Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency

by Brad Ricca

"Impressive . . . A highly readable work of social history that, courtesy of Harry Houdini, takes us into odd realms indeed." -Kirkus Reviews

The incredible untold story of how the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, waged war upon Spiritualism, uncovering unknown magic, political conspiracies, and surprising secrets along the way.

You won’t live forever, Houdini. You’ve got to DIE. I put a curse on you . . .

During a séance in 1924, Houdini—the greatest entertainer in the world—was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible.

By 1926, Houdini was dead.

This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who after becoming inspired by his hero Abraham Lincoln, devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters all the modern forms of haunted houses, warlocks, and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way back to Lincoln himself.

In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Houdini’s 1926 dramatic courtroom testimony before Congress and the last otherworldly cases he takes on that lead him there, Lincoln's Ghost is a powerful examination of deception, love, politics, the afterlife, and the very nature of magic itself.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Biography, Biography Memoir, Historical, Spiritualism

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2025

About the author

Brad Ricca is the award-winning author of Lincoln's Ghost (forthcoming 2025), the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Ten Days in a Mad-house with artist Courtney Sieh (2022), True Raiders (2021), Olive the Lionheart (2020), the Edgar-nominated Mrs. Sherlock Holmes (2017), and Super Boys (2014), winner of the Ohioana Book Award in Nonfiction and a Booklist Top 10 Book on the Arts. He is also the author of American Mastodon, winner of the 2009 St. Lawrence Book Award. His indie film Last Son (2010) won a Silver Ace Award. He is an English major with a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he lives with his family.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a pet peeve. Maybe most people don't care, but when something is characterized as non-fiction, then I believe it should be free of anything not attributable directly to a primary source. You shouldn't shorten timelines or indicate things you don't know for sure. I have no problem with an author suggesting things as long as they clearly indicate, "hey, I don't know that she was mad at this point, but there's a real good chance." Ricca in his author's note and sources says he has played a bit loose with timelines and other facts. All of this to say, Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca has a few problems, and I consider this the big one.

The second is the problem with the subtitle: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency. The first part is in the book. The second part (along with Lincoln) can not be considered a major part of the narrative. It feels like someone came up with this title by trying to hit keywords which would put this at the top of a Google list rather than what is actually discussed in the book.

Another problem is Ricca's writing. It gets off to a rough start as the first few sentences required rereading just to understand who was who. In trying to make a seance mysterious, Ricca slow plays the names of the people and makes it confusing. It's not the last time. He also uses some tortured metaphors and confounding similes that stop you in your (reading) tracks.

And do you know what is most frustrating? There is a really good story at the heart of this. Harry Houdini did crusade against Spiritualism. There is plenty to write about. I also don't think Ricca is a bad writer. It seems to me he is trying too hard to make this sound like a novel and all of the problems follow. I wish he would have either written the non-fiction version or gone with full fictionalization.

(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.)

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

If this had been marketed as historical fiction, my review would have been different. I actually had to go back to double-check that I wasn't wrong about the genre. The writing is actually good, and the story would hold people's interest. If the publisher is smart, they would reconsider that decision.

Unless, maybe, the author is actually a vampire and was there for all of these events? Wrote everything down word for word? Maybe? lol

[J.S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't even try to give a summary of this book because ultimately, it's a rather unsatisfying telling of Harry Houdini's crusade against the Spiritualists in the 1920s. Parts are somewhat interesting and entertaining, but it mostly feels choppy and confusing. The author has apparently done a lot of research into the subject, but the back and forth narrative as well as the 'popular history' tone didn't work for me. Even though each chapter starts off with dates, I still found any timeline hard to follow. It switches from narratives around Houdini to others frequently and without clear transitions - it feels like the author is trying too hard to create suspense and deepen the mystery, which never felt resolved. Also, interspersed throughout the book is the account of proposed legislation which Houdini, apparently, was the sole champion. Then there's a very weird Epilogue about Bess Houdini, which seems to have nothing to do with Spiritualism at all - it's just... there.

I read a biography about Houdini back in 2007 that discussed his fight with the Spiritualists at some length. It told many of Houdini's experiences exposing fake mediums, some of which were comically entertaining. There's practically none of that here. Abraham Lincoln and his "ghost" also are only lightly mentioned, and I'm not sure if the "dark conspiracy against the American Presidency" was even explained. In spite of the author's clear depth of research (nearly 1/4 of the book is footnotes) it still felt superficial and confusing. (I received an advance electronic copy from NetGalley.)

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I blame Quentin Tarantino.

Ever since the success of Pulp Fiction, authors and screenwriters have been screwing around with their books’ timelines when a simple chronological retelling would have done just fine, thank you very much. This book has a bad case of Quentin Tarantino. There’s no reason to jerk the reader around back and forth through time in this fashion. The book could have been improved by a plain vanilla chronological retelling, with perhaps the addition of a list of characters, and a one-sentence description of their role, at the beginning of the book.

I will also join the other reviewers here in carping about the virtual non-appearance of Abraham Lincoln in the book, and that the so-called Dark Conspiracy is neither particularly dark nor conspiratorial, especially by today’s standards. The book’s big reveal in the last chapter (which I will not reveal here) lands with a bit of a dull thud and a “so what?”

Some of the writing could have used a good editor. One example, from Kindle location 921, is the distractingly incorrect use of “inevitably”:

”I hope I am not calling at a bad time,” he said. “I was in town and thought I’d try upon your patience. I am Houdini.” He gave a slight bow.

“Yes, yes,” said Remigius, as if the man had inevitably come to deliver the milk. “Come in.” (italics mine)

Probably the best fix in this case is to just delete the adverb completely (“...as if the man had come to deliver the milk”) but I suppose, if you are hell-bent on using an adverb, “regularly” or “habitually” might do. However, what I really want to do is quote the famous movie line, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

There are also many occasions when a pile up of pronouns makes it unclear who is doing what.

