His brand of freedom is free of all trappings of society. But with this path comes the constant struggle of trying to prove herself in a man’s world and fighting for respect.Īnd then there’s Mephistopheles’ path. As Thomas reassures her multiple times throughout Escaping From Houdini, the last thing he wants to do is treat her like a caged bird. In a life with Thomas (and under his definition of freedom), Audrey Rose is free to come and go as she pleases. Though danger and death seem to follow the handsome ringmaster, it’s hard not to be intrigued by him. He’s an enigma in that it’s impossible to know his true motives or the underlying meaning behind everything he says, partially because his face is always hidden by a mask. While he and Thomas are both clever, Mephistopheles has that “bad boy” air about him. In this novel, we meet the debonair and cunning Mephistopheles, the Midnight Carnival’s ringmaster. One of the things that spurs and yet complicates her journey of self-knowledge is the introduction of a love triangle of sorts. But she never keeps trying to move forward and get to know herself better. She makes mistakes and sometimes has to pay dearly for them. She seems less self-aware and confident than before, feeling much more her age here than in previous novels. The spectacle around her causes her to lose herself in ways that we haven’t seen previously. In this installment, she has some growing pains. Speaking of Audrey Rose, Escaping From Houdini is very much a transitional novel for her. It was easy to understand just how Audrey Rose comes to be so enthralled with the Midnight Carnival and the performers because, as readers, we’re put under the same exact spell. The settings and Midnight Carnival performances are lush yet dangerous, beautiful yet terrifying. In fact, it’s so well done that I’ve started doing my own research and found myself looking for someone to do a tarot reading for me.Įvery sentence of this novel drips with decadence. Her knowledge of sleight of hand, tarot, and carnivals in general is evident in every intricate description and slow reveal of information. While the other installments clearly required a lot of research into historical context and lore, the amount of detail put into Escaping From Houdini demonstrates that Maniscalco’s research this time around required so much more. Yet, behind all that playfulness, it’s very obvious that Maniscalco took great care in doing research for this novel. (Or, well, as playful as a murderer can be, that is…) The killer, because of the way they plan and execute their murders, feels more playful than sinister. That and they don’t really conjure that constant feeling of dread and danger lurking around every corner.Īudrey Rose and Thomas still very much deal with a murderer in this third book, but the focus here is more on the techniques and the spectacle of it all. Yes, the murders are still awful to behold, but there’s also something very striking and intriguing about each of them. Related: Hunting Prince Dracula author Kerri Maniscalco: “Monsters aren’t always the creatures with fangs and claws”Īnd speaking of the novel’s atmosphere, Escaping From Houdini is far less creepy than its predecessors. But the confusion and ambiguity around the inclusion of Houdini (an American icon and hero in many ways) in the title as well as the story just adds to the overall atmosphere of the novel. I was a little hesitant about the change in focus at first because, though he’s in the title, Houdini isn’t historically known as a murderer. While the first two novels in the series dealt with or were fashioned after infamous killers, Escaping From Houdini deviates from the pattern in that the Midnight Carnival, instead of a singular killer, is at the center of the mystery. But, in true Stalking Jack the Ripper series fashion, murder climbed aboard as well, causing them to scramble to solve a whole new deadly mystery. This time, instead of jumping into a carriage and fleeing the country, they hopped on a large ship set for America that has nightly performances by a group that calls themselves the Midnight Carnival.
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