Booklife, Publisher’s Weekly
Physician Gillespie (author of The Menopause Diet) presents a riveting forensic medical and anthropological investigation into the life and cause of death of escape artist Harry Houdini (Erik Weiss, 1874–1926). Reading like a good true crime podcast, Houdini is framed as a “story about how truth disappears—and why, sometimes, it takes science to bring it back.” Gillespie describes Houdini’s creation of a protective cover of deception he employed from his poverty-stricken childhood, when he refused to appear vulnerable, through his life as an illusionist, magician, and masterful self-promoter. Houdini’s demise was the final act in his need to perpetuate his own myth, along with his narcissism, belief in his own indestructibility, and the public’s willingness to believe him.
The book traces Houdini’s life from the last years of the vaudeville era that bowed to the glitz of Hollywood, his unraveling after his sainted mother’s death, and his hatred of fraudulent mediums and spiritualists who preyed on grieving families. Gillespie compiles a murder board of villains, doctors, and family members—loyalists and betrayers—who contributed to the myth surrounding Houdini’s death. Everything “known” about his death on Halloween in 1926 in Detroit is scrutinized: his diet, his injured foot, the alleged punch to the stomach by J. Gordon Whitehead, the peritonitis from his ruptured appendix, the actual date of his death, who really signed his death certificate, the affidavits of students Smilovitz and Price, and his lawyer invoking his double indemnity clause. Especially interesting is Houdini’s crusade against the spiritualist “Margery” (Mina Crandon), whose séances the escape artist strove to debunk.
Gillespie weaves an intricate web of historical, medical, psychological, and social elements into a convincing scientific conclusion. The liberally sprinkled photos, maps, newspaper clippings, and documents throughout lend credibility, and the confident, persuasive language glides swiftly along. Fans of Houdini, the vaudeville era, true crime, and forensic science will eagerly follow Gillespie’s sprawling trail.
Takeaway: Fascinating examination of the great Houdini’s mysterious end.
Comparable Titles: Ruth Brandon’s The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini, Elaine M. Kuzmeskus’s The Medium Who Baffled Houdini.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A