The Séance (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Séance Elizabeth Bush Lawrence, Iain; The Séance. Delacorte, 2008; [272p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-385-90392-9 $18.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-385-73375-5 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5–8 When vaudeville performer Herman Day is found drowned backstage in Harry Houdini’s Burmese Torture Tank, it’s not at all clear whether he or Houdini was the intended victim. Scooter King, breathless Houdini fan and discoverer of the body, is determined to solve the mystery, which has stymied the arrogant but bumbling police. Scooter’s mission is complicated by the fact that his mother, Madame King, is a fairly well known local medium, and all mediums are currently under the scrutiny of Houdini and a committee from the Scientific American, which offers a reward to any spiritualist who can convince the examiners that s/he is the real deal. Master storyteller Lawrence is no stranger to the supernatural, having successfully woven shadowy and eerie elements into his war stories Lord of the Nutcracker Men (BCCB 10/01) and B for Buster (BCCB 9/04), and therefore it’s hard to imagine how such delectable themes as Houdini, murder mystery, and spiritualism could go amiss. Unfortunately, this embarrassment of literary riches overburdens the plot and none of the elements gets the attention it deserves, as Scooter variously hops and stumbles from one suspicion or revelation to the next and Madame King brings up the rear as a sort of comic relief in her leaky Stanley Steamer. If the murder mystery is a bit of a fizzle, the medium exposé fares considerably better, delivering a satisfyingly taut climax in which Scooter and Houdini must escape from a sealed, flooded basement. This may not be Lawrence’s strongest performance, but with Harry Houdini on the bill, he shouldn’t have much trouble drawing an audience. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois