The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World by David Jaher

Final Rating: 4.3/5

“Catch her if you can.”

   Do you believe? Throughout this supernormal themed work the author poses that tricky question while at the same time inviting the reader back to the 1920’s to investigate and witness feats of the: unexplained, miraculous, various bright show lights of amusement and the crimson rooms of possible hyperactive imaginations. In this bewitching book a little of everything is tossed in and Mr. Jaher juggles and conjures certain events from history to rise and overall this title became a rare treat for this excited reader of history.

   I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better escape for this month and in the end I eventually fell under the completed spell of this colorful narrative and impressive dedication of subject and history but first some patience was required on my part. Being a paced read, I was somewhat disappointed in the beginning as I was hoping for more razzle-dazzle but in a clever way this book used and perfected the slow reveal- building the suspense and inner storyline, touching on different topics to reach the grand finale that this work advertised but at the same time the jumping back and forth in years and names in chapters did create some annoyance and confusion for this reader. I was also disappointed in the lack of photographs and it became a little frustrating to try to correctly visualize the spirit snapshots or key portions of the storyline particularly the fascinating “Houdini Box” or the baffling early ectoplasm photographs. The final chapters were also a little uncomfortably odd and they repeated details that seemed there only for shock and disgust. On the other side of the coin and (thankfully) overbalancing the negatives, I loved how the author presented the lingering mysteries of the little known tale of Harry Houdini and the Blonde Witch of Lime Street. The excellently depicted cat-and-mouse games that play throughout these pages and the striking narrative paired with different final messages and questions along with good old-fashioned entertainment, made this a great escape and I think those who enjoy forgotten portions of history and mysteries of the past, present and future will eventually agree.

-purchased and read on kindle