The Adventure of the Ectoplasmic Man

by Daniel Stashower

Book Overview

When Harry Houdini is framed and jailed for espionage, Sherlock Holmes vows to clear his name, with the two joining forces to take on blackmailers who have targeted the Prince of Wales. It's a case... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688041892
• ISBN13: 9780688041892
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 203 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Adventure of the Ectoplasmic Man

Plot: Magician Daniel Stashower claims he found this unpublished manuscript in the house of a magic expert who once knew Harry Houdini. It's accompanied by a letter from Dr. John H. Watson to Bess Houdini, dated shortly after her husband's death. The evidence starts of flimsy enough: Lestrade consults Holmes to find out if Houdini can reduce his body to ectoplasm- the matter spirits are made out of. He has already escaped from a Scotland Yard prison cell and even switched all the convicts around, and meanwhile, a signifagent, espionage-connected robbery has been pulled off were it appears the villian can walk through walls. Houdini is arrested for the crime, but he makes a dashing exit from gaol, and now he and the master detective must sleuth out who has framed "the ectoplasmic man".Review: The cover draws the reader in: a brick wall, during night time. The title of the book appears above the wall, and below it, we see a looming shadow. In front of it stands Harry Houdini, his wrists and arms chained, a shadow across his face giving a mysterious look. But the shadow is not his. It is a man with a hawk-like profile, with a curved pipe in his mouth, a magnifying lens in his hand, and a deerstalker cap on his head. The plot is intriuging and hard to get away from, the suspense builds up to the point of nightmares, and the humour is side-splitting. Sure, it doesn't sound like Watson's voice, which Stashower tries to explain. And maybe it's a little irritating to us Holmes fans that it takes place in 1910 and claims Holmes is "nearing his retirement" (he packed up for beekeeping on the Sussex Downs in 1903), but it's not enough to take away a quarter of a star. I treasure this book more, knowing it's out of print. If you ever chance over it, BUY IT! For Holmes, Houdini and mystery fans!

Sherlock Holmes meets Harry Houdini - Excellent Read!

In this book that is unfortunately out of print, Stashower leads the reader to believe that the manuscript is an actual story from John H. Watson. If you believe it or not, it is an excellently written Holmes story and seems to have captured the Doyle style very well. It is one of the best modern Holmes stories I've read. If you're a Holmes fan, you NEED to dig this one up.