When choosing this book, I didn't really know what to expect. I don't want to give much away but I will say this: like most people, I have heard of Harry Houdini and his amazing escapes from handcuffs, straight-jackets and more but I had no idea how he was involved in psychical research. I also had no idea how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of Sherlock Holmes fame, was one of the biggest advocates of psychics.
Within a day of starting this book, I had already learned so much that I ran an entire paranormal category on Jeopardy! I thought it had a ton of information, was well-written and incredibly interesting.
My only complaints about the book is that it references pictures that were taken during the research but we don't get to see any of them within the book. Also, the author keeps referring to the woman on the cover as a blonde but she looks like a brunette to me in the few photos they included of her. So really, no major complaints. I suppose wanting to know more about the subject is a good thing. I realize that not everything makes the cut when a book is edited and/or there are pictures that can't be used due to quality. Some of the ones they did use were a bit blurry but they were also taken in the 1920s.
I would definitely recommend this book. It gave me a glimpse into the psychic craze of the 1920s and how scientists (and Houdini) went about trying to prove or disprove mediums.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions, and the picture above, are my own.
