It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors. All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.-one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series. Unlike the author’s previous outings, here her enthusiasm for historical research seems to outweigh her interest in creating a well-founded story. But a rococo chain of events that begins with the notebook’s theft and climaxes in a contrived fire seems inserted just to move the plot along while providing a demonstration of small-town values in action.

Around these and other info-dumps the author wraps an engaging picture of Zoomy’s life with loving, sensitive grandparents. Together the two immerse themselves in a study of Darwin’s life and plan a series of broadsheets (reproduced within) containing extracts from the scientist’s writings. The word “Galapagos” and other clues in the book prompt visits to the local library, where Zoomy makes a high-energy new friend in summer visitor Lorrol.

In a box dropped off by his sociopathic father, Zoomy finds a battered old notebook whose unidentified author was-like Zoomy-compulsive about making lists of tasks and methodically checking off each item in succession. Balliett delivers a loosely constructed tale about a modern lad who discovers an exciting connection between himself and Charles Darwin.

Blue balliett