Ahoy there me mateys! I absolutely loved the author's Bartimaeus trilogy + 1. I could gush about these books all day but I am on tight schedule so another day mehaps. I hadn't known about this series for some unknown and presumably silly reason so when NetGalley offered me the chance to read the first book I of course said Aye!! It is listed as a middle-grade but bah! I don't put age limits on things.

This was the perfect read for the beginning of Spooktober. Ghosts! The story is set in England where several decades ago the Problem began. Paranormal phenomenon became widespread. The catch is that only children and young adults can see and deal with the unsavories. Society has adapted and agencies have sprung up to deal with the problems.

Lucy Carlyle is one such ghost hunter. She has traveled to London to find work at a new agency. However her past is getting in the way and so she ends up working for a bottom of the barrel agency run by Lockwood. It is an agency run by teens with no adult supervision. Mistakes and chaos abound. Lockwood & Co. mess up big time and discover an unsolved murder mystery case. With the firm in peril, the agency gets a chance at redemption with one of the most haunted houses around. Will they survive?

That was one of the items I liked best - that ye can learn from and improve upon past mistakes. I also loved the relationships between the three ghost hunters, the wonderful atmospheric writing, the sophisticated world building, and the engrossing storyline. I had to know what happened next. While the murder mystery villain was extremely predictable I still had fun watching the case unfold. And the haunted house was just plain awesome. I actually got tingles. I highly recommend this one for readers of any age.

Side note: Apparently the fifth and final book of this series was just released in September! I think I may try to read the other four this month if I can track them down. Challenge accepted! ::brandishes cutlass:: Arrrr!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings. Arrrrr!