The problem is, when I start to notice this, then I become super-sensitive to other tiny errors. I waste time asking myself, “Is that right?” Sometimes the author is right, but the thought it takes to convince myself distracts from the pleasure of reading. Other times, I spend too much time googling whether, under any circumstances, “a park commemorating the crossing at Valley Forge” (location 3615) is correct. (Answer: No. Washington crossed the Delaware fifty miles from Valley Forge.)

New topic: I have been thinking about screenplays lately, ever since I was chosen for a volunteer position of responsibility at a local film festival after it was discovered that I was one of the few people present who did NOT have a screenplay that they were hoping to pitch to attendees of the festival. While basking in my new-found popularity with the management, I thought that the historical events upon which this book is based would make a great screenplay and possibly could get produced. It has, I understand, at least one important point going for it in today’s market: not just one but several potentially meaty parts for good actresses who are now too old (i.e., > 25) to play the object of the (older) male star’s romantic interest. It could even pass the Bechdel test. Houdini’s team of women sleuths who uncover fraudulent spiritualists would make a great elevator pitch to a dopey film executive (redundant, I know): “Steel Magnolias meets Downtown Abbey meets Scooby-Doo, boss, a sure hit!” You could buy the film rights to this book then make the narrative more coherent and, viola!, Hollywood success here we come!

Another new topic: Since I had been reading and thinking about Spiritualism, I was surprised recently to see its brief appearance midway through this article from the September 25, 2025, edition of The New York Times, which was about the history of magical thinking and technology, esp. in connection with AI. (I believe that I have shared the NY Times article above in such a way that, if you click on the link, you will NOT encounter a pay wall.)

I received a free electronic advance review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy, this book has promise that it just absolutely does not live up to. I was vaguely aware of Harry Houdini's crusade against Spiritualism (a system of beliefs/maybe a religion that's based on being able to communicate with the dead in various ways) and his disagreements with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the topic, so when this book popped up, I was interested--particularly with the hook about Lincoln and the presidency.

I can tell you right off the bat that there's very very little about a "dark conspiracy against the American presidency" in this book. Ricca uses a series of Congressional hearings about a Spiritualism-related bill, one in which Houdini seemingly played a large part, as a framing device for the book, and in those sections are snippets about various First Ladies and members of Congress attending seances--and even seances occurring in the White House itself. There are also some mentions of mediums perhaps foretelling the deaths of some Presidents. But...that's about it.

Mostly, the book bounces around in the 1910s and 1920s, focusing mostly on various ways Houdini went after Spiritualists. But sometimes it's about other people going after Spiritualists. And sometimes there's a long digression about whether John Wilkes Booth died at the Garrett farm in Virginia in April of 1865. (He did.) It is a very long digression and it's obviously right in my wheelhouse, but Ricca never actually connects it to Spiritualism, other than noting that Mary Todd Lincoln was into it. (Spiritualism. Not Booth surviving.) There is a recurring question about how much Abraham Lincoln was into Spiritualism, but it was hardly the driving story of the book.

Part of my problem is the way Ricca wrote the book. It's very much written like a novel, with dialogue that he couldn't possibly know and inclusions of what people were thinking and feeling at the time. It almost borders on historical fiction at times, with Ricca even noting at the end of the book that "This book is not meant to be a chronological transcript of history but a narrative built around it" and that he has "characterized certain scenes and even, in a few spots, dialogue that I have taken from other sources of the same speaker or imagined around facts" (loc. 4524).

I think I would've preferred just a chronological laying out of facts, particularly since he includes some things throughout the book that are confusing, until he explains them much later on. For example, there are excerpts of letters from Houdini to his wife, and one mentions his son becoming President. It's only at the end of the book that Ricca explains that the couple made up imaginary children and had them live imaginary lives.

This is partially so he can end with some, I guess, "gotchas" about Houdini and his wife, who may or may not have had a particularly medical disorder. Which isn't discussed until the Epilogue and is clearly something Ricca thinks should completely change how we view Houdini and has absolutely nothing to do with Spiritualism. (Or Lincoln. Or the presidency.)

There is a lot of jumping around in time, which has been annoying me in many books lately anyway and Ricca does not handle with any sort of aplomb. It's hard to remember when anything happens, particularly because there's a time jump between chapters and then there are random anecdotes with time jumps within chapters before we wind up back where we began. I couldn't tell you whether certain events happened before or after that Congressional hearing. And just so many names.

Ricca also winds up...I'm not going to say "alluding to," because that implies that he didn't spend a lot of time with these topics, which he did. He goes a bit into immigration, and anti-immigration sentiment in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He discusses the KKK a bit. There's a digression into one of the mediums being the president of an organization called the Patriotic Order of America, which did things like try to "end ballot manipulation" and "fight against 'discrimination' of white men" (loc. 3633). He implies that the man who gave Houdini that fateful punch did it because he was anti-Semitic, but I'm left wondering if that was actually the case. He spends a decent amount of time here, undoubtedly in response to, you know, *gestures at the world.* But it comes across awkwardly, even as I'm sympathetic to what he's saying.

Also, there were a handful of factual errors (no, Robert Todd Lincoln was not at Ford's Theatre with his father the night of the assassination [loc. 3526]) that I sure hope got changed before this book was published. But they're enough--along with Ricca's writing style, honestly, and note about imagining things--to kind of make me question other things in the book. And I hate to say that, as someone who has published books with an error (...or two) and gotten angry emails saying that now the reader can't believe anything in the book.

Honestly, if Ricca had taken his research and given a good (chronological!) history of the more well-known Spiritualists and how the religion worked (there's a chapter about a journalist infiltrating a Spiritualist camp that was particularly fascinating), with details about Houdini turning on it and how he crusaded against it--his reward for anyone who had a reading he couldn't prove was a trick, his showing up at Spiritualist events, even, yes, the proposed bill in Congress--I would've loved it. It doesn't make a book more interesting to mess around with timelines, and authors, you can't include all of your research, because research is full of digressions that aren't germane to your thesis.

