The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud is set in an alternate, current-day London. All manner of malevolent spirits are appearing throughout the city and posing dangers to citizens. These unwanted and trouble-making spirits can only be seen by young people. Many Psychic Detective Agencies, populated with young agents, have resulted to quell the Problem. Lucy Carlyle joins the Lockwood & Co., under the direction of teen Anthony Lockwood and his sarcastic researcher, George Cubbins, and they share psychic adventures in their quest to rid London of specters. This is the first book in the Lockwood & Co. series. The Whispering Skull is the second in the series. I cannot wait for #3, The Hollow Boy, due out September 15, 2015. (5 Stars to books #1 and #2!)