The year is 1926 and thirteen-year-old Scooter King is spending the summer rigging séances for his mother, a fraudulent medium who believes in her own psychic gifts despite their unpredictability. The Kings’ racket is jeopardized when Harry Houdini comes to town to perform his famous Burmese Torture Tank escape. Not only is Houdini a world-renowned magician and escape artist, he is also a dogged medium hunter who takes pleasure in exposing charlatans in every town he visits. When Scooter discovers a dead body in Houdini’s tank, he is drawn into a dangerous mystery which only grows darker as the murderer’s real target is revealed: Houdini himself. Discouraged by the indifference of the local police and emboldened by an exciting new friendship with Houdini, Scooter is determined to figure out who is trying to kill his mentor. But when two more people end up dead and the Kings receive a threatening letter in the mail, Scooter must choose between cracking the case and protecting himself and his mother. Meanwhile, Houdini’s mission to unmask famous local spiritualist Viktor Valerian brings him ever closer to discovering Scooter’s mother and destroying the Kings’ livelihood. Rich in period detail, this novel is a fast-paced ride through a world of wonder, magic and mystery.
Author of The Wreckers
