Danger in the Dark (Houdini and Nate Series) Book

Harry Houdini - the world's greatest escape artist - is in need of a new hat. That is what brings him to Bennett & Son, Gentlemen's Hatters of Fifth Avenue, where young Nathaniel G. Makeworthy Fuller is working for the summer. A surprising friendship develops between the world-famous daredevil and the boy clerk, and it comes in the nick of time. A suspicious stranger has recently wheedled his way into the confidences of Nate's wealthy great-aunt, with whom the boy and his widowed mother live. Now their house is filled with spooky late-night gatherings, the purpose of which is kept secret from Nate. Houdini is just the man to tackle this tangled mystery - and help Nate and his family escape the grasp of an interloper more cunning and dangerous than Nate could have imagined.

A truly captivating historical adventure, Danger in the Dark launches the Houdini & Nate Mystery series with fast-paced plotting and a colorful blend of fact and fiction.

Children's Literature

Nate is Nathaniel G. Makeworthy Fuller IV, and he is working as a clerk's assistant at Bennet & Son, Gentlemen's Hatters in New York, when a customer who "seemed like a circus strongman" visits the hattery. The customer convinces the junior assistant Winchell to allow him to take a new hat, although he has no money. When Nathaniel goes round to collect the bill, he learns that the amusing stranger is none other than Houdini. This rather elaborate set-up kicks off the mystery. Lucky for Nate, Houdini takes an interest in the young store clerk and invites Nate to a performance of his show. Nate attends with his mother, who shares her family story with Houdini's wife. It just so happens that Nate and his mother live with Aunt Alice, who has come under the influence of Mr. Trane, a fraudulent medium. It just so happens that Houdini is devoted to routing out phonies like Mr. Trane. Houdini helps Nate bust Mr. Trane, and while elements of the mystery are engaging, overall Nate's story is just the platform built up to showcase Houdini. There is no doubt that the author