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A review by thebookworm_queen
Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
5.0
Initial Reaction: Me:Ugh, omg this book!
My Mom:I'm guessing it wasn't a happy ending??
Me: No it was a good ending but this is only the ARC version!
As it says in the conversation of my “Initial Reaction” this review is on the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Escaping From Houdini. I was lucky enough to get my hands on it because my Dad met her when he was at Comic Con. That being said if you don't follow the author, Kerri Maniscalco, on Instagram you may not be aware that this edition has a different ending from the one that is to be published!
So let the record show my review is on the ARC of EFH!
Now on with the review!
Maniscalco first won my heart with Hunting Prince Dracula, she swept me off my feet with Stalking Jack the Ripper ( I read these out of order, you can read about the results of that in my review of HPD) and now I'm happy to say our love affair continues!
In Escaping From Houdini we follow our favorite forensic crime fighting duo Wadsworth and Cresswell as they make their journey to New York on the RMS Etruria. It is on this ocean liner that magic & mayhem occur!
The “magic” is in the author's writing. I admire her ability to make the mystery so effortless; in that she was able to create a dynamic mystery based off of a simple motivations. Of course the best mysteries have the simplest motivations because they may be simple but they are always emotional; that's what we have in Escaping From Houdini. Emotion is what drives our killer as well as our detectives in more ways than one creating plenty of mayhem that plays with our hearts!
Honestly I found my heart breaking throughout the entirety of this book because of the torment Maniscalco put me through! All I can say is: poor Cresswell.
Not only did my heart break, but its rate went up and it's thump thump thump could be heard for miles. The cause were the stunts and acts that were depicted. Throughout the story the Moonlight Carnival serves as the entertainment on the ship (or at least it tries) and each night a new and terrifying act is performed. With so much detail provided I felt like I was right there sitting next to Wadsworth as she enjoyed the spectacle of the show. But I also experienced her horror as the bodies piled up! It was beautiful and gruesome... beautifully gruesome?
To say the least Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco took me on an emotional rollercoaster but I'd ride this rollercoaster again because it was thrilling! One of her best yet as she created much needed conflict between Cresswell and Wadsworth to develop them as a couple! Along with the romantic drama there was a well devised mystery that was real head scratcher! Romance+Mystery x Ocean liner of doom = A 5 on The Princess Scale
My Mom:I'm guessing it wasn't a happy ending??
Me: No it was a good ending but this is only the ARC version!
As it says in the conversation of my “Initial Reaction” this review is on the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Escaping From Houdini. I was lucky enough to get my hands on it because my Dad met her when he was at Comic Con. That being said if you don't follow the author, Kerri Maniscalco, on Instagram you may not be aware that this edition has a different ending from the one that is to be published!
So let the record show my review is on the ARC of EFH!
Now on with the review!
Maniscalco first won my heart with Hunting Prince Dracula, she swept me off my feet with Stalking Jack the Ripper ( I read these out of order, you can read about the results of that in my review of HPD) and now I'm happy to say our love affair continues!
In Escaping From Houdini we follow our favorite forensic crime fighting duo Wadsworth and Cresswell as they make their journey to New York on the RMS Etruria. It is on this ocean liner that magic & mayhem occur!
The “magic” is in the author's writing. I admire her ability to make the mystery so effortless; in that she was able to create a dynamic mystery based off of a simple motivations. Of course the best mysteries have the simplest motivations because they may be simple but they are always emotional; that's what we have in Escaping From Houdini. Emotion is what drives our killer as well as our detectives in more ways than one creating plenty of mayhem that plays with our hearts!
Honestly I found my heart breaking throughout the entirety of this book because of the torment Maniscalco put me through! All I can say is: poor Cresswell.
Not only did my heart break, but its rate went up and it's thump thump thump could be heard for miles. The cause were the stunts and acts that were depicted. Throughout the story the Moonlight Carnival serves as the entertainment on the ship (or at least it tries) and each night a new and terrifying act is performed. With so much detail provided I felt like I was right there sitting next to Wadsworth as she enjoyed the spectacle of the show. But I also experienced her horror as the bodies piled up! It was beautiful and gruesome... beautifully gruesome?
To say the least Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco took me on an emotional rollercoaster but I'd ride this rollercoaster again because it was thrilling! One of her best yet as she created much needed conflict between Cresswell and Wadsworth to develop them as a couple! Along with the romantic drama there was a well devised mystery that was real head scratcher! Romance+Mystery x Ocean liner of doom = A 5 on The Princess Scale