The Harry Houdini Mysteries: The Dime Museum Murders
Inspector Clouseau meets Sherlock Holmes.
A little fun never hurt anyone, did it? Mix in a healthy serving of mystery, a heaping spoonful of historical fiction and a peppering of magic (or should I say sleight-of-hand?) and you have got Daniel Stashower’s Harry Houdini Mysteries: The Dime Museum Murders
Set in the early days of Houdini’s performing days, Stashower depicts the entertainer as an arrogant, bumbling, hilariously flaky prima donna with an unperfected stage presence and a knack for offending anyone who did not instantly bow down and worship him as the “Great Houdini.” Struggling for respect and stage time in a glorified freak show, Houdini is unexpectedly summoned by the New York Police to help solve the murder of a local toy tycoon, allegedly murdered by a magic trick.
Stashower manages to create a comfortable reading experience for his audience – fun, mischievous, humorous – by no means intellectual or heavy – just an amusing mindless pleasure read or, in honor of the upcoming season, a “beach read.” There is no apparent underlying meaning or political agenda in Stashower’s book, but simply an airy means of amusement by which the reader is able to partake in a bit of frivolity in their unoccupied hours.
Stashower’s use of historical context and creative character sketching gives the story a sense of credibility and legitimacy while he weaves fact and fiction in a series of outrageous events to which his protagonists are ruthlessly exposed. Whether it be the sheer superciliousness of the character Houdini himself, or the plight of his younger brother for a sense of sanity as they all but gnaw their way into show business, the reader is able to enjoy the overall dynamic of murder mystery meets witty humor without the imposition of an overly complicated story.
I do not expect Stashower will be awarded any type of prize for his work, but I can certainly imagine the books being made into a Hollywood movie – the kind where a hilarious, slap –stick protagonist is thrust into a sobering crime scene investigation and ends up the unlikely hero, earning respect while still remaining endearingly dim-witted. The storyline is simple enough that it would translate well on screen and would be a refreshing break from the 8,000 vampire movies that have commandeered the box office.
Overall, I must say I enjoyed the book. It certainly was no groundbreaking work of fiction, but an overall delight to read. Stashower has sidestepped any pressure of political agenda or social statement in his writing and seems to have managed to keep his story simply for the purpose of entertaining. Stashower’s writing is clever, fluffy and uniquely narrated from a third part point of view a la Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights (minus the intensity.) In its genre, I would consider this book to be of first rate entertainment.
