Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Harry Houdini in The Adenture of the Spook House by C. Michael Forsyth

When I saw the premise of this novel, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini working together to solve a murder mystery, I knew this was a novel that I had to read, and I’m glad that it didn’t disappoint. These historical figures seem very different types of people—and as seen in the novel they in fact were very different from each other—yet were still friends in real life. Houdini is plain-spoken, brash, and craved attention, whereas Doyle is much more refined, reserved, and intellectual. They both bring very interesting tools to the table in solving a mystery. Many of Houdini’s traits are physical and slight of the hand in nature, such as the ones that helped him escape from all of those straight jackets, whereas Doyle, as a mystery writer, can see the big picture, and the holes and flaws in theories.



When a prominent judge disappears in a mansion, Houdini and Doyle work together, along with a psychic with questionable legitimate skills, to solve the case. Doyle is convinced that the root of the case is supernatural in nature, whereas Houdini is a complete non-believer in the supernatural. Of the two, Houdini came off both as more likeable and more capable. He was clearly the driving force in solving the mystery, but the interaction between the two was very enjoyable to read. This was a fun novel, which I would highly recommend that works on a lot of different levels.