Up until ‘Houdini,’ Audrey Rose defied most of the morals of the period but still had a less than progressive mindset when it came to romantic rendezvous. Spoiler alert: I am ABYSMAL at the snap change card trick mentioned in the book. Research included learning the science/mechanics behind magic tricks, which was a huge challenge since magicians don’t really want their illusions shattered. In this story, I was excited to explore the engineering side of science and math along with forensics. Great question! Audrey Rose’s father crafts mechanical toys, and it’s something she’s always been fascinated by. How did your research and writing process change from those first two novels to this one?

The first two novels in the series were very history and lore-heavy, where ‘Escaping from Houdini’ feels more mystical and dark arts-focused. (The real-life killer is lesser known, and any Googling would have ruined the grand reveal.)Ģ. My biggest reason for using Houdini was to avoid spoiling the murderer, though. Our fearless characters are trying to escape this ship with their lives, and Audrey Rose is also hoping one character will escape from Houdini’s romantic clutches… I had fun using Houdini’s title as the escape king as a play on words in the book’s title. Back then I’d envisioned using Tesla as the main historical figure, but there’s a movie that features him and a carnival, so I started researching Houdini instead. (Because who isn’t terrified of actual killer clowns?!) After talking with my editor, we decided to shift that subject to book three. Haha, I like to keep readers guessing! Honestly, I’d planned for Audrey Rose and Thomas to investigate a murder-filled carnival in the second book.

What inspired you to tackle Houdini (who wasn’t a historical criminal/killer like those previous two) next? First was Jack the Ripper, then came Dracula. As always, Kerri didn’t disappoint with her behind-the-scenes look at what did and didn’t make it into the book, as well as deeper insights into her characters’ choices within the pages of the series. We got the chance to ask Kerri some questions that we were dying to know after finishing Escaping from Houdini.

Escaping from houdini kerri maniscalco