Review: Escaping from Houdini

Kerri Maniscalco

The ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper‘ series is one I really need to finish. I absolutely loved the first book, and found the second to be quite entertaining as well! Now, let’s see what ‘Escaping from Houdini‘ has to offer. Please be mindful, though – while I aim to avoid posting any spoilers, this is the third book in the series, so there might be minor spoilers.

The story

Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell find themselves aboard a luxurious ocean liner that becomes a floating prison of horror when passengers are murdered one by one, with nowhere to run from the killer. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly. But privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The strange and disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow more and more bizarre.

My opinion

It’s been quite a while since I’ve read the first book, ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper‘. As well as the second book, ‘Hunting Prince Dracula‘. The first book absolutely captivated me. While I really did enjoy the second book, it had a different vibe, and I wasn’t as immersed as I thought I would be. That’s probably the reason why it took me some time to pick up ‘Escaping from Houdini‘.

Once again, we follow Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her very charming companion, Thomas Cresswell. We know from the first two books that these two are pretty fond of each other. I absolutely ship them, and found myself worrying about their relationship a quarter of the way into the book. In retrospect, this was a bit unnecessary, given there was already plenty of drama and mystery to begin with.

We also see this magnificent art and photos again in ‘Escaping from Houdini.’ Which I absolutely love, because it brings the story even more to life. Sad to say, this book didn’t captivate me as much as I would have liked it to. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and it just didn’t wow me. Don’t get me wrong though, I did enjoy this book. It was a fun read, it just didn’t do justice to ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper’. However, I am still curious about the last and final book in this series, so I hope ‘Capturing the Devil’ will blow me off my feet! 😉

Final thoughts

So, while ‘Escaping from Houdini’ had its moments, it just didn’t hit me with that wow factor like ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper’ did. But hey, I still had fun reading it and the illustrations were a fun add-on. And honestly? I can’t wait to see if ‘Capturing the Devil’ sweeps me off my feet!

Title: A Lady’s Guide to Scandal
Author: Sophie Irwin
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780008519575
Publisher: HarperCollins

I use affiliate links. This helps me keep my blog online, and it doesn’t cost you anything! 🙂