I honestly can't really recommend it, though there are very interesting stories within.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy.

[Amanda F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out really good, but then kind of fell off in the middle/end. It assumes that we know things about Houdini's life and death, so I was a bit confused in some points because I knew almost nothing. Houdini was in a fight to stop spiritualism as a growing movement and he spent so much of his time and money to disprove anyone claiming to have supernatural powers. What I thought was interesting was that the spiritualists actually said Houdini was using supernatural talent without knowing it while trying to call them out as swindlers. Overall, it was some really interesting information with some confusing info because I didn't already know things about Houdini's life.

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Review: Lincoln’s Ghost: Houdini’s War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency
Author: Brad Ricca
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Brad Ricca’s Lincoln’s Ghost explores the intersection of spiritualism, political power, and one of history’s most famous skeptics: Harry Houdini. The book blends investigative history with elements of the paranormal, drawing connections between Houdini’s crusade against fraudulent mediums and broader anxieties about deception in American political life. Ricca examines Houdini’s conflict with high-profile believers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while also touching on spiritualism’s cultural reach—from séance rooms to the White House. The book includes figures from journalism, politics, and entertainment, all interwoven into a sprawling narrative that promises a conspiracy tied to the American presidency.

I was really excited to read this book because I’m fascinated by paranormal topics like life after death, ghosts, and spiritualism. I expected a compelling blend of those themes with Houdini’s personal connection to and crusade against spiritualist frauds.

I thought the book was very well researched and filled with interesting material about Houdini’s anti-spiritualism efforts and his investigations into fraudulent mediums. I especially enjoyed the sections about Houdini’s clashes with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I found those parts engaging and well grounded.

That said, I struggled with the structure of the book. I found the constant time jumps and lack of transitions confusing. For example, a chapter might begin with Houdini writing a newspaper column, jump into unrelated anecdotes about other mediums, and then abruptly return to that original moment. It made the timeline hard to follow, and I felt like the narrative kept losing its thread.

I also felt overwhelmed by the number of characters introduced throughout. There were so many names and side stories that I sometimes lost track of who was who or why they were important.

Given the title—Lincoln’s Ghost: Houdini’s War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency—I expected a much stronger focus on the presidency or on Lincoln himself. While Houdini’s brief encounters with presidents are mentioned, they don’t play a meaningful role. I was really hoping for a deeper dive into Abraham Lincoln’s own spiritual beliefs or the cultural mythology around his ghost, but those sections felt thin.

Overall, I think the book tried to do too much. It seems like it wanted to be both an academic deep dive and a popular narrative, but in trying to balance both, it ended up feeling scattered. I would have preferred a more focused and linear story centered around Houdini’s crusade and the spiritualist movement of his time.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think, and I believe this is not an original thought to me, that Houdini was about the closest thing to a superhero we have had. He had physical abilities and talents still awesome today and not all can be equaled or explained. He had, as all superheroes need, enemies and a purpose. For him, he was against scamming medium fraudsters.

In 1926, Houdini Spent 4 Days Shaming Congress for Being in Thrall to Fortune-Tellers: The congressional hearings on the supernatural were very theatrical.

The author introduces us to some of the Houdini nemeses such as "Psychic Medium" John Slater, Mina Crandon, Henry Slade, as well as allies such as Jack London's widow Charmian London, a paramour for Houdini. Indeed, Houdini apparently was not a very loyal husband and in the end of the book interesting biological theories are explored as to why Houdini never had children with his wife, although both apparently had wanted a family.

...Those 1926 hearings where proposed D.C. laws to control "fortune telling" and you can read the nitty-gritty Congressional Record details here. The thrust was to define misleading prognosticators as a public nuisance.

H.R. 8989, which is as follows: ‘A BILL Amending subchapter 5 of the Code of the Law of the District of Columbia, relating to offenses against public policy.’ ...

Along the way of promoting the legislation, Houdini makes some sage remarks on gullibility.

“The average human being,” said Houdini, “is utterly unable to describe accurately anything he or she has witnessed, especially if it is something he or she wishes to believe.”

There are fascinating details here on how presidential administrations from Lincoln to Harding to the then current Coolidge were believed to have mediumistic inclination, if only through the wife, whether credibly or not. Combined with popular belief in the "curse of Tutankhamun", the populace seemed bubbling with belief in spooks. This was embedded in a still continuing post-Civil War undercurrent of radicalism all adding color to an era I enjoy reading about:

...But the Sons were more than proponents of political ideals; they had their own secret history. In 1889, at a parade in Boston in which they had a float of a little red schoolhouse, they started a riot, killing a man. In New York, they met immigrants coming off the boats and pushed them back into the water, killing several. After the Civil War, they tried to buy one of Robert E. Lee’s homes to make it a monument. They fought against “discrimination of white men” by demanding the “exclusion from office of all foreign-born citizens.” Not all its members did these things. But some did. In 1910, Charles Ebert Wilson, nineteen, proudly joined the Sons because he felt the need for community.

Ultimately, Harry Houdini had to debunk claims of Abraham Lincoln’s Spiritualism, hence this interesting book's title.

With the reactionary elements, presidential hero-worship, and supernaturally beliefs, questionable legal issues (Do mediums and fortune-tellers fall under freedom of worship?), actually makes me think they are analogues I cannot fully articulate with society grappling with AI.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ostensibly about House Bill H.R. 8989, a piece of legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 69th Congress (1925-1927) aimed at outlawing fortune-telling in Washington, D.C., and a retelling of the hearings that Harry Houdini attended, as the main advocate for the passing of this bill.

As a Houdini fan/enthusiast, I know a fair amount about this legislation, having read about 20 biographies (and his lecturer/crusader against Spiritualism persona may be my favorite iteration of Houdini as a person, so the majority of my readings come from this era.) However, the story told in this book has been done poorly. It doesn't read as non-fiction. It comes across as some floridly written historical fiction. Coupled with the fact that the author chose to not tell the story linearly, but instead jumps around seemingly without rhyme or reason, between 1911 and 1949 (again, the hearings for H.R. 8989 were in the first quarter of 1926.) Although the entries in the book appear to have been well researched, the jumping back and forth in time is both tedious and distracting. I believe that if the book was set up both chronologically and linearly, this would have been a four star book for me. I am more forgiving of the creative liberties the author took (telling us what the people at the hearings are feeling, for example,) when a timeline is tidy.

The other issue I have is with the title-Lincoln's Ghost (?): Houdini's War on Spiritualism (true!) and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency (wait--what?.) This is honestly a ridiculous choice for a title. The connection of this story told concerning both President Lincoln and "the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency" is tenuous at best, and it really felt like a stretch to include it in this book.

So, in conclusion, as a person who is interested in Harry Houdini, I'm happy that I did read this book, but it was never a book I looked forward to reading. In fact, it took almost a month for me to finish, as I kept finding something-anything to do, rather than reading this book. Generally would not recommend, unless one has exhausted their other available Houdini content.

[Jess Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy of this non-fiction.

First let me say that you can tell this author did alot of really good research. It just wasn't put together in a cohesive way. It felt like a bunch of jumbled up facts with little spurts of cohesive thought in between, but the cohesive bits were also the made up bits (I had to check to make sure I was actually reading a book categorized as non-fiction). I feel the author could have used this research to write a decent historical fiction novel, but instead ended up with a weird stream of consciousness attempt at a non-fiction. The writing style was definitely not for me.

The title was also very misleading. There is maybe a combined total of five pages that even mention Lincoln, and definitely no exploration of a conspiracy against the presidency. The entire book is Houdini's vendetta against spiritualism as told from multiple POV's in a non-linear fashion.

Unfortunately, I do not recommend this one.

[Jackie Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extensively researched, this book examines the famous illusionist Houdini with his mission aimed at discrediting Spiritualism in the US in the early 1900s.

Communicating with the afterlife? Houdini wasn’t convinced. He felt like mediums were imposters asking for money and then pretending to have super powers with spirits in a séance.

There was a following in the past even in the White House to support the communication between the living and dead. President Lincoln’s 11-year-old son died in 1862 from typhoid fever and President Pierce lost his 11-year-old son in 1853 from a rail accident. Naturally, the wives were devastated with the desire to have a message from their loved one. Yet, not everyone supported this way of grieving.

It was fascinating to learn more about this time period as it related to people who were willing to believe in this mysterious world. It included the Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Jose and murder of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. He got away but was found in a barn soon afterwards and killed by a Union soldier. However, this story suggested the possibility of an escape.

The book introduced a lot of characters which slowed down the pace considerably. Plus, the narrative wasn’t arranged chronologically and I found it to be somewhat disjointed going back and forth at times. However, it opened my eyes to the Spiritualist communities which presented an intriguing look at true events.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of October 28, 2025. As always, my views are my own.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've gone back and forth regarding the grading for this book. It's a difficult book to rate.

For starters, the title, LINCOLN'S GHOST is misleading as the late president plays a very small part in this story. This is really a story about Harry Houdini's war against spiritualists. As far as he was concerned, there was no such thing as a real spiritualist communicating with the dead. Therefore, he desparately wanted a law that would prohibit mediums, fortune tellers, and the like from profiting off their services. Ricca's accounts of the Senate hearings were enlightening.

However, editorially, the book is arranged more as a series of anecdotes about Houdini and other events of the time which, while interesting, gave me very little insight into Spiritualism or its popularity. Houdini is also presented at arm's length. Some of this is intentional - the author holds some information back because of a reveal at the end - but in keeping him enigmatic, we're treated to only a surface understanding as to why the magician hated spiritualism so much.

Despite all of the above, I enjoyed the book a lot. While I might not have learned a lot about spiritualism, per se, Ricca gathered a wealth of information about Houdini and others and the stories he shares are very entertaining. I particularly liked the tale of John Wilkes Booth's mummified body and the undercover reporter at the spiritualist camp. It's one of those "just one more chapter" kind of books that reads quite quickly. It's hard to give a book a low review when you devoured it in two days.

Bottom line - entertainment value beats editorial style. 4 stars.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this look at the war raged at the beginning of the last century by the premiere stage magician, escapist, and master illusionist against the Spiritualist movement, one that promised communication with the dead, but in most cases was more interested in stealing from the bereaved's pocketbooks.

I have loved the paranormal since before I could read a book. My favorite toy as a child was a Fisher Price Movie Viewer, where one could slide in a tape and watch an animated movie while turning a dial forward and back. My favorite was Disney's Haunted Mansion, with Mickey and the gang fighting ghosts. I would watch that back and forth for hours, which my parents surely appreciated. Over the years I have read the big books on paranormal activity, and lots of little ones also. I still am fascinated, but as Fox Mulder would say, "I want to believe", but it has become harder. I have never had a paranormal phenomenon. And to be honest not even my death, the underworld or any psychic barriers could stop my Grandmother from reaching across the void and saying hello. Many people though believe in angels, spirits, ghosts and more. There is gold in seeing ghosts, talking to the dead. And while many say what does it hurt, others can say well it hurts one's wallet. False comfort might feel nice, but it is false and finally not a comfort. At the beginning of the twentieth century one man also had a problem with these false prophets and their claims. Unlike many he had a particular set of skills to prove their claims were lies. Harry Houdini was the world's most famous magician, escape artist, illusionist, and hater of grifters. Which made him many enemies, as this book shows. Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency by Brad Ricca is a history of his encounters from the dawning of the Spiritualist movement, to Houdini's untimely death, and beyond.

The time after the Great War was a turbulent time for many. Sons and fathers, husbands and lovers had died at the Front, civilian warfare was considered acceptable. A Great Plague was killing off those who survived the war, and many felt that governments and religion were failing them in many ways. People began to turn to the dead for answers. Mediums began to claim to families lost in sorrow, that the dead lived on beyond the void. That they were happy, and willing to share stories with them. For a price. Many, including the writer of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were strong proponents of Spiritualism as it was called. One who was not was Harry Houdini. He knew the tricks, how to make a table move, how to cast a voice, how to make something glow. Being a man of principle he began his own crusade to stop these charlatans, by playing their own game. A game he was winning. Though many forces, even members of government seemed to be against him.

An odd book in that it is a history, but the author does admit to moving events, or compressing events. Which if it was fiction I would understand. There are many fine novels about Houdini and his war against bunkm spiritualists. Nevermore by William Hjortsberg is a good example. I have not seen that in a nonfiction book. Still the book is interesting, going into the fight against Spiritualism, how it grew, the money it made and the powerful converts it had. I am not sure about the war against the Presidency part either, though Lincoln is mentioned a few times. Also there is a little jumpiness to the book, moving from Congressional hearings to other events and back again.

An interesting start to see how people began to believe in angels in the architecture and the dead being so wise. And the money that can be made. Houdini is still a fascinating character, willing to fight fraudsters physically, mentally, and if he had to psychically. I wish we had a Houdini today to fight the many grifters we have to deal with.

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blending Abraham Lincoln’s haunted presidency and Harry Houdini’s crusade against spiritualism, Brad Ricca --- the author of the Edgar Award-nominated MRS. SHERLOCK HOLMES, TRUE RAIDERS, OLIVE THE LIONHEART and SUPER BOYS --- introduces this well-researched and enchanting mix of history and social commentary, set against a snazzy Jazz Age backdrop. It is refreshing to read historical fact, unbiased opinion and social influence in a period piece, far removed from the blood, guts and gore of contemporary thrillers.

Americanized to Eric Weiss, Erich Weisz at age four moved from Budapest in 1878 to Wisconsin. In 1890, he changed his moniker after reading French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin’s autobiography. Although spiritualism’s birth was in 1848 New York, when the Fox sisters reported conversing with a spirit through mysterious sounds, the movement spread through France like a plague, thus séance.

Houdini was the star antagonist during the 1926 congressional hearings regarding spiritualism and “fraud mediums, those who prey on the gullible.” He honed in on Madame Marcia, fortune teller for the capital’s rich and powerful, whose clients included Supreme Court justices, congressmen and First Lady Florence Harding. His passionate presentation to legislators included “The Ouija board is the first step towards an insane asylum” and “Mediums are either deluded or deluding…mediums are liars.” Proponents argued that spiritualism was a religion protected by the Constitution, but antagonists claimed systemic financial exploitation. Even famed SHERLOCK HOLMES author Arthur Conan Doyle and Houdini “had once been close friends, but Spiritualism had divided them, and bitterly so.”

Houdini’s bunco squad included Rose Mackenberg, amateur sleuth supreme, who recorded dollar bill serial numbers as evidence that she paid mediums and fortune tellers. Of a thousand alleged spiritualists, all were artifices. She and other Houdini investigators cast a far-reaching web to snare fraudsters. Those include claims that John Wilkes Booth escaped and lived in the Texas Nutt House Hotel, and Lord Camarvon, who allegedly died from a Tutankhamun curse, passed from sepsis caused by shaving over a mosquito bite.

The titular ghost does not make an appearance, as the factitious mediums and spiritualists are unable to conjure a spirit at the congressional hearings to ascertain authenticity, but credible officials claimed that Abraham Lincoln was a believer. Mary Todd Lincoln consulted mediums and saw the spirit of her dead son, but the last surviving Lincoln, Robert, had her committed to an institution. Houdini’s “research into Lincoln, Booth, and the mysterious role of Spiritualism in several presidencies and assassinations seemed to build a ghostly framework of a future that might be repeated.” Thus the odd parallels between Lincoln and Kennedy.

As the committee hearings ended, clairvoyant fortune teller Madame Marcia, who predicted the deaths of presidents Harding and Wilson, told Houdini, “When November comes around and the license comes due, you won’t be here. You’ll be dead.” Master Magician Houdini died on Halloween 1926 of peritonitis, an abdominal infection.

LINCOLN’S GHOST is a high-octane dissection of magic versus mediums, the afterlife, and one person’s pursuit of educating D.C.’s elite about their delusional misconceptions.

Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a hot mess this book is! It's a pity because the author obviously did his research and there is some interesting material here. Unfortunately, it is disorganized and full of pointless repetition.

First, the title makes no sense. Despite seemingly endless discussions of whether or not Lincoln was a Spiritualist, there is no "ghost." There is a lot about Houdini's fascination with John Wilkes Booth and the rumors that he survived the fire in which he is supposed to have died. There is also no evidence of any conspiracy against the American Presidency. (Houdini seems to have been obsessed with the idea that mediums were trying to control the White House but little real evidence of this "conspiracy" is presented.)

Although the author loads the book up with footnotes (oddly placed at the beginnings of sentences to which they referred and sometimes attached to the first names of people discussed. This is not standard format. After awhile, I stopped bothering to follow the links) it does not read like history. I was taken aback by references to Houdini's "son" which confused me because I know the Houdinis had no children. It is explained in the epilogue that Bess Houdini had a habit, after her husband's death, of adding her own notes to his journals and that the childless couple frequently wrote each other notes about their imaginary children. This might have been a creative touch in a novel, but it damaged the credibility of a work of nonfiction.

There is some fascinating material about an organization called the Patriotic Order Sons of America although it bears little relation to the subject of this book. Similarly, digressions about the alleged curse of King Tut's Tomb and the fate of Houdini's Hungarian relatives were interesting but not really germane. A totally pointless chapter about Jack London's widow is used as "evidence" of Houdini's infidelity to the wife he clearly adored for over 32 years. (It seems to me that Mrs. London may have been under the influence of something when she wrote her journal entries about "Magic.")

