The Houdini Specter: A Harry Houdini Mystery

Harry Houdini #3

by Daniel Stashower

While attempting to expose fraudulent medium Lucius Craig to New York's gullible society, master magician and escape artist Harry Houdini is faced with investigating a murder during one of Craig's fake seances, an event that Houdini himself attended. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Crime, Historical Mystery

262 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Daniel Stashower is the author of The Boy Genius and The Mogul as well as the Edgar Award-winning Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle. He is also the author of five mystery novels, the most recent of which is The Houdini Specter. Stashower is a recipient of The Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellowship in Detective and Crime Fiction Writing, and spent a year as a Visiting Fellow at Wadham College, Oxford. A freelance journalist since 1986, Stashower's articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and Connoisseur. He lives with his wife and two sons in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received from Book Geeks

The year is 1898 and Harry Houdini is twenty-four years old. Because theatre agents in New York are still convinced that there is no market for or interest in escape-artists, Houdini is still confined to dime museums where he performs tricks that frustrate him and leave him feeling humiliated.
Something comes along though to take his mind of his slow progress towards the fame he feels he is destined to achieve.
Biggs, a journalist and friend of Harry’s brother Dash, has been present at a spiritualist’s gathering where he’s witnessed what to him seem inexplicable occurrences.
None of this would be a problem except that the presiding medium, Lucius Craig has attached himself to a vulnerable and very wealthy widow with a promise that he will be able to contact her recently deceased husband. When Harry and Dash are invited to join in during the next séance in order to expose what must be a fraud they are only too happy to comply, sure in the conviction that Craig won’t be able to produce any tricks they aren’t capable of themselves.
When, during the séance, Craig – who has been securely tied to a chair by Harry - doesn’t just produce a free-floating ghost but also has that apparition kill one of the other participants with a knife, even Harry and Dash are astonished. Still convinced that they are dealing with a charlatan, be it a very cunning one, they proceed to investigate. An investigation during which Harry embarrasses himself once or twice and Dash nearly ends up as a victim himself; and one with a solution that will surprise even the reader.

Once again I was thoroughly entertained by a Harry Houdini mystery. Daniel Stashower paints a wonderful picture of the two brothers with Harry as the rather arrogant and self-assured up and coming magician and his brother Dash as his loyal, more modest and level-headed partner. Because the reader knows that the fame which Harry continues to proclaim as a certainty is indeed only a short few years away it is easy to smile at the arrogance on the pages. It must have been less entertaining to be around him during the phase in his life though if he was indeed this sure of himself and his future.
Because these stories are narrated by Dash, his descriptions of his brother Harry and both his innocence and his arrogance come across as honest and loving and ensure that the reader feels affectionate towards both brothers.
Since Stashower is a magician himself his explanations of what is going on and how certain tricks are enacted is both convincing and compelling. And, as is usually the case with magical tricks, once the “how” is revealed the magic disappears.
The mystery in this book is great because what appears to have happened should not be possible, especially not in the times during which the story is set. And, if it hadn’t been for the author’s note at the end of the book, I would not have believed the solution to the mystery credible. Of course this means that it would be almost impossible for any reader to figure out what may have happened, which makes this a very satisfying mystery.
I like that Harry, in these books, is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes and wants to solve the mysteries he comes across in the way the great detective would have done. That he continues to get it wrong just adds to the humour in these stories and makes his arrogance easier to laugh about too.
I’m absolutely delighted to have discovered this author and his Harry Houdini mysteries and will continue to read them for as long as he is willing to continue writing them.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book, with fast-paced storyline (with enought details about the world of magic as well as its misuse by charlatans), credible characters, enigmatic hints about the technology of the future (in 1898, as far as we are concerned it is already past), and our beloved duo of protagonists (Harry Houdini & Dash Hardeen), ably supported by Bess Houdini (who truly steals the scenes wherever she is allowed to do something), and Lieutenant Murray. Why Mr Stashower stopped the series after only the third book (like David Pirie and his series involving ACD & Dr Bell) is a mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes.

Recommended.

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think this one was as good as The Dime Museum Murders, which was the first I read in the Houdini series. I couldn't decide if the ending was just a little far fetched or just not what I was expecting. Apparently, the author had received some previous feedback about the ending as well as he addressed some of it in his afterword.

