Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781662680236)

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 s饌nce 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.

Author: Gail Jarrow
ISBN-10: 1662680236
ISBN-13: 9781662680236
Publisher: Calkins Creek Books
Language: English
Published: 09/10/2024
Pages: 176
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs