Publication order

The Lockwood & Co. books must be read in publication order for the main storyline, with the supplementary pieces placed after the central sequence for the clearest first reading, by following this sequence:⁠[1-3]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of The Screaming Staircase. The Screaming Staircase 2013⁠[10] Introduces the agency and ghost-hunting world.
2 Book cover of The Dagger in the Desk. The Dagger in the Desk 2013⁠[11] Works as an early case.
3 Book cover of The Whispering Skull. The Whispering Skull 2014⁠[12-13] Develops the skull, rival agencies, and occult mysteries.
4 Book cover of The Hollow Boy. The Hollow Boy 2015⁠[14] Builds on team relationships and Lucy’s changing Talent.
5 Book cover of The Creeping Shadow. The Creeping Shadow 2015⁠[15-16] Continues from Lucy’s departure and expands the conspiracy.
6 Book cover of The Empty Grave. The Empty Grave 2017⁠[17-18] Resolves the conflict surrounding the Other Side and Fittes.
7 Book cover of A Portland Row Christmas. A Portland Row Christmas 2023⁠[2] A supplementary holiday episode.
8 Book cover of The Apple Tree. The Apple Tree 2024⁠[3] A retrospective Lockwood background piece.
Reading order of the Lockwood & Co. books.
Publication order of the Lockwood & Co. books.

Chronological order

The publication order is the best approach for first-time readers. There is, however, a useful chronological order for readers who want to place the background and the late-series interlude in the internal sequence.⁠[2-9]

This order moves The Apple Tree to the beginning because it concerns Anthony Lockwood’s childhood, before the formation of the agency seen in The Screaming Staircase. It also places A Portland Row Christmas before The Empty Grave, where it works as a late-series household interlude before the final confrontation. The trade-off is that this path gives background before its dramatic context is fully established.⁠[2-9]

Alternatively, the Lockwood & Co. books may be read in chronological order, by following this sequence:⁠[2-9]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of The Apple Tree. The Apple Tree 2024⁠[3] Chronological prologue focused on Lockwood’s childhood and family background.
2 Book cover of The Screaming Staircase. The Screaming Staircase 2013⁠[10] Properly introduces Lucy, the agency, and the working world of the series.
3 Book cover of The Dagger in the Desk. The Dagger in the Desk 2013⁠[11] Fits early in the team’s case history.
4 Book cover of The Whispering Skull. The Whispering Skull 2014⁠[12-13] Advances the skull, rival agencies, and occult-object storyline.
5 Book cover of The Hollow Boy. The Hollow Boy 2015⁠[14] Continues the agency’s internal changes and Lucy’s Talent.
6 Book cover of The Creeping Shadow. The Creeping Shadow 2015⁠[15-16] Follows Lucy’s return and the widening institutional conspiracy.
7 Book cover of A Portland Row Christmas. A Portland Row Christmas 2023⁠[2] Works as a late-series interlude with the expanded Portland Row household.
8 Book cover of The Empty Grave. The Empty Grave 2017⁠[17-18] Brings the main storyline to its final resolution.
Chronological order of the Lockwood & Co. books.
Chronological order of the Lockwood & Co. books.

Works in sequence

The essential reading path is the main Lockwood & Co. storyline: the books that introduce the agency, develop its central relationships, expand the mystery of the ghost epidemic, and carry the larger conflict to resolution. They are The Screaming Staircase, The Dagger in the Desk, The Whispering Skull, The Hollow Boy, The Creeping Shadow, and The Empty Grave.⁠[4-9]

The supplementary works, namely A Portland Row Christmas and The Apple Tree, add seasonal or retrospective material rather than forming the main plotline. They are most useful once the reader already understands the agency, the household, and the central characters. These additions are best suited to readers who want fuller coverage of the characters and world after completing the principal sequence.⁠[2-3]

1. The Screaming Staircase

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Screaming Staircase.
Book cover of The Screaming Staircase.

The Screaming Staircase (2013)⁠[10] establishes the world of the series through Lucy Carlyle’s arrival in London and her work with Anthony Lockwood and George Cubbins. It introduces psychical investigation, haunted Sources, and the agency’s precarious independence.⁠[4]

It also establishes the blend of casework and personal risk that shapes the series.⁠[4]

2. The Dagger in the Desk

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Dagger in the Desk.
Book cover of The Dagger in the Desk.

The Dagger in the Desk (2013)⁠[11] follows Lockwood, Lucy, and George on a school haunting involving a violent spirit, a hidden source, and the agency’s usual blend of research and fieldwork. It features an early standalone case.⁠[5]

However, it sits naturally after the first book because the team, their methods, and Lucy’s place within the agency are already established.⁠[5]

3. The Whispering Skull

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Whispering Skull.
Book cover of The Whispering Skull.

The Whispering Skull (2014)⁠[12-13] expands the series beyond a single haunting by developing the skull in the jar, the agency’s rivalry with Quill Kipps, and the dangerous trade in occult objects. The book keeps the case-driven structure while strengthening the continuing elements, especially Lucy’s connection to the skull.)⁠[6]

It also reveals more about the history behind powerful supernatural artifacts and their significance to the series.⁠[6]

4. The Hollow Boy

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Hollow Boy.
Book cover of The Hollow Boy.

The Hollow Boy (2015)⁠[14] moves the series into more openly serial territory. The agency is now under strain from public success, overwork, a major ghost outbreak, and changing internal relationships.⁠[7]

Lucy’s Talent becomes harder to manage, Holly Munro joins the household, and the ending changes the position of the central team going into the next installment.⁠[7]

5. The Creeping Shadow

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Creeping Shadow.
Book cover of The Creeping Shadow.

The Creeping Shadow (2016)⁠[15-16] continues from Lucy’s separation from the agency and brings her back into Lockwood & Co. through a case that soon connects to a wider pattern of stolen relics, experiments, and institutional secrecy. It expands the importance of the skull, the Other Side, and the conflict with powerful organizations.⁠[8]

These developments continue the main arc.⁠[8]

6. The Empty Grave

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Empty Grave.
Book cover of The Empty Grave.

The Empty Grave (2017)⁠[17-18] is the culmination of the principal sequence. It brings together the team’s discoveries about the Other Side, the Fittes Agency, the Orpheus Society, Lockwood’s family history, and Lucy’s connection with the skull.⁠[9]

This book builds on earlier developments and resolves the central narrative established across the preceding books.⁠[9]

7. A Portland Row Christmas

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of A Portland Row Christmas.
Book cover of A Portland Row Christmas.

A Portland Row Christmas (2023)⁠[2] is a short holiday episode set around the familiar household at Portland Row. Its interest lies less in advancing the main supernatural conflict than in revisiting the group dynamic among Lucy, Lockwood, George, Holly, Kipps, Flo, and the skull, making it a supplementary piece best read after the characters are already known.⁠[2]

It is best approached after the reader already knows the characters and their relationships. The story was posted on Jonathan Stroud’s X account.⁠[2]

8. The Apple Tree

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Apple Tree.

The Apple Tree (2024)⁠[3] is a retrospective story focused on Anthony Lockwood as a child. It provides background on his family, his sister Jessica, and his early experience of ghosts.⁠[3]

Because that material gains weight from knowledge supplied in the main sequence, it works better as supplementary context than as a first entry point, despite taking place earlier in Lockwood’s life. The story was posted on Jonathan Stroud’s X account.⁠[3]

References

  1. Lockwood & Co.. Penguin Random House.
  2. Jonathan Stroud on X: “NEW LOCKWOOD MINI-STORY!.
  3. Jonathan Stroud on X: “A ghost story for Christmas.
  4. Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase. Doubleday. ISBN:
    9780552566780.
  5. Lockwood & Co: The Dagger in the Desk. Disney Hyperion Digital. ISBN: 9781484741924.
  6. Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN: 9781423194620.
  7. Lockwood & Co.: The Hollow Boy. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781484709689.
  8. Lockwood & Co: The Creeping Shadow. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN: 9781484711903.
  9. Lockwood & Co: The Empty Grave. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN: 9781484778722.
  10. Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase. Doubleday. Copyright page. ISBN:
    9780552566780.
  11. Lockwood & Co interactive Halloween story: The Dagger in the Desk | Children’s books. The Guardian.
  12. The Whispering Skull. Disney Books. Archived.
  13. Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull. Disney-Hyperion. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781423194620.
  14. Lockwood & Co.: The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud. Hachette Book Group.
  15. The Creeping Shadow. Disney Books. Archived.
  16. Lockwood & Co: The Creeping Shadow. Disney-Hyperion. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781484711903.
  17. The Empty Grave. Disney Books. Archived.
  18. Lockwood & Co: The Empty Grave. Disney-Hyperion. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781484778722.