3 STARS

[Elmer Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsure how I feel about Houdini after "Houdini Specter", alas I believe it to be equitable to the previous installment, whereas Harry, in his penultimate arrogance, remains the self-professed "smartest man in the room", whether accurate or not. And just because historically speaking, he is aware of, and has read, the most recent Sherlock Holmes stories, Houdini can replicate the methodology described within those plots for his own successes, doesn't translate into a better, or good, story for me.

Stashower, admirably exploits Houdini's actual shows, magician handicraft and efforts from the time period and inserts them into a plausible timeline that allows for this possible adjacent story to occur.

Again, aside from the fact of being the narrator of the tale, younger brother Theodore "Dash" Hardeen is the better brother (alias mirror version of Dr. Watson, in effect) throughout the story, persistently dragging the story along beyond Houdini's petulance.

This entry tackles the spirit world era of Houdini's career, with a pinch of his famous "Needle and Thread" swallowing performance as employment. The seance-busting aspect has always been interesting to follow (to the point of re-watching a bio-doc of Houdini's life and times, produced by the BBC.) And with it being the premise of the endcap to the HH Mysteries trilogy, it does bring a certain level of excitement and interest.

Stashower captures all the historical aspects of the goings-on of that period, down to the altered socks with protruding toes for other uses. But he doesn't take it beyond any of documented cases, save for his ending.

Harry stumbles a couple of times throughout the story, to good effect, and allows for the story to migrate a bit further into believability as an occurrence. However, the ending shot for something greater, elevating the potential "surprise ending" tool(s) at hand for such hokum, dare I say - Science?!, but missed the mark through translation, or perhaps Sahara-level, dry humor and word play.

The mystery is straight forward and dealt out in routine pieces for anyone to connect the villains and their crimes, with little misdirection that is expected with the topic at hand.

The reading was brisk until the end of the second act lull, mostly at Houdini's exposition and puffery, then the ending spiraled to an unappealing stop. Goodbyes and handshakes all around.

If their were another entry, I wouldn't pick it up. Nor am I seeking out Stashower's Sherlock efforts, as I have seen where he would take them and have no interest in rehashing a celebrated character.

Thanks for reading

[Martin Denton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable mystery novel; it's the third in Daniel Stashower's Houdini series and I think my favorite. In it, young Harry Houdini (early 20s) and his brother Dash Hardeen are asked to investigate a spiritualist/medium who has captivated a wealthy widow with promises to conjure her late husband at a seance. Those knowledgeable about the real Houdini know that he was almost as famous for being a rabid enemy of fake mediums as he was for being the greatest escape artist of his time. So this is a neat plot idea, pitting young Houdini against a seasoned spiritualist.

There's also, inevitably, a murder--one that seems utterly impossible, and it's committed right in front of Harry and Dash's eyes. The climax is delightful, and for the first time in this series Harry is practically heroic instead of the foolish show-off that he's depicted as in the earlier novels. The final sequence is on the melodramatic side, which is actually appropriate for this story; but Stashower's surprise reveal is quite wonderful.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Houdini Sector is the last book in the The Houdini Mysteries series. All the Harry Houdini mysteries seemed to start slow but they drew me and I could not put them down.


Determined to be successful as an escape artist Harry goes about pursuing someone who will hire him to entertain crowds with his daring acts. With the help of his brother Harry gets tangled up in proving that a seance is a fake. All goes well until one of the guests at the seance ends up dead. Confused and befuddled the two brothers work to figure out how and who committed the murder.


I will miss the Harry Houdini stories they were fun and I enjoyed Daniel Stashower's style of writing. While it seems no more Harry Houdini mysteries will happen I do plan on reading some other work by Daniel Stashower.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most entertaining aspect of this fanciful Houdini story is how irreverent it is about ole Harry! Harry and Dash attend a seance with the aim of exposing the medium, only to be caught in the midst of the murder of one of the participants. The duo are baffled at the murder, but braggart Harry repeatedly bursts out with theories that are quickly proven wrong. As with so many stories like this, the author plays with the names of actual magicians when naming various characters in the story. Magicians will quickly identify the referents. There are a couple of tongue in cheek appendices to the main story, one featuring the magic shop that Houdini briefly owned, though the name has been monkeyed with. A bit of the origins of some current technology also makes an appearance.

[John Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but the author created a MAJOR error in the character of Houdini's mother, who is shown, or at least it is implied, to be speaking English (Houdini devotees will be quick to tell you that Houdini's mother spoke little to now English). Other than that, a neat little story!

