Escaping From Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #3)

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 travelling 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?

• ISBN10: 0316551724
• ISBN13: 9780316551724
• Publish Date: 26 September 2019 (first published 18 September 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joni Reads]

As whole- I love this series. I love the setting, the characters, the rich descriptions of the time period. In that instance this book is a solid 5 stars. So why 4 stars?

Well, I feel like the actual storyline of this book just didn't do it for me. I felt myself rushing through to finish it instead of enjoying the journey. I didn't connect with the characters as much this time. There is a slight love triangle aspect and if you have read any of my other reviews then you probably can figure out that my least favorite trope is love triangles. I mean, let's face it- I'm at 32 year old woman. Love triangles are a little too angsty for me.

So while I loved the author's descriptiveness- I literally had to remind myself that she didn't live in the 1800s and wasn't writing based on first hand experience. That's how amazing her setting was.

My issue was with the part of the storyline that focused on the romance. And I understand that every book in the series can't be Audrey Rose and Thomas in love and struggling to do things that are appropriate for their time era so she needed something new to keep the romance intrguing. But at the end of the day I didn't care about the love triangle because we all know Audrey Rose and Thomas is the end game. So reading about her being interested in anyone else really felt like a waste of time.

The entire Moonlight Carnival storyline felt very reminiscent of Caraval which I loved. Down to the little details about tarot and cartomancy- it almost made the book feel like a mashup of the two series.

I still cannot wait to read the last book in this series and I will read anything else this author comes out with for sure.

Keep in mind- this is my personal opinion. I completely understand why the storyline is the way that it is- I just didn't like it.

[Mad Soul Child]

Эта часть пожалуй послабее предыдущих, но романтический треугольник меня захватил полностью. Officially одна из моих любимых серий

[kalventure]

*sighs* As much as it pains me to say it... I was disappointed with this book. In terms of the mystery's plotting, Maniscalco did an incredible job crafting a good mystery that kept me guessing. But what I enjoy most about the series is the characters.

I still adore Thomas Cresswell. Probably even more after this book for his unwavering support of Audrey Rose, never wanting to force her into anything. To be quite frank, she doesn't deserve him. I think the minor annoyances that I felt with her in Hunting Prince Dracula (namely how mean she is to Thomas as she struggles with her grief and PTSD), she seems to have undergone a personality change in this book. Was she always this dense?

We have a love triangle. Which in and of itself is fine: I enjoy a little bit of angst and the pull. But I really don't like how this played out. It felt like the whole plot was to prove Audrey Rose loves Thomas, but in the process she continues to lie to him, hurting him.

I didn't buy the whole need for her deal with Mephistopheles, either. For as much as she wants her own freedom, she sure is willing to cage her beloved cousin. She may not be as good at deduction as Thomas, but the deal she made was bizarre and anyone would have noticed... and it hurt that she hid so much from Thomas when they promised to be honest with each other. Plus, Thomas was barely in the book and that made me sad.

I'll still finish the series, but I am really disappointed with how flippant to Thomas' feelings Audrey Rose is and how manufactured the whole plot felt. Thomas was barely present, and that made me realize that I don't like Audrey Rose much as a main character after the first book. It's hard to root for someone who makes questionable decisions that felt very contrived for the plot and out of character.

Audiobook notes: As with the prior books in the series, Nicola Barber did an amazing job; I honestly think the audiobook was the best part of this reading experience.

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, gore, murder, sexism

[zooloo1983]

I have to say I think this might quite frankly be my favourite so far in terms of the settings and the thrill! I love the dynamic with Audrey-Rose and Thomas in this book, however, and it’s one bugbear, I did not like a potential love triangle ever slightly thrown into the mix. To me, Audrey and Thomas’ love is so pure and on such an even keel that you do forget that they are only young and probably are too young to be settling down. However, I have not found two characters in a book so well met and suited. Every bit of banter and sleight of tongue was met with a smile on my face they fit together perfectly. So that was my bugbear, the rest of the book was fantastic!

