In this ghoul-filled month of October, it’s appropriate that actor Paul Cram’s reading a book that turns out to be a macabre ghost story. It’s the latest young adult fiction by Jonathan Stroud The Screaming Staircase. The first in (hopefully) a long series of Lockwood & Co. books to be penned by Stroud.
The book brings to mind some of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Watson-as-narrator-style. Where the story is retold by the side-kick to the book’s rather dashing lead character. Though this “side-kick” is a sassy girl with a sharp wit and equally sharp tongue.
Also similar to Sherlock Holmes is the setting: a definite Victorian era appeal to the world that Stroud is creating.
Instead of mapping out the storyline, Paul recommends reading the book if you like:
1. Sherlock Homes
2. Jonathan Stroud’s oftentimes wonderful sarcastic characters
3. Ghosts & the macabre
You can read the first chapter of The Screaming Staircase on Jonathan’s website.
Depending on which country you live in, you’ll find a different cover on the book.
Which cover art is your favorite?
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| From left: UK cover art, USA cover art, Germany cover art. |