The Interlude chapters described Congressional hearings in which Houdini and his investigators testified in support of a proposed bill to make Spiritualistic fraud a crime. Numerous mediums and Spiritualists testified for their own side. The whole thing went on and on and consisted mainly of ranting. Perhaps that was what happened, but I got very tired of hearing what was basically the same thing over and over.

The big "secret" revealed at the end of the book about Bess Houdini's physical condition was no news to me and I am hardly a scholar on the subject. It seems incredibly far-fetched that the couple would have gone to the lengths the author describes to hide evidence of a medical condition that was not really known at the time. It also has nothing to do with Spiritualism.

This book was interesting enough that I finished reading it, but it took longer than it should have.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to access a free advance reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Scott Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Note: this review is based on an advanced, pre-publication copy provided by the publisher, which is much appreciated.)
Ricca provides abundant anecdotes and transcripts of Harry Houdini’s efforts to debunk mediums, seers, fortune tellers and the like. Often Houdini offered a tremendous amount of money for real evidence of spiritualist claims. While the history is here, mostly capturing efforts from the 1910s through the 1920s, the narrative is often disjointed and muddled.

The book jumps back in forth in time. Likewise, it often shifts from Houdini’s perspective to some of his antagonists’ perspectives that it’s difficult to keep track. There are so many antagonists, and their stories are not collated, it’s hard to put their perspectives or behaviors in line. Many Senate hearing reports have them in one place but it’s hard to recall their backgrounds sufficiently to understand any significance to their testimonies or challenges to and from Houdini.

The reporting of the caucus room hearings has disjointed, anachronistic, archaic language that it’s difficult for modern readers to understand what is happening and why their statements were or weren’t important. Ricca could have helped us with some clarifications or amplifications of the quoted conversations and witness statements. The writing is also a bit stilted such that many times I had to re-read sections to perceive the antecedents for pronouns, figure out how particular sentences fit in with the context of the rest of the paragraph and so on.

A portion of the subtitle seems misleading in that it’s not clear where the “dark conspiracy against the presidency” occurs and who the instigators are. We have the anecdotal evidence of mediums supposedly being invited to conduct seances at the White House for Lincoln, Coolidge, Harding and maybe more. If it had been known it may have caused a bit of kerfuffle, but presidents have weathered many worse controversies before and after the 1920s. But why did the Spiritualist society focus on those presidents is not explained? Nor is it explained why we needed to know the conundrum regarding Erich Weiss’ (Harry Houdini’s) birth in Appleton, Wisconsin or in Hungary? And the epilogue related to Bess Houdini is interesting but not related at all to main narrative of Houdini’s battle against Spiritualism. How did some details about their marriage or acting careers influence the crux of their crusade? Ricca doesn’t answer this.

A Houdini fan may find much of this fascinating. And it does give us a view into a slice of Americana in the 1920s. Other books on the same subject may be a bit more coherent in the telling, however.

[Matt Mansfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intentional Deceptions

“Like a séance, I have tried to uncover hidden facts to attempt to bring these people to a kind of believable life.”

Brad Ricca’s 2025 historical retelling of Harry Houdini’s life and conflicts with the 1920’s Spiritualism Movement in America, “Lincoln’s Ghost”, seeks to capture the mindsets of people intensely engaged in widely popular, performative experiences during the Jazz Age ballyhoo.

A self-proclaimed and successful magician, Harry Houdini and his wife Bess, on one hand, and, on the other, a group of equally successful men and women engaging in clairvoyance, precognition and telekinesis with influences reaching into the seat of the US government.

At stake: protecting Americans from fraudulent practices of people charging for various services, primarily speaking or being put in contact with dead relatives, witnessing manufactured phenomena such as ectoplasm, table tilting and rapping, other sensations at seances. And an additional challenge by Houdini of a $10,000 reward for any experience he could not replicate.

The author mixes 1926 testimony in front of Congress by Houdini and various members of the National Spiritualist Association aka the Spiritualist Church with flashbacks to incidents explaining the rise of Spiritualism from its Upstate New York origins with the early lives of Houdini and Bess and other people associated with them.

Some original, some recreated scenes but unfortunately confusing at times, especially the exchanges between the Congressional members and witnesses during the hearings. Some people appear with seemingly little or no main role in the plot development, especially near the end of the book and also Houdini’s life, ironically his death under curious circumstances occurring October 31, 1926.

One of the most interesting investigations into and speculations about Bess Houdini does not appear until the Epilogue. The title of the book references manipulation of Abraham Lincoln’s photograph for seances and the impact of his and their sons’ deaths on Mary Todd Lincoln seeking to reconnect with them but has little follow through.

Between the expectation created by the title and its delivery the story splinters into different fragments, some worthwhile, others not so much.

Perhaps confusion is the best deception.

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 2 out of 5]

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency, by Brad Ricca, from St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

I think this is the book that has decided it for me: No more requesting nonfiction books from NetGalley (with the exception of memoirs). They are, inevitably and for the most part, slogs.

Yes, yes, I know you can’t paint every book with the same brush, but fool me once, shame on you. Fool me going on about seven times and it’s seriously on me to get a clue!

I made it about 30 percent of the way through this book before giving up, and even that took me several days. Found a review that I wish I’d read instead of even that much, so I’m sharing it here: Linda’s Reviews—https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

DESCRIPTION
The incredible untold story of how the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, waged war upon Spiritualism, uncovering unknown magic, political conspiracies, and surprising secrets along the way.

You won’t live forever, Houdini. You’ve got to DIE. I put a curse on you . . .

During a séance in 1924, Houdini—the greatest entertainer in the world—was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead.

This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who—inspired by his hero Abraham Lincoln—devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks, and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency—and to the House of Houdini itself.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heads up, I had the audiobook version of this.