Again, set mere weeks after the last book, you are wondering if Audrey-Rose and Thomas may have a breather. They are on the RMS Etruria, on a week-long voyage to America to help assist Audrey’s Uncle on a case. Whilst relaxing in first class, they are treated to a circus act during dinner where things turn rather….deadly.

With being confined on a boat and women going missing, it intensifies the claustrophobia. Literally, in the middle of a vast ocean, people dying, knowing there is a murderer on the ship, who do you trust? Who can you trust? What could be more terrifying than that? It made the fear in the passengers more palpable, and I know Escaping from Houdini is set years before the sinking of the Titanic, I still could not stop worrying about it!

I love how each book focuses on a new infamous person, this time with “Harry” Houdini. He did not feature as much as I would have hoped, and Maniscalco said at the end of the book she had changed parts of his history to fit with the story. This did not affect the story in any way, because it was exciting to see him perform his escapes on the boat. I love the circus, so I was drawn straight away to the Illusionist and the rest of the Moonlight Carnival. I mean this sounds so mystical and to be honest sinister add the boat and you do have a recipe for disaster.

I have to shout out to Nicola Barber AGAIN! She just blows my mind with her narrations!! Every time I listen, I forget it is her doing all the voices, you feel like there is a team of people with her. She gets every emotion spot on, she can ramp up the mystery and horror all with her voice. Even if you are not interested in the book, you should listen just for her!!


Check out a snippet here!
Mephistopheles is a new and exciting character in this instalment. Albeit I did not like the love triangle side of things but had Audrey been as free as she would like they would have made a great pairing. (Still Thomas for me!) He too is a scientist of sorts, so this appeals to Audrey as she undertakes a secret mission to work with him to help his carnival and to find the true murderer. The retorts between Mephistopheles and Thomas were fun to read, but at the same time, I will always be #teamThomas and was not impressed with the way he was being treated and portrayed.

Buuuutttt on the flip side of this, the conflict Audrey goes through shows very real and human emotions. Her heart is for Thomas, but the excitement and danger with Mephistopheles opened her eyes to what could lay in the future? Causing doubt and conflict in both her heart and mind left the reader feeling a bit bereft to what she might follow. How could Audrey doubt everything she had been through with Thomas, after a few days of being in the company of Mephistopheles. Hrmph! Oh! and the other bugbear, there was not enough Thomas Cresswell in this book!

Saying all of the above, yes the love story was a chunk of this story, but the gruesome murders and the thrill of playing detective is still such a pivotal role in this book. The boat itself is such a huge character in the story, discovering new ways to stay hidden. Who is feeding the animals part of the human remains? Who is staging the murders to look like the tarot cards? More importantly, and a little bit more scary to think about… Were there two murderers?

Well the last question, we will not get an answer to until September when the last book in the series Capturing the Devil is released. I might cry at this!!

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: 4 solid stars

I love this series a ridiculous amount ! This was my favorite I think? Hrm I think it’s just that for some reason book 2 bored me quite more often than I’d like.

This book was... something else. An amazing experience for me, truly an adventure as always!

Until next time, CressWorth ;-)

Oh, how I love the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. The first book started wonderfully, the second one had a better plot, and the third one showed that our precious characters make dumb mistakes because they are human and not perfect. Don't mistake me. I hated the sudden romance between Audrey Rose and Mephistopheles. Yet, I did understand why it was in this book. I did not see it as a love triangle since there was no question that the sudden fling was anything more than that, a temporary fling. Kerri Maniscalco portrayed the characters as they were. Audrey Rose has always been intrigued by danger and pushing the boundaries of her freedom. Her betrothal to Thomas would not change that part of her in a few days. I understand how she thought she was doing the right thing but still walked into Mephistopheles trap of flirtation.
However, I do believe that she should have communicated more with Thomas. As often in books, a large part of the drama could have been avoided if they had just communicated. Often when they found themselves together, it wasn't the best timing to talk about their relationship, but they could have done more in their power to make time for each other and talk about their relationship and the secrets that were keeping them apart.

