The Whispering Skull

Lockwood & Co., Book 2

By: Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by: Katie Lyons

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood and Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood and Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well - until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.

The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood and Co. series.

©2014 Jonathan Stroud (P)2014 Listening Library

Thoroughly enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to The Whispering Skull the most enjoyable?

The narration added so much to the story by bringing the characters to life. She successfully carried the various voices whether male or female characters.

What did you like best about this story?

The mixture of light heartedness and creepy in the context of a mystery worked to bring the reader along and pull them into the sorry.

What does Katie Lyons bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She truly brought the story to life adding the appropriate dimensions of emotion and carrying the tone of the story. Brilliant.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

great story but narration isn't good

The story is just as good as the first book, but it's hard to discern who's speaking. The narrator doesn't use distinct voices for the different characters.

Excellent

Would you consider the audio edition of The Whispering Skull to be better than the print version?

This second book in the Lockwood & Co series is wonderful- masterfully read. A very thrilling story full of 'edge of your set suspense'

What about Katie Lyons’s performance did you like?

She gave a brilliant performance - very well read. Her reading added to the suspense.

Any additional comments?

A lot of fun!

Love it!

Well narrated with emotion and enjoyed listening to Katie Lyons' voice. My only problem was that it was occasionally difficult to differentiate between character voices - particularly male characters. The story was great and I enjoyed the mystery, though I thought the creepiness of book 1 was better done.

Another very good ghost story

As I said for book 1, Stroud writes a really good ghost story. This one is no exception. I've liked the first 2 so well that I'll be buying the rest of the series as they come out.

The narrator for this one is different from the first book, but she does an excellent job. The ghosts' whisperings she did are particularly creepy. I could easily see her telling fantastic stories around the camp fire. I don't see her listed for any other books on Audible, but I'll be surprised it stays that way for long. Lyons clearly has the talent for narrating books.

Between the story and the performance, this was a very enjoyable book to listen to.

Good enough to go on the shelf with Harry Potter

This one wasn't really that hard to figure out, but it was still a good story. I didn't have to struggle to finish it. Likeable characters- they stay with you even after the book ends. I brought the whole series & took them with me on my 16 hr train ride. I was very happy with my decision.

Loved the book.

I really enjoyed this book and the screaming staircase. Can't wait for the next book. I also appreciate that this is a clean book. Many of my favorite books are considered children's or teen books. In part because they are not full of bad language.

Great listen

It is true that the reader for the first book is better, but I did enjoy this one once it had begun. I noticed that some others mentioned that this reader isn’t great at differentiating between speakers - I would agree, but as I had read the book before listening to it, I did not get lost.
If you like mysteries this is a fun take on the genre. Mysteries & ghost stories combine to make an engaging tale.

perfect

this story is suspenseful, and intense and always adding a nice twist. I definitely would recommend others to give it a read.

Wow but hmmm

Amazing story yet again! Finding out more and more about Lockwood’s secrets and Lucy’s powers