew to the test just to survive long enough against all that is stacking up against them.

As with all the previous books, there is plenty of action and revelations. Stroud nicely ties in the previous books' hauntings and their significance to the big picture. This isn't a series about one big revelation so much as needing to put the pieces together in order to learn exactly what is happening in England and why. Thanks to the events in the previous book with Rotwell being taken out of the picture, Penelope Fitts and the Orpheus Society have closed up the ranks of power and control nearly all levels of natural and supernatural dealings - governments, police, etc. It's a powerful collective that will fight to ensure that Lockwood doesn't change the status quo.

Really, the heart of the book is the brilliant characterizations. From the antics of the skull in the jar (which never fail to put a smile on my face), to George's lackadaisical research, Lockwood's detached leadership, Holly's finicky nature (ah, I was hoping she was evil, darn it!), to our narrator Lucy. I love that our narrator was female and not the leader of the group - she gave a very grounded and very unique and distance perspective on the story throughout. She wasn't perfect but had a strong will, making for a very nuanced and intricate character. She's one of my favorite in years for that reason.

The story tied up nicely but there are areas left open that could serve for future volumes; I can only hope that Stroud continues the story since there is so much there to love. But for now, this ends the series nicely. Note: I listened to the audible version and the narrator was excellent - really gave distance voices to every characters.