The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud

The dead haunt the living in this thrilling first-instalment of the 'Lockwood & Co.' series. Lucy, Anthony and George are a team of independent Agents who make up the underestimated, enthusiastic agency of Lockwood & Co. By day, they sleep, eat and practise with their rapiers. By night, they get to work, hunting down ghosts and stopping them before they take their haunting to a new level.

The three kids have Talents: the ability to see and sense Visitors (ghosts). They use these to help solve mysteries and snuff out some ghosts along the way. Living in the shadows of the highly successful Frittes and Rotwell's Agencies, Lucy and the team need to raise the bar and take on some big-money haunts in their quest to become one of the best in London.

Such an opportunity comes along, but whilst on the case, Lucy burns down part of the haunted house. The Visitor is gone, but they're being sued. Now desperate to claim back their reputation, Lockwood & Co. must venture forth into the most haunted mansion of all, leading them towards the Source of it all and a mysterious Screaming Staircase...

Do you dare enter within the pages? If so, I hope you brought your iron chains...

(If you want something full of adventure, mystery, humour and ghosts, then this is the book for you. A real page-turner, I struggled to put this book down!)