You're thrown right into this book including seances and courtrooms. It initially gets you hooked in the first couple of chapters, but my interest dwindled a little after that. I stuck with it though because I've been interested in Houdini's ire for spiritualism, but have never done any research into it. This book seemed like the best opportunity for it. Unfortunately for me, I had a grip with this book right off the bat. The way the writer decided to narrate it swayed more toward the style of historical fiction. Not a bad choice; I know it's a tool that immerses some readers. For me though not a good fit. I love reading non-fiction and actually veer away from any historical fiction that features real people as the main character. There's something about that subset of the genre that gives me the 'ick' as some would say.

Other than that the facts about the case were interesting. I went in thinking, 'Why wouldn't you outlaw a bunch of quacks taking advantage of people?' and at least one good point was made of religious freedom. (And with any freedom people are bound to take advantage.)

I found the narration a little dry and hard to focus on. To be fair though this was my first non-fiction book that I listened to instead of physically reading. I might have flashbacked to my college days when I had to listen to my professors drone on and on. I also found the title of the book 'Lincoln's Ghost' a tad deceitful. This is a book about Houdini. It does touch on Lincoln some, but in my opinion not enough to warrant is name as the main topic.

I think many will still enjoy reading/listening to this book, but I would use it as more of a jumping off point to read more about Houdini and/or spiritualism.

I thank Netgalley for the ability to read this book and in return, I give this honest review.

[rdgit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency by Brad Ricca to be an interesting, yet difficult read. I've always been interested in Houdini so I was eager to read more about him.
The book certainly offered interesting material, particularly about Houdini’s anti-spiritualism efforts and his investigations into fraudulent mediums. It's clear Ricca conducted thorough research, unearthing many little-known details about the American Spiritualist movement. It's these details that kept me reading. However, the style and structure presented a challenge for me. The book frequently switched from one time frame to another and the lack of smooth transitions was difficult to follow. I also found the congressional hearing chapters not holding my interest. With so many characters and side stories introduced, it was easy to get lost.
Furthermore, despite the intriguing title, the expected "dark conspiracy against the American presidency" and a deeper dive into Lincoln's ghost felt weak, not playing the central role I anticipated. It often felt more like a series of unconnected stories than a cohesive book. As a Houdini fan, I found many fascinating tidbits but the book tried to do too much without a clear, linear focus, leaving me wishing for a more straightforward account of Houdini's compelling crusade.

I struggle to find a proper star rating. Four stars seems too generous but because I did enjoy the interesting tidbits along the way, four stars is tempting. However, I think three stars seems more appropriate.

I thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ability to read this book and in return, I give this honest review.

[Susan Faloon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued to learn that the magician Harry Houdini had a very active campaign to expose the shady activities of Spiritualists. He spent years trying to keep them from having power through legislation that was being worked on in the heart of America's capitol. It was equally interesting to read how the hearings were operated.
I decided to read the advanced reader's copy of Brad Ricci's Lincoln's Ghost which I received from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please understand that this is a digital book released before the final book is published. I've actually gone back and forth on the rating of this book which is my own decision as this is my own unsolicited review. I give it a 3.5, so it gets a 4 on Goodreads. It is obvious to me that the author has done a great deal of research into Houdini, his life and the passion that he had to keep various spiritualists from tricking and bilking people, particularly those who were in mourning.
It is kind of fascinating to me but there is such a switch back and forth with all kinds of things going on. The reading didn't go smoothly for me. To be honest the "Lincoln's Ghost" title fit a small portion of what I gleaned and, in my opinion, could have just been laid aside. The time spent reading the book was well worth it despite the disjointed feel for me.
The team Houdini, aka, Eric Weiss, son of a rabbi, had working for him could have ended up as undercover operatives for our government. I enjoyed learning about their work and his wife.
There are definitely things of historical interest in the book and, in a way, things that make me think of today's political strangeness.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Houdini devoted much of his later life to combatting “spiritualism,” much in vogue then as now. “This thing they call ‘Spiritualism,’” Houdini argued that spiritualism was the province of cheating artists. He wanted a law to forbid its practice, he claimed to have had numerous mediums arrested for committing fraud. Against him, some formidable opponents, including one medium who argued that any suppression of spiritualism represented an assault on the free practice of religion. There claims were widespread that Abraham Lincoln himself was a believer, and even as Houdini was testifying, both President Calvin Coolidge and a number of sitting members of Congress were alleged to have consulted mediums and attended séances. So, too, did Houdini himself—research yielded a curse from a supposed dead man that the magician would soon die. Houdini’s death did indeed happened “soon.”

“Lincoln’s Ghost’s” is a detailed explanation of magic versus mediums, the afterlife, and Houdini’s pursuit of educating D.C.’s elite about their delusional misconceptions. Ricca has done an excellent job with his research of spiritualism. The book is interesting and intriguing. I would had liked a litle more information about Houdini’s magic, but I was fascinated with his “war” on srtualism. It was a fascinating novel to read.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lincoln’s Ghost by Brad Ricca is a captivating exploration of Harry Houdini’s final crusade—his relentless battle against the rise of Spiritualism in post–World War I America. Ricca brings to life a lesser-known chapter of Houdini’s legacy, revealing a man driven not just by spectacle, but by a deep commitment to truth and skepticism.

The book’s strength lies in its meticulous research, as Ricca uncovers fascinating details about the tricks used by spiritualists, such as the clever illusion behind the séance’s beating drum, and captures the cultural and political atmosphere of the 1920s. The inclusion of Houdini’s testimony before Congress adds weight and urgency to the narrative, showing just how seriously he took his mission.

However, the structure occasionally challenges the reader. The frequent shifts in timeline made it difficult to stay oriented, requiring extra effort to track the progression of events. While the book is presented as nonfiction, its dramatic tone and speculative elements sometimes blur the line, making it feel more like historical fiction.

Before reading this, I had no idea Houdini had taken his fight against Spiritualism all the way to Congress. For those intrigued by the intersection of magic, politics, and the supernatural, Lincoln’s Ghost offers a journey through one of the most curious battles in American cultural history.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Megan Leathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came upon Lincoln's Ghost by accident and was immediately intrigued. While I knew Harry Houdini was a renowned illusionist who occasionally debunked spiritualists, I was unaware of the all-consuming nature of this crusade late in his life. I certainly hadn't realized he relied on assistants for this work or that the issue led him to testify before Congress.

