125. The Seance


The Seance by Iain Lawrence


Pages: 263
Finished: July 12, 2008
First Published: July 8, 2008
Genre: YA, historical fiction, mystery
Rating: 3.5/5

Reason for Reading: I received a Review Copy from Random House Canada. Qualifies for the Canadian Challenge.

First sentence:

At five minutes to midnight, a stranger arrived for the seance.


Comments: It is 1926 and Scooter King is his mother's helper. Madam King is a spiritualist who holds fake seances and Scooter is the one who pulls all the strings behind the scenes. One night he follows a mysterious stranger and ends up at the theatre where Harry Houdini will soon be performing. As Scooter enters the theatre, unnoticed, he enters the room where Houdini's Torture Tank will be on public display the next day, and he discovers a dead body hanging in the chamber. Houdini is out to prove that all spiritualists are fakes but Scooter and he must join forces to find out not only who killed this man but who is trying to kill them both.

Iain Lawrence writes wonderful books and each book is significantly different than the others. The historical setting of 1926 American city-life is vibrant and even more so as we enter the world of fake spiritualists of the time and backstage theatre life. His characters even speak the slang of the day adding to the authenticity. The murder mystery is an added bonus that will probably keep kids guessing, though I, an adult, did see where the plot was going fairly on. Houdini certainly was an entertaining character and those who are familiar with his life will appreciate the research the author must have done to be true to character.

I noticed several Holmesian 'nods' in the book, names and such, so I wondered if Arthur Conan Doyle was going to appear in the story somewhere. He did not; but the author's afterward explains how this story came to be and the real history behind it along with the connection between Doyle and Houdini. A really fun historical romp that I enjoyed.

Comments

  1. Sounds like one I would really enjoy! Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Does sound quite pleasant. It reminds me of Lucy Jago's Northern Lights book. Kristian Birkeland (the scientist who unraveled the mystery of the northern lights) became involved with a woman who was preoccupied with seances. A man of science, he had no time for it. They seemed to have been such a fad at that time, didn't they?

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like a lot of fun! It's now on my list. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, we know the figures seem to add up to 110%. But these are not absolute numbers and will vary from person to person, which is why most detox programs focus on making you poop or pee. Avoid dipping the strip past the arrow while testing • Let the test kit rest for five minutes or until the results are clearly visible. Make sure you place the test on a non-absorbent surface • For best results, consider letting the test sit for at least 10 minutes Once the results are visible, it’s time to interpret them.The strength of your metabolism can speed up the detox process. In aged individuals with a slower metabolism, detox may take a longer time. Visit: https://www.urineworld.com/

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts