Escaping From Houdini

June 15, 2018
In the winter of 1889, a luxury cruise liner leaves Liverpool, England, with a murderer on board.When forensic scientist-in-training Audrey Rose Wadsworth boards the luxurious Etruria, she anticipates a much-needed vacation before joining a criminal investigation in New York. But a young woman is murdered, setting off a string of killings that forces Audrey Rose to practice her autopsy skills under the guidance of her uncle, a renowned forensic scientist, and in partnership with Thomas Creswell, her fellow apprentice and, she hopes, future husband. As the body count mounts, Audrey Rose goes undercover to investigate the onboard carnival helmed by a mysterious ringmaster, Mephistopheles. The deeper she goes, the more confused she becomes about the killer--and her own desires. Audrey Rose is a witty, resourceful feminist who refuses to bow to Victorian-era gender norms. The book's love triangle provides a steamy, consensual romance that refreshingly positions her as the arbiter of her own fate. Given the paucity of strong, biracial female characters, it is disappointing that no mention is made (as in a previous entry) of the fact that Audrey Rose has an Indian mother and a white father. The end reveal unsatisfyingly fails to fully describe her epiphany. Overall, though, this dark, gothic landscape is peopled with nuanced, diverse characters who keep readers enthralled.A gripping mystery with a compelling heroine and just the right touch of romance (Mystery. 15-adult)

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July 30, 2018
The third book in Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series is a Gothic-inspired mystery set against the glamorous backdrop of trans-Atlantic sea travel. Seventeen-year-old forensic student Audrey Rose travels to New York from Liverpool with her fellow apprentice (and secret fiancé) Thomas and her Uncle Jonathan, a physician under whom both study. Just as the cruise gets underway, privileged young woman passengers begin dying—and the deaths seem connected to the chilling, tarot card–based Moonlight Carnival entertaining guests on the cruise. As her cohort autopsies the women, and Audrey Rose investigates, she’s pulled into the world of the mysterious masked carnival ringmaster Mephistopheles and a performed sleight of hand that defies scientific explanation. With only days at sea, she must quickly discover the women’s causes of death—and whodunit—before she becomes the next victim. Blending old-fashioned sensibilities with a classic mystery, Maniscalco skillfully delivers social commentary to top off a gripping, detailed suspense story. Ages 15–up. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary.

August 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Fresh from attending a forensics school housed in the castle once home to Vlad the Impaler, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her soon-to-be betrothed, Thomas Cresswell, have set sail on a luxury cruise to America. The ship's entertainment, the Moonlight Carnival, boasts illusions, acrobatics, fire-eating, swordplay, and more, and is led by a promising young escape artist. But when a pattern of deaths begins to emerge, each with a tarot card left at the scene, Audrey Rose and Cresswell start to wonder if the Ringmaster of the Carnival may be involved. The pair launches into an investigation, but the Ringmaster's obvious interest in Audrey Rose, coupled with a midnight bargain, complicates that plan. Unlike the previous two works of the series, the cruise ship Etruria offers a more intimate setting. Period images of carnival life set the scene at the beginning of each chapter and vivid descriptions of the various parts of the vessel allow readers to easily imagine the different locations onboard. Displaying her usual fierce determination and progressive ideals, Audrey Rose is once again a compelling protagonist; her lingering distress over the previous cases of Jack the Ripper and Vlad the Impaler, along with her relationship with the Ringmaster muddling her formerly solid bond with Cresswell, serves to successfully develop her character arc across the three works of the series even further. VERDICT Another delightfully mysterious addition to the series. A strong choice for YA shelves.-Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University, SC

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