I requested this novel as it had Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini in it and I thought it might prove interesting. But when I picked it up to read and reread the description on the DJ, I changed my mind. I knew I wouldn't like it and thought I'd skip it and just repost it here.
Boy, am I glad I didn't! I really enjoyed it and already have the second in this series on the way to me. I've just added another author to my long list of favorites.
One thing I liked about it was the occasional humorous comments tossed in every now and then, but not to the point where it overwhelmed the plot. Here are two examples, made by one of the main characters---an American.
"But English people don't pay much attention to the weather. If they did, they wouldn't live in England."
"Wealthy people kill each other all the time, Harry. It's what they do what they do when they're not counting their money."
This is a classic "locked room" mystery told in the classic British style, though written by an American. It is placed in an English country house, circa 1921 and has many plot twists and interesting characters, includint Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini with many sub-plots and several possible solutions. The answers are not revealed until the last few pages. I'd recommend it highly!
Walter Satterthwait is a real talent. I enjoy his underappreciated series about a New Mexico private eye, and I've enjoyed his later loose series of books using famous real people in recent history. Here it's Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
He puts them into an interesting situation, uses their unique talents, abilities, and eccentricities to craft an entertaining mystery.
I recommend this book.
Harry Houdini meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in this stately country home mystery set in the 1920s. Phil Beaumond, Houdini's bodyguard, has his hands full keeping his irrepressible boss away from the evil Chin Soo. A really fun book.
