About the Book- Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly.
But then, privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea.
It’s up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer’s horrifying finale?
“Sometimes we choose not to see things we know are true, simply because we wish to keep the fantasy of what could have been alive,”
Read on for our review of the book Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
Our Review of Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
What happened throughout the two books that made Audrey Rose so annoying? I have been a massive fan ( and still am) of this series but do you know why I have such an obsession with the series? Thomas Cresswell. He is the reason why I have been so addicted and keen on this series and do you know who gets more tormented in this book? Thomas Cresswell. So why wouldn’t I be pissed? The setting of Escaping from Houdini was a fun surprise and in my opinion a nice quirky touch and extension of the series. So basically the third book in the series takes place right after everything culminated in the previous one ( remember Dracula !) and now when Audrey and Thomas are returning home for probably the fourth book to happen. So this book is happening while they are on a journey on a cruise ship. I say brilliant! genius!
Ok coming back to my main point. The reason why I am annoyed at Audrey Rose is that somehow I felt that the entire book was basically a constant attempt at cleaning the mess that Audrey Rose manages to make. She is continuously stirring trouble or else paving the way for one pushing my dear Thomas into trouble and Trauma. Oh, my poor lad! Basically, I am a little concerned and worried about the character arc for Audrey Rose and what the author is planning for the romance in the book. Because I tell you ..this is one girl who can’t stay put.
Now that I have exhibited enough of my dramas let’s get into the book. In all seriousness, I am actually a bit worried about the character arc because I do see a bit of character change in Rose and not in a good way but then again the breaks that I had between the books of this series have been massive so I can’t be fully justified due to my memory being my greatest nemesis.
Rest assured you could pick up this book as it deals with a story specific to this book so you can enjoy it even without having read previous ones. The trouble will be that you might miss out on some references that they bring up from previous books but that shouldn’t hamper the plot that is going on in the current book. A general understanding of what happened in the previous book will help though. Fans of the series, if you are like me and had wanted to see more of Rose and Thomas, you will be disappointed just like me. Yes, they are very much in the book, don’t worry still in love, but this book has officially taken that to a very far far land.
Trust me I had loved the same treatment in the previous books but I felt that this book had taken it even far leaving us readers looking forward to their romance absolutely, malnutritioned.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you have been a fan of the series, why stop now? complete the course. I was disappointed with the character treatments and their arc but since that is not what you should judge a book by, so I will say that this book too delivers a twisty, dark thriller plot. Keeps you engaged and entertained.
Squirrel Rating