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing characters: Harry Houdini and Dash Hardeen; when a murder happens during a séance in a locked room that the brothers are attending, they work with the police to determine the murderer and expose the the means of the apparition the seance conjured

[Sara SR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this on a whim because it was on sale at Forbidden Planet and it was a nice surprise. I read it in one sitting and I liked the twists. I think too long was spent on the exhibition stage and presenting all the characters but overall a good book.

[Steve Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as the other two in the series.

[Gustavo Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disfrute mucho esta lectura, me pareció realmente divertida y entretenida.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The young Houdini comes across as a bit of a buffoon, but he has redeeming characteristics and I enjoyed this story.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good only wish there were more to read.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of the author's three Harry Houdini mysteries - fascinating insights into the tricks used by fake mediums in the early 1900s.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best of the series of three. Houdini is quite the character and his brother Dash the one who keeps them in reality. Good series.

[Matt Mitrovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the first Harry Houdini fiction I read. That honor goes to "Imprisoned With the Pharaohs" by weird fiction author H. P. Lovecraft, which I read last month. The story is allegedly based on a true experience Houdini had in Egypt. It is unlikely Houdini actually experienced the horrors presented in the story since Lovecraft believed the original story was fabricated and he took significant artistic license. Nevertheless, Houdini was impressed by the story and continued to offer Lovecraft writing opportunities up until his death in 1926. I don't believe, however, that Houdini would look kindly on his portrayal by Daniel Stashower in The Houdini Specter, volume three of The Harry Houdini Mysteries.

That is not to say that I did not enjoy the novel. The Houdini Specter was an intriguing murder mystery in the style of Sherlock Holmes, a style that Stashower is familiar with having written several stories in that universe. This story is told from the perspective of Houdini's brother Theodore "Dash" Hardeen, a fellow magician who works hard promoting his brother's struggling magic career in turn-of-the-century New York.

When a friend of a friend requests assistance in exposing the tricks of medium Lucius Craig who is taking advantage of a recently widowed heiress, Houdini jumps at the chance to solve a mystery just like his hero Sherlock Holmes. They sit in on a seance and witness Craig, while tied to a chair by Houdini himself, conjure a "spirit". Figuring out how he did that becomes less important than discovering how that apparition was able to stab an audience member, turning their investigation into murder case.

Houdini was certainly an excellent magician and escape artist, and with the help of Stashower's own experience as a magician, shows how common tricks could be used to duplicate alleged paranormal events. Yet Houdini is a complicated character. He can be vain, arrogant and fails to understand why no one else can see his greatness. In many ways he reminded me of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, with his lack of social skills.

He can, however, show compassion for others, keep an open mind on controversial topics and be impressed by those less talented than him. Nevertheless, he is no Holmes, that honor goes to his brother. Though history does not remember Dash as they do Houdini, he is the one with the analytically mind necessary to solve a crime. He is the one who looks for motive, collects evidence and avoids flights of fancy like his brother.

The Houdini Specter was a good page-turning mystery, but the ending could have been better. Dash ends up captured by the true villain of the story and with our hero in his clutches the murderer...monologues. He explains in detail how and why he did everything and lets Dash in on the long and drawn out process he will use to kill Dash as well. The ending makes the villain less a Holmesian antagonist and more a cliche comic book supervillain. Still the story was good overall and fans of turn-of-the-century tales of ghosts, murder and magic will enjoy Stashower's yarn.

[Dannion Hards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Daniel Stashower, the Houdini Specter takes place in the late 1890s on the streets of New York. The novel, narrated by Houdini’s brother; Dash, tells the story of Houdini’s struggle as a master escape artist, before the opportunity of making himself herd arouses, by exposing the tricks of the fraud medium Lucius Craig to the gullible New York public. Mimicking Craig’s tricks to expose him, Houdini is later shocked when Craig manages to produce a “spirit” which murders one of the séance assistants.

I like the way in which Stashower incorporates unknown characters including friends and family in the life of Houdini into the story. These people would have not only have been relevant to him, but a huge influence in his successful career, and the third personal dialogue in relation to Houdini creates a new image on the life of such a famous character in history. Stashower has also effectively maintained the escape artist cross illusionist theme throughout the story, which is closely attached to Houdini, into a murder mystery genre story line.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel and found that it melded two topics that I enjoy together; illusion and murder, in an extremely engaging way. Whilst reading it, I was intrigued about how the characters when about using their magic skills to solve the mysteries. I found that while doing this, the author made so much sense that the novel could almost pass in the science fiction category.

