Kerri Maniscalco’s Escaping from Houdini dives into the world of the Midnight Carnival aboard the RMS Etruria and the dangers of succumbing to one’s own illusions. (minor spoilers!)

Escaping from Houdini, the third installment of the popular Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco, shifts from eerie to mystical while keeping its dark and gruesome tone throughout. Each book in the series is a contained historical murder mystery, leaning heavily towards a thriller with a macabre undertone that is both ominous and ensnaring.

The series follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, who studies forensic medicine with help from her uncle. The daughter of a reclusive lord, she had lived a sheltered life before the events in Stalking Jack the Ripper.

During a time where it was unbecoming of a woman to have such gruesome interests, Audrey Rose’s passion for forensic science makes her a feminist of her time, seeking freedom from the proverbial cage that she’s been in her entire life.

Progressive thinking in a time before women were able to vote and they weren’t allowed to go out unaccompanied, Audrey Rose’s independence stands out as she uncovers murder after murder throughout the series.

There are minor spoilers below in regards to character decisions, but not major plot points or reveals so if you haven’t read Escaping from Houdini yet, take heed!

Escaping from Houdini takes place on the RMS Etruria, keeping the setting more contained than the first two books in the series. In a time prior to the sinking of the Titanic, it is an interesting dive into what life would have been like on an ocean liner during the Victorian Era.

Adding a traveling carnival into the mix gives a sense of wonderment to the book, and with each death shown out in the open as if part of the show is immersive and drags the reader along for the ride as Audrey Rose infiltrates the carnival in an attempt to uncover the murderer.

All bets are off as she leaves Thomas Cresswell, her beau and partner in solving the murders in the first two books, in the dark as she gets close to the leader of the Midnight Carnival, Mephistopheles. Their trust in each other is put to the test, and I couldn’t help but get swept away in the storytelling and believability of Audrey Rose’s undercover persona.

Going undercover means a complete submersion into a life that isn’t yours, which can be intoxicating and freeing, and Audrey Rose succumbs to her Midnight Carnival persona in a way that is subtle in its reveal, so much so that the reader could no longer tell where the illusion began and ended.

This magnifies the brilliance behind this shift in Audrey Rose’s characterization. The books are from her point of view, and as the story unfolded, I could sense a difference in the decisions she was making but didn’t account for the fact that she was crafting a new persona for herself in regards to the Midnight Carnival and uncovering the murderer.

Early on in Escaping from Houdini, she asks Thomas to trust her. He does, but I did not, and after taking the time to think about objectively, I have a deeper understanding with why Audrey Rose acted the way that she did. It is a testament to Kerri’s storytelling that I was too emotionally invested to think clearly and subjectively at the plot while reading, which was the point.

Taking a step back from my all too emotional feelings regarding Thomas Cresswell and his Sherlockian penchant for deduction and ability to be both dashing and insufferable at the same time, we must remember that this story is Audrey Rose’s.

In the aftermath of both Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula, Audrey Rose isn’t invulnerable to all that she’s been through in a short amount of time. She and Thomas have only known each other for a couple of months and in that time they not only caught two murderers, but have almost died multiple times themselves.

Kerri manages to expertly handle both Audrey Rose’s and Thomas’ signs of PTSD due to the events in the previous books. Just because Audrey Rose is able to push through trauma as it is happening doesn’t mean it doesn’t haunt her daily.

Though Audrey Rose loses herself in her own illusion for a short time, Thomas’ trust in Audrey cements his feelings as that trust is put to the test throughout the book. Whether that trust is shattered or not remains to be seen, though my hopes are high. Needless to say I was on the edge of my seat until the very end of the book, holding my breath as the plot and murderer reveal unfolded with each turn of the page.

The fourth book couldn’t come soon enough, with tension high and stakes even higher, I cannot wait to see what happens next for both Audrey Rose and Thomas in America. When we think of the Victorian Era, we tend to think of what England was like during that time and not the United States.

I’m interested in seeing what differences in etiquette there will be with the setting shift. In May I wrote about Audrey Rose’s feminism under the harsh dictation of etiquette during the Victorian Era, and while on the RMS Etruria we already saw quite a shift in the strict protocol of the first two books.

Be sure to check out the paperback editions of both Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula, which have chapters written in Thomas’ point of view, and letters between Thomas and his sister regarding his feelings towards Audrey Rose, respectively.

Barnes & Noble has an exclusive version of Escaping from Houdini with an extra chapter in it, so if you collect special editions or haven’t purchased your copy yet, Barnes & Noble is a good choice of retailer!

Related: Be sure to check out our recent interview with Kerri about Escaping from Houdini!