Spirit Sleuths

Description

Spirit Sleuths
by Gail Jarrow

ISBN: 9781662680236
Hardcover, new

Brief Description:
The latest from acclaimed author Gail Jarrow reveals how
magicians—including Harry Houdini and his team of investigators—exposed
fake mediums who exploited the vulnerable and gullible in the early
twentieth century. After millions of people died during World War I and
from the 1918 influenza pandemic, the popularity of Spiritualism soared.
Desperate to communicate with their dead loved ones, the bereaved fell prey
to extortion by fraudulent mediums and fortune-tellers. But magician Harry
Houdini wasn’t fooled. He recognized the scammers’ methods as no more than
conjurer’s tricks. Angered by the way people were exploited, Houdini set
out to expose the ghost hoaxes. In his stage show, he revealed the
fraudsters’ techniques, and he used a team of undercover investigators to
collect proof of séance deceptions. His head secret agent was a young New
York private detective and disguise expert, Rose Mackenberg—a woman who
continued her ghost-busting career for decades, long after Houdini’s death
in 1926. Ideal for young readers and adults who are drawn to the worlds of
psychics and magicians, this riveting book uncovers a little-known chapter
in American history and details the ways people were (and still are)
deceived by mediums and fortune-tellers.

Target Age Group: Ages 10 to 17, Grades 5 to 12