★★★★☆ Getting back up to speed with Lockwood & Co

The Dagger in the Desk

Jonathan Stroud

In 2014 I read and enjoyed The Screaming Staircase and The Whispering Skull, the first two books in Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co series. I halted there because those were the only existing books in the series at the time. By the time The Hollow Boy appeared in 2015 I had forgotten about my intention to continue.

Recently I was reminded of it and thought to proceed. The problem, of course, was that it had been ten years since I read Lockwood & Co and I had forgotten most of it. But then I noticed this little story. Published in 2013, it seems to have been intended as promotion for The Hollow Boy. I say that because it ends with a preview of The Hollow Boy.

This was precisely what I needed. The Dagger in the Desk is a short story that reminds the reader who Lockwood, Lucy, and Georgie are, what they do, and what their abilities are. The story is followed by an illustrated Gallery of Ghosts, and then the aforementioned preview of The Hollow Boy.

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