As other reviews attest, this is a non-fiction book, yet it's expertly crafted with the pacing and drama of a historical narrative. Ricca delves into the era when Spiritualism was a colossal cultural force, taken seriously by everyone from politicians to the impoverished.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and enlightening read about a subject I knew little about. The author masterfully positions Houdini as a relentless champion who believed the fraudulent spiritualists inflicted more harm than good, a battle he fought tirelessly until his untimely death.

My only minor critique is that the book occasionally jumps between dates and a large cast of characters, which can sometimes feel disorienting. However, this is a small obstacle in an otherwise captivating deep dive into a fascinating period of American history and the little-known final act of a legendary magician's life.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an eARC.

[Marcia Crabtree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advanced review copy of “Lincoln’s Ghost” by Brad Ricca from NetGalley, and my opinion of the book is voluntary. While I found the facts and various actions recounted in the book interesting, I found the telling of them disjointed, confusing, and sometimes impossible to see their relevance. The subtitle of the book is “Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency.” Even this I found confusing. I found no compelling evidence of any conspiracy against the presidency as a whole, only a few allegations that certain presidents and/or their wives may have consulted “spiritual mediums” for “advice” or consolation.

In my very humble opinion, the book would have been much better served in a more straightforward timeline format rather than jumping around severely not only between time periods but also between the Senate committee hearings regarding a bill to regulate mediums and fortune tellers and the rest of the events detailed in the book. As for the hearings themselves, I would have preferred they had been described in expository form rather than seemingly transcribed from recordings. In all, the book had potential but failed to execute, so I find it difficult to recommend except to those with the most particular interest in the subjects either of Harry Houdini or Spiritualism.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don’t care what the book is marketed as, it’s not non-fiction. Sure, it’s based on Houdini and his effort to expose charlatans and hucksters who said they could connect with the spirit world, but Lincoln’s Ghost is historical FICTION. Whole conversations are made up by the author, and how people reacted are mentioned, and really, this book is such a hot mess of a nonfiction book. The author admits in the notes that he played fast and loose with facts and timelines, which just solidifies my assertion that this is fiction.

If you can accept this book as historical fiction, the story is rather interesting if a bit meandering. Houdini’s crusade against spiritualism and its ties to presidential history is interesting. The book focuses on early 20th century seances and supernatural speculation. And where is Abraham Lincoln’s ghost in all of this? In the later part of the book, and it’s not even a major plot point.

Folks, I love a good Houdini story as much as anyone, seeing as how he spent a few years growing up in a town 20 minutes from me, but this book is not it.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lincoln's Ghost
By Brad Ricca

This is primarily the story of Harry Houdini and his crusade against fortune tellers and spiritualists. One hundred years ago, after the "Great War" where so many men were lost, the idea that there could be communication with the dead found fertile ground in America, as well as in Europe.

While spiritualism had a large following, the magician Houdini started a crusade to debunk the practice. In opposition to Houdini and his followers were many well-known – indeed famous – believers. Arthur Conan Doyle and certain American presidents and various other politicians among them.

The story here is primarily based on true happenings, and is billed as a work of non-fiction. Unfortunately there are too many improbable happenings (think John Wilkes Booth) for a non-fiction designation. The historical fiction genre might be a better fit. And while the various storylines are interesting, the overall result is choppy and the huge cast of characters is confusing.

I found the book interesting overall, but maybe a little too ambitious.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ricca’s Lincoln's Ghost is a fascinating dive into Harry Houdini’s crusade against the Spiritualist movement at the turn of the 20th century. Houdini’s quest to expose Spiritualism as an exercise of charlatans and hucksters leads him to stand before Congress attempting to pass a bill that would strip spiritualists of their religious protection. Along the way, Ricca sends the reader down many rabbit holes exploring Houdini’s feud with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his correspondence with Robert Todd Lincoln and Calvin Coolidge, and his relationship with Jack London and his wife. For some readers, these rabbit holes are a negative, along with Ricca’s back-and-forth timelines. I honestly didn’t mind. I felt most of them had interesting ties with Houdini and spiritualism, causing me to burn through this book at a fevered pace. In fairness, Lincoln’s Ghost is more of a metaphor than the main subject matter, but that doesn’t discount all the interesting tidbits explored along the way. Read the synopsis. If this piques your curiosity and you can get over the back-and-forth nature of the timelines, you’ll dig Lincoln’s Ghost.

4.5 Crystal Balls out of 5

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I enjoyed learning about Houdini's war on Spiritualism. I knew that he tried to catch people out as much as possible, but I was unaware of the court case about a legal bill, so this was very educational. The title also made it seem like there would be more about Licoln. It's there and at several points. But not as much as I had thought there would be.
The narrator wasn't bad and wasn't my favorite. He did his job with no errors and with good pronunciation. Everyone once in a while, gave a character a voice.
My biggest issue is the Epilogue. I am not sure why a man took it upon himself to question Bess' genetic makeup as a woman to question her lack of bearing children. It had nothing to do with the book, and, I don't care how open the author is to people presenting as they want, as a woman yself, I don't want people in many years theorizing about why I couldn't have children.

I received an audio copy through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

[Charlotte Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Everyone has heard of Houdini, I was intrigued by his story. He lived a life that I knew very little, other than the magic, about. This book is interesting, intriguing, and in-depth. The story talks of his magic, but more about his fight against Spiritualism. His fight with the government and with the public.

There were a few times I had to re-read a sentence or paragraph to get the idea. Some of the text was very flat and I skimmed over it picking back up when the action picked up. The book is non-fiction and there were times that it read as such and times that it read as a story.

I enjoyed learning about Houdini and recommend picking up your own copy to learn about one of the best known magicians in history.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.