Unlike other murder mysteries, whilst reading the Houdini Specter, there was not a toss-up, about which character committed the murder, but about how it was committed. Although I did find it took too long for this effect to be accomplished, the novel was an extremely engaging and mentally playful, which is why I recommend the book to anyone who would enjoy an even more logistical twist on the classic murder mystery.

[Wendy Mao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives us a glimpse into the life of Houdini back before he was Houdini.
Pretty enjoyable book, a decent read. Told from the viewpoint of Houdini's brother, who seems to be very much more intelligent and likable than the famous magician.
The book has a decent storyline and plot development, enough to keep you engrossed if you aren't too picky about details.
For me, what detracted most from the book was:

[spoiler alert]

1) Houdini's insufferable lack of humility. The dude's 24! Historically, he was known to have quite a large ego, but I'm sure nobody in their right mind would be repeatedly declaring themselves to be the "Great and Famous Houdini" over and over again to crowds of blank and embarrassed faces. It was amusing the first two times. The thirtieth and thirty first times were...too much.

2) The story never explains who Lila is. Nor why Craig claims her as his daughter. Nor why she was hanging around. Was there some dark past that linked them? Why is she so afraid of Craig? Nope, no answers, she gets sent off to some school and that's the last we hear of her.

3) The "television" scene. I mean, what? It was a bit fantastical, and was more of a "projector" than a "television". And despite being covered in kerosene, I'm to believe that Houdini's brother didn't get burned by the flames that engulfed the sinister crazed inventor?

[John Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every now and then you have to indulge in a little light reading, a little reprieve from the history books and biographies. This was such an escape, no pun intended.

Had read a good biography of Houdini a few years ago, during which I learned about his disdain for psychics and soothsayers. "The Houdini Specter" centers around him and his brother Dash Hardeen (also a magician and illusionist), who attempt to expose the conniving clairvoyant Lucius Craig, who has weaseled his way into the heart and home of a wealthy widow, Augusta Clairmont, with the promise of connecting her with her deceased husband.

While author Daniel Stashower doesn't reveal too much in the way of trade secrets, what he does share helps advance the storyline as we sit in on a seance that results in the murder of one of the participants, which Houdini and Hardeen must then solve. (Spoiler Alert: While the ultimate solution involves a technology seemingly foreign to the era, the author assures us in a footnote that it was in development at the time.) There's really not much more to it than that.

Most enjoyable was Stashower's command of the language used at the time. (Where, oh where, did it go?)

A harmless little romp with an engaging cast of characters that moves along at a very brisk clip. Enjoy.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, of only 210 pages, has Harry and his brother witness a murder at a seance.

I really enjoyed the Houdini brothers' characters with both extremely enjoyable; I could read their banter endlessly. Brother Hardeen is more of the detective than Harry, who demonstrates to characters how certain supernatural occurrences were possible. The supporting characters were fun, with Harry naturally angry at the spiritualist. The mystery grows with another murder and climaxes very tidily with a bit of technology that's new for the time.

This was my first exposure to this series of books sporting Houdini and would definitely read other books involving him written by Stashower.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise for a mystery series - Harry Houdini and his brother Hardeen before Harry became famous. Written by a magician, there are tantalizing reveals about magic which for the real fan are fascinating. Harry and his brother are characters with Hardeen being the more likable, and make a good team together. This story takes place in the early 1900's in NYC which is always a fun time. Very good locked room mystery and an easy read. Author writes smooth and tight. Will go back and read the other two books in the series.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read and intersting historical mystery series. A pre-famous, 20-something Harry Houdini, his wife and brother are at the center of the story. His brother acts as Houdini's "Dr. Watson". Intersting that it is set at a Medium reaading (Since several book clubers are going to one tonight!) Also set in turn of the century New York city. I will definately look out for the other titles in this series.

[David Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually great fun and although I'm somewhat sceptical of one of the historical features, it;s an engaging addition to the historical mystery genre.

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[Holly]

From Pen Fatales: Master magician Harry Houdini attends a seance. (I have no bias in favor of magicians. Sure, they're cool. But this is just a damn good book.)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining whodunit reminiscent of Agatha Christie - high praise indeed! Although this is the third in a series, it is a stand alone book, and I can't wait to read the other two.