Books by
Iain Lawrence

THE GIANT-SLAYER

THE SÉANCE

THE CASTAWAYS

GEMINI SUMMER

THE CONVICTS

THE CANNIBALS

THE SÉANCE
by Iain Lawrence
Yearling/Random House Children’s Books
Hardcover: 9780385733755
Paperback: 9780440239703
Ages 8-12
272 pages

“I could still hear him in my mind as we motored home a little later. Sitting high on the Steamer’s seat, I thought I was maybe the only person in the world who figured things differently. For me, the case wasn’t closed at all. But, then, I was the only one who’d seen the old man running from the Orpheum. No one else had seen the false hair thrown down on the street or the figure fleeing toward the stairs at Viktor Valerian’s. No one else had gone through the Stranger’s pockets and found a hat-check stub from the Limelight Club. To me, it seemed likely that the Stranger was the one who’d jammed a lock on the torture tank.”

Scooter King and his mother lived the simple life of a psychic medium and assistant, but things got out of hand when Harry Houdini arrived at the Orpheum Theatre. Houdini was “the berries” as far as magicians went in Scooter’s mind. He wanted to meet the great escape artist more than anything in the world, but when his wish came true, both he and his mother, Madame King, became embroiled in a murder spree the likes of which their small town had never known. And it seemed like Scooter was the only person who could solve the murders. He didn’t know that associating with Houdini and solving murders could land both of them in a deadly pool of deceit and multiple attempts on their lives.

The Kings had a séance room at the front of their house. Here Madame King conducted meetings in which she contacted the spirits of the dead and relayed their messages to the living. They made a meager but sufficient living of telling visitors what they wanted to hear from their dearly departed loved ones. In 1926 Middle America, psychic readings and magic shows drew curious crowds and repeat audiences who tried to figure out how it was done or just wanted to see something strange.

Author Iain Lawrence captures the persona of the Roaring Twenties with well-chosen slang, clothing, settings and personalities that depict the romantic, free-spirited emotions of the era. From a billy-club-wielding police sergeant to a hat-check girl dressed in a fringed flapper dress, Lawrence weaves familiar markers into this story of murder and magic like a well-rehearsed performance. He never misses a beat or fails to explain the time period details that help move the action along. And there is plenty of action.

Undoubtedly, Lawrence’s personal history as a journalist is responsible as he supports THE SÉANCE using newspapers as a common theme throughout the book. The local paper plays an important role in the story. Headlines, advertisements, articles, photographs, the obituaries and gossip columns provide a scaffold as events unfold. The newspaper relays a great deal of information throughout the tale, and the concept serves as interesting glue bringing all the pieces together so that Scooter can solve the murders.

As usual, Lawrence has an amazing command of metaphor and simile that brings all the unusual sights and events into crystal-clear view. There’s no sleight of hand, however, when he lists some research titles in the afterword that will help those seeking more information on the subjects of psychic abilities and their history. Lawrence’s writing is always a literary delight to devour, and young readers will enjoy this family-rated romp through magic and mayhem and learn a bit about how the tricks are done.

        --- Reviewed by Joy Held

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