Escaping from Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3) by Kerri Maniscalo

 

My Rating ~ Four stars

RELEASED: 18 September 2018

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson

Format: Hardback

Pages: 416

Blurb

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re 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 then, 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 ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea. It’s up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer’s horrifying finale?

 

Review

Escaping from Houdini is set aboard the RMS Etruria, where a carnival show will be entertaining the passengers on the cruise. Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell are on board, with Audrey’s uncle and Mrs Harvey (along with her traveling tonic of course haha) as chaperones.  When someone is murdered in bizarre circumstances, right in front of them, on the very first night, they are of course involved in inspecting the body and beginning to try and piece together the mystery of who the murderer is. As the ship sails further across the ocean, the killer draws them deeper into the mystery and they become desperate to discover their identity before they arrive on the shores of New York and they disappear into the city forever.

With a ringmaster who is a master of misdirection and carnival performers who come from dubious pasts, Audrey and Thomas don’t know who they can trust and who might be using sleight of hand to direct their attentions elsewhere.

I absolutely love Thomas and Audrey, they are two of my favourite characters ever and I live for their banter. I found the story and intrigue in Escaping Houdini to be fantastic. I adore anything to do with carnival type stories and enjoyed the inclusion of tarot and cartomancy in the mystery. So, why not 5 Stars? One of the things I love about Audrey Rose is her ‘before her time’ feminist attitude and her ability to not be duped by typically charming men. And my absolute favourite thing about Audrey and Thomas is the way they work so well together as a team. But in this book I felt like Audrey lost her head a bit to much. I was truly sad for the level of uncertainty Thomas was continuously put through 😦

There were parts that moved a little slow and I found myself slightly distracted, but overall I loved trying to solve the mystery (I didn’t before the end of the book) and, of course, getting another glimpse of Thomas and Audrey’s story.

 

 

Photo via my Instagram account – Bookbookowl

 

 

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