The murder mystery in this book was done a lot better than it was in previous books. In Stalking Jack the Ripper, I could tell who the murderer would be halfway through the story, and in this book, I couldn't fit the clues together until a few paragraphs before the reveal. I definitely see improvement in Kerri Maniscalco's writing, storytelling, and suspense building. The whole murder mystery on a boat where no one could leave made the world small, but the danger felt incredibly real. There were only so many possibilities to who could be our murderer, but everyone acted so suspiciously.
It frustrated me that both Audrey Rose and Thomas did not investigate Dr. Arden more. He was clearly acting suspicious, but they only cared about the circus. It felt out of place for their characters, who would normally investigate any strange behavior, no matter what other people told them to do.

In the end, I guess that the characters felt a little out of place compared to the other books, and there was definitely a lack of communication on Audrey Rose's part. This did not take away of the suspense and mystery in this book and I loved the story. The ending was heartbreaking, and I am wondering if the next book will crush our loves for Audrey Rose and Thomas, or if we will indeed get that highly anticipated wedding, even if they have only known each other for just a few months.

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

~*Review first appeared on The Bent Bookworm!*~

“Truth is a blade. Brutal and ice cold. It cuts. Sometimes when spoken carelessly it even scars."

Escaping from Houdini (Book #3 in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series) was one of my most anticipated books of the entire year. I absolutely adored the first two – which, if you haven’t read and have the slightest interest in doing so STOP READING because there will be spoilers for those two books – and so I was delighted to find out that the original planned trilogy was being expanded to four. Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell…I can’t get enough of them, or the deliciously creepy situations their forensic passion leads them into! That said, I have to admit this book was my least favorite of the series so far.

^Sorry, this is what I was thinking of through the first few chapters.

I really do hate to say it, but in some ways it feels completely unnecessary…like why spend an entire book on the trans-oceanic voyage from Europe to America? I understand it makes for a really creepy atmostphere, when people are being MURDERED and you know for absolutely certain they are on the ship with you and no way to get off of it in the middle of the ocean…but still. Anyway, maybe that’s just me, and I’m butt-hurt because I was really looking forward to seeing what they did in America and also seeing how the series ended.

//SMALL POTENTIAL SPOILERS for character-type stuff, not plot//

My People

Other than the maybe-not-necessary part of my feelings on the book…OMG WADSWORTH. What happened?!? Where did the stalwart, strong-minded girl I knew go? What…just what. Here, maybe a screenshot of my actual agony as I read will help:

Not only was she suddenly needing smelling salts, but the way she treated Thomas…I really struggle to accept that it was justified. In the grand scheme of things, I understand why she did it. She put trying to find the killer and figure out what was going on ahead of her own feelings, but in the process I really feel she treated Thomas as if he was just an automaton without any kind of emotion. It felt like a kick to the stomach. And, as we all remember (riiiiight, you did read the other books), for all his cold, calculating, analytical brain cells, our boy does actually have a heart a few fibers of insecurity running through it. Now, in an author note at the end, Kerri Maniscalco actually addresses this entire issue, and WHY Wadsworth acted the way she did. I get it. I’m just not completely on board with it and I feel like it quite possibly forever altered her relationship with Thomas. Can relationships recover from setbacks? Absolutely. Do they? Sometimes. So I guess we will just have to wait and see in book four…HOW am I going to wait another year??

Plot

“This isn’t the first time you’ve removed a cravat, is it?”
“It would be the first time I used it to strangle someone, though.”

The mystery aspect of this one wasn’t as hair-raising as either one of the other two books. Enjoyable, yes, and I didn’t have a very good theory until about 65-75% of the way through the book (perhaps because I was so hung up over Wadsworth and Cresswell’s woes). It was very flashy and atmospheric but not all that exciting. After the first couple of bodies you kinda/sorta knew what to expect.

The “show” aspect was interesting and really gave a different flavor to the setting than you would expect from a ship. It was very circus-y and all the minor characters introduced created ALL kinds of red herrings and hangups.

Things That Did Surprise Me

“Be cautious with who you give your heart to. And be even more wary of those who wish to steal it.”

