The Empty Grave

Starred review from November 1, 2017
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* It's not Lockwood & Company's finest hour. Breaking into Marissa Fitte's mausoleum and entering the booby-trapped crypt is routine, if unnerving. But the surprising contents of her coffin leave Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and Kipps distracted and ill-prepared for dealing with the vengeful spirit they've just unleashed. On the upside, they gain a new client, a ghost who's fixated on destroying a mutual enemy, but the path to that end is dark and perilous. In addition to relating encounters with alarming specters and destructive human thugs, the fifth and final volume in the Lockwood & Co. series follows this team of young psychic detectives to the source of the mystery that darkens the entire series: What is causing the plague of dead souls that have been terrorizing London for half a century? Lucy tells the story in an offhand, yet perceptive way. Whether she's describing her enigmatic fellow investigators, their otherworldly adventures, or the disarmingly snarky ghost and sparring partner that she carries around in a jar, the engaging narration shines with imagery, insight, wit, and finesse. Stroud brings his intricate, series-long story line to a close with a complex, dramatic climax followed by a simple, satisfying conclusion. A first-rate adventure, full of memorable, original characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)