Ghosts in the Mist

For fifty years, Britain has been plagued by a deadly epidemic: ghosts, or "Visitors," that only children and teens can sense and fight. Psychic Talents and the Problem, staffed by the young, battle these spirits nightly. Lucy Carlyle, a talented but traumatized agent, arrives in London seeking a new start. She joins Lockwood & Co., a tiny, adult-free agency led by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood and the prickly researcher George Cubbins. Together, they face a city where the dead are a constant threat, and the living are desperate for safety.

Lockwood's Unorthodox Agency

Lockwood & Co. is unlike any other agency: no adult supervisors, just Lockwood's charm, George's research, and Lucy's rare Listening and Touch abilities. Their first cases together are messy, but their bond grows. Lockwood's vision is clear—he wants his agency to be the best, even if it means breaking rules and taking risks. Lucy, still haunted by her past failures, finds herself drawn to Lockwood's confidence and the agency's sense of family.

Lucy's Haunted Past

Lucy's Talent was discovered early in her rural hometown, where she joined a local agency under the cowardly Agent Jacobs. A disastrous case at Wythburn Mill left her the sole survivor, wracked with guilt and blamed for the deaths of her friends. Fleeing to London, Lucy is determined to prove herself, but her trauma lingers, shaping her decisions and her need for redemption.

The Sheen Road Catastrophe

Lockwood & Co. is hired to investigate a haunting at 62 Sheen Road. Inside, they encounter a powerful, vengeful ghost—a murdered girl whose body is hidden behind a wall. The team's lack of preparation and missing equipment leads to disaster: the house is set ablaze during the confrontation, and Lockwood is nearly killed by ghost-touch. Though they neutralize the ghost, the house is destroyed, and the agency faces financial ruin and public disgrace.

The Necklace's Secret

Amid the chaos, Lucy retrieves a golden necklace from the ghost's remains. She forgets to report it, and the ghost follows her home, nearly killing her. The necklace is revealed to be the Source of the haunting, and its inscription hints at a tragic love affair. Research uncovers the ghost's identity: Annabel Ward, a glamorous young woman who vanished fifty years ago. The necklace, and Lucy's psychic connection, become the key to solving her murder.

A Team in Crisis

With the agency facing a massive lawsuit and the threat of closure, tensions flare. George blames Lucy and Lockwood for their recklessness; Lucy is wracked with guilt over her mistakes. Yet, the team's shared adversity forges a deeper bond. They resolve to solve Annabel Ward's murder, hoping the publicity will save their agency.

The Case of Annabel Ward

Lucy's Touch reveals that Annabel was killed by someone she loved. Research points to two suspects: Hugo Blake, her notorious ex-boyfriend, and John Fairfax, a wealthy industrialist. The team's investigation, aided by Lucy's psychic impressions and George's archival digging, uncovers a web of jealousy, secrecy, and betrayal. The necklace's cryptic inscription—"My torment, my bliss"—and a coded reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet, point to a hidden connection.

The Masked Intruder

A masked figure breaks into Lockwood & Co., searching for the necklace. The team fends off the intruder, but the message is clear: someone powerful wants the evidence destroyed. Lucy, trusting her instincts, keeps the necklace hidden on her person, narrowly preventing its theft. The danger escalates, and the team realizes they are up against a living enemy as well as the dead.

Fairfax's Deadly Proposition

John Fairfax, the enigmatic head of Fairfax Iron, offers to pay off the agency's debts if they spend a night investigating his ancestral home, Combe Carey Hall—reputedly the most haunted house in England. The catch: no flares or explosives allowed. Desperate, Lockwood accepts. The team prepares for the most dangerous case of their lives, suspecting Fairfax's motives but unable to refuse.

The Red Room's Horror

Inside Combe Carey Hall, the team faces a cluster of powerful ghosts. The infamous Red Room, sealed for decades, is the epicenter. As they investigate, the room erupts in a supernatural deluge of blood—an attack by a Changer ghost. Trapped, the team discovers a hidden passage behind a shutter, escaping the room's deadly grasp. The haunting is more complex and ancient than they imagined.

The Screaming Staircase

The secret passage leads to a spiral staircase—the true "Screaming Staircase" of legend. As they descend, Lucy's senses are overwhelmed by the psychic echoes of monks being led to their deaths. The team is assaulted by the ghosts' collective agony, nearly driven mad by the supernatural scream. At the bottom, they find a well—the Source of the haunting—and the remains of a long-missing Fittes agent.

The Well of Shadows

The well is the heart of the haunting, containing the bones of murdered monks whose agony has poisoned the house for centuries. The team, battered and nearly broken, uses their last weapons to destroy the Source, ending the haunting. But as they escape, they are confronted by Fairfax and his armed assistant, who demand the necklace and plan to kill them to cover up the truth.

Fairfax Unmasked

Lockwood reveals the truth: Fairfax, not Blake, killed Annabel Ward in a jealous rage and hid her body. The necklace's inscription and Lucy's psychic evidence tie him to the crime. Fairfax confesses, but prepares to kill the team. Lucy, trusting her Talent, releases Annabel's ghost from the necklace. The vengeful spirit attacks Fairfax, killing him with ghost-touch. DEPRAC arrives in time to arrest the assistant and recover the evidence.

Justice for the Dead

With Fairfax dead and the haunting ended, Annabel Ward's spirit is finally at rest. The remains of the Fittes agent are recovered, bringing closure to another old tragedy. The agency's reputation is restored, and the truth about Annabel's murder is quietly buried by the authorities to protect Fairfax's powerful family. Lockwood & Co. survives, but the cost is high—trauma, loss, and the knowledge that the Problem is far from over.

Aftermath and New Beginnings

The team returns to London, changed by their ordeal. Their bond is stronger, forged in danger and trust. Lucy reflects on her journey from guilt-ridden survivor to valued teammate, and on the ambiguous nature of her Talent. Lockwood's ambition is undimmed, George's skepticism remains, and the agency is busier than ever. Yet, as they celebrate, a mysterious ghost-jar in their basement hints that the dead are never truly gone—and that new horrors await.

Characters

Lucy Carlyle

Lucy is the narrator and emotional core of the story. Gifted with rare Listening and Touch abilities, she can hear and feel the echoes of the dead. Traumatized by a past failure that killed her friends, Lucy is driven by guilt and a need to prove herself. Her empathy for the dead, especially Annabel Ward, shapes her actions and decisions. Over the course of the novel, Lucy evolves from a self-doubting outsider to a courageous, trusted member of Lockwood & Co., learning to trust her instincts and her new family.

Anthony Lockwood

Lockwood is the founder and face of the agency. Orphaned young, he is fiercely independent, charming, and sometimes dangerously impulsive. His confidence masks deep wounds and a relentless drive to succeed. Lockwood's leadership is both inspiring and flawed—he takes risks, bends rules, and sometimes puts his team in danger. His relationship with Lucy is complex: he admires her Talent, relies on her judgment, and challenges her to grow, while she grounds his bravado with caution and empathy.

George Cubbins

George is the agency's researcher and Lockwood's foil. Methodical, blunt, and often irritable, he values preparation and knowledge over Lockwood's improvisation. George's skepticism and attention to detail save the team more than once. Though he clashes with Lucy and Lockwood, his loyalty is unwavering. George's humor and practicality provide balance, and his own traumas and insecurities are hinted at beneath his gruff exterior.

Annabel Ward

In life, Annabel was a glamorous, passionate young woman, caught in a destructive love affair. In death, she is a powerful, wrathful ghost, her spirit bound to the necklace and the house where she was murdered. Annabel's haunting is both a cry for justice and an expression of unresolved pain. Through Lucy's psychic connection, her story becomes a symbol of the human cost of the Problem, and the need for the living to reckon with the past.

John William Fairfax

Fairfax is the novel's human antagonist—a powerful, manipulative man who hides his guilt behind wealth and influence. His obsession with controlling the supernatural, and his willingness to kill to protect his secrets, make him a formidable foe. Fairfax's duality—public benefactor, private monster—reflects the novel's theme of hidden corruption and the dangers of unchecked power.

Percy Grebe

Grebe is Fairfax's assistant and enforcer, a former agent who uses his skills for criminal ends. He is the masked intruder who tries to steal the necklace and later threatens the team with violence. Grebe's presence underscores the blurred line between the living and the dead, and the ways in which the Problem corrupts even the living.

Inspector Barnes

Barnes represents DEPRAC, the government agency overseeing ghost investigations. He is officious, rule-bound, and initially dismissive of Lockwood & Co. Yet, he is also pragmatic and, in the end, recognizes the team's value. Barnes embodies the adult world's inability to fully understand or control the Problem, relying on the young while distrusting them.

Quill Kipps

Kipps leads a Fittes team and serves as Lockwood's professional rival. He is competent but conventional, representing the larger agencies' bureaucracy and caution. His interactions with Lockwood and George highlight the tension between innovation and tradition, and the challenges faced by outsiders.

The Fittes Boy (Sam McCarthy)

The ghost of a young Fittes agent, Sam's fate is a reminder of the dangers faced by child operatives. His presence in the well room is both a warning and a plea for closure, and his recovery brings a measure of peace to the story's many unresolved tragedies.

The Ghost in the Jar

A trapped spirit in a silver-glass jar, the ghost is both a source of comic relief and ominous foreshadowing. Its cryptic warnings to Lucy suggest that the Problem is far from solved, and that darker forces are at work.

Plot Devices

Psychic Talents and the Problem

The novel's central conceit is that only the young possess the psychic sensitivity to detect and fight ghosts. This device creates a society where children are both valued and exploited, forced into dangerous work while adults are powerless. The "Problem" is never fully explained, adding to the sense of mystery and unease.

The Source

Every haunting is tied to a Source—an object or place connected to the ghost's trauma. The search for the Source drives the plot, blending detective work with supernatural horror. The necklace, the well, and the hidden rooms all serve as physical manifestations of unresolved pain.

The Haunted House

Combe Carey Hall is a masterful blend of traditional haunted house tropes and modern procedural logic. Its secret passages, cursed rooms, and layered history provide both atmosphere and narrative complexity. The house itself becomes a character, its silence and darkness pressing in on the protagonists.

Foreshadowing and Red Herrings

Stroud uses foreshadowing—Lucy's past, the ghost-jar, the masked intruder—to build suspense and mislead both characters and readers. The initial suspicion of Hugo Blake, the focus on the Red Room, and the true nature of the Screaming Staircase all serve as red herrings, leading to deeper truths.

Thematic Echoes

The novel's structure mirrors its themes: the living must confront the past to find peace; secrets fester and destroy; justice for the dead is inseparable from healing for the living. Lucy's journey from guilt to agency, and Fairfax's downfall, are intertwined with the ghosts they encounter.

Analysis

The Screaming Staircase is more than a supernatural adventure—it's a meditation on trauma, responsibility, and the blurred boundaries between childhood and adulthood. By making children the only effective protectors, Stroud inverts the traditional power dynamic, highlighting both the resilience and vulnerability of youth. The haunted house, a staple of gothic fiction, becomes a metaphor for the weight of history and the dangers of unacknowledged pain.

The novel's greatest strength lies in its characters: Lucy's empathy and self-doubt, Lockwood's bravado and hidden wounds, George's skepticism and loyalty. Their dynamic is both realistic and aspirational, showing how trust and teamwork can overcome even the most terrifying adversaries. The ghosts, too, are more than monsters—they are echoes of injustice, longing for recognition and release.

Stroud's world is meticulously constructed, blending horror, humor, and social commentary. The Problem is never fully explained, reflecting the uncertainties of modern life. The authorities' inability to solve it, and their reliance on the young, is both a critique and a call to action. The novel suggests that healing requires both courage and compassion, and that the past must be faced, not buried.

Ultimately, The Screaming Staircase is a story about confronting fear—both supernatural and personal—and finding hope in the bonds we forge. It's a thrilling, thoughtful, and deeply human tale, as relevant to our world as to its own haunted London.

Last updated: April 29, 2025