First, totally did not see the cousin thing coming. That was intriguing and really added another layer to the story. Next, do not go into this expecting Houdini to play a large part. The title is somewhat misleading. Third, WHO THE HELL is this circus master dude and WTF is he playing at (this question is mostly answered by the end but geez I hated this guy’s guts for most of the book). Fourth, I still adore Mrs. Harvey. I don’t think I mentioned her in my other reviews, but she is just the absolute BEST with her “nightcaps” and look-the-other way style of chaperoning.

Overall, I’m giving Escaping from Houdini 3.5 stars. I really wanted to give it 4 but it just bummed me out too much, between the “meh” mystery factor and the “ACK!!” relationship factor.

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Omg my heart.
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OMG LOOK AT THAT COVER. Freakin' killing me here. 3

[alisoninbookland]

Enjoyable but definitely my least favorite.

[Chelsea]

Wow was that ever disappointing.

Besides the boring plot that couldn’t hold my attention, it felt like this was a part of a whole different series. Our awesome crime solving duo was no longer a duo in this book. For some reason a weird love triangle was thrown in and Thomas was pushed out of the story a little. As the best character I was disappointed and frustrated by the lack of his character. I did like Mephistopheles as a character. He was interesting in an otherwise boring plot, but his use as part of the love triangle was boring and unnecessary.

The plot itself, mainly the mystery, was messy. In the first two books I had fun trying to figure out who the murderer was but while I technical guessed very early on in EFH I was always unsure because nothing made any sense. Even at the end when it was revealed it still didn’t make any sense to me. The author created this wonderful and magic atmosphere and didn’t use it to its full potential.

I might give book 4 a chance but I’m not confident it can bring this series back.

** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

I thought Stalking Jack the Ripper was just okay when I read it before publication in 2016. I didn't expect to give the rest of a series a chance, but had a change of heart and ended up really enjoying Hunting Prince Dracula earlier this year. Of course, I had to read Escaping From Houdini and was lucky enough to get an ARC from a friend! I'm not sure what changed for me between the first book and the other two, but the series definitely got better for me.

Escaping From Houdini follows Audrey Rose and Thomas onto a luxury ocean liner on the way to New York and into a world of mystery and magic. There's a new serial killer and a new mystery to solve and, as usual, it's not who you'd expect. I really enjoyed the relationship between Audrey Rose and Thomas in this book. It was interesting to see their relationship a bit more mature and how they withstood their first real tests as a couple.

Speaking of, Mephistopheles was easily my favorite character in Escaping From Houdini! He was mysterious and handsome and a bit swoon-worthy. I loved the way he challenged Audrey Rose and brought out a different side of her. This book does feel like it has a bit of a love triangle, but I found it totally realistic. It isn't uncommon at all for a relationship to be tested by outside forces and I can totally see the temptation of Mephistopheles as the tall, dark, and handsome mysterious stranger. I would love to read an entire book about him!

There are other new important characters here as well. Audrey Rose's cousin Liza was a fun addition to the crew and it was nice to have another woman around. Her relationship with Houdini was fascinating and I would definitely read their book as well! Houdini, surprisingly, isn't a huge presence in this book, but I did enjoy the few times he was on the page. His death-defying acts were particularly fun to read about!

But let's talk murder mystery. While I think I enjoyed the setting of the castle in Hunting Prince Dracula best, this was a close second. I've always had a fear of being stuck on a ship with nowhere to escape and this really played to that fear. It was also very strange that the cruise just went on as usual despite people being killed daily. It just didn't seem very believable. That being said, the murderer just didn't inspire the terror that I'd hoped they would. Their motives were a bit iffy for me and I'm not sure all of their actions made sense. Still, the mystery kept me guessing and I was mildly surprised when the mask came off.

I really enjoyed Escaping From Houdini and I'm glad I continued the series! There are definitely flaws with this book over the previous one, but the carnival and ship setting made it a fun ride anyway. As far as the Stalking Jack the Ripper series goes, this one falls to the middle of the pack. If you enjoyed the first two, this will probably be a good read for you also!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars