The Illusionist's Apprentice

Starred review from January 9, 2017
Cambron (Butterfly and the Violin) brilliantly weaves a tale of intrigue and history, using Houdini’s disdain for debates about magic vs. illusion as her premise. Stapleton, a vaudeville performer, debunked by Houdini as a fraud several years earlier, decides to restore his reputation by publicly bringing a man back to life 20 years after the man’s death. The performance, which takes place in the months after Houdini’s own death, is attended by Jenny “Wren” Lockhart, Houdini’s trusted apprentice and protégé. Stapleton summons the man to rise from the coffin, but shortly after he rises, before he is able to speak, the man promptly keels over dead—again. In the background watching this incident stand FBI agent Elliott Matthews and the wealthy widow Amber Dover, a colorful character who married into society but comes from a vaudeville background. Suspicious of both Wren and Amber, Elliott’s instincts lead him to investigate their potential involvement in the bizarre resurrection and potential murder. Wren unwittingly becomes entwined with FBI agent Elliot, initially to solve the case of what exactly happened to the “dead” man but eventually to pursue her budding affection for Elliot. Cambron’s lithe prose pulls together past and present and her attention to historical detail grounds the narrative to the last breathtaking moments.

March 15, 2017

Illusionist acts contain many secrets, and no one knows this better than Jenny "Wren" Lockhart, unconventional assistant to the famed Harry Houdini. After Houdini's death in 1926, she finds herself in the unexpected position of defending one of the fake spiritualists whom Houdini had debunked during his lifetime. After a public illusion goes fatally wrong, performer Horace Stapleton is charged with his client's murder. When another victim turns up, Wren teams with FBI agent Elliot Matthews to find the killer. Cambron's extraordinary attention to historical detail creates a 1920s Boston setting that is as real as the characters who inhabit it. The twisty plot's palpable tension rises to an almost unbearable level before the surprise ending. VERDICT Cambron (The Ringmaster's Wife) has written a gripping tale of suspense that will please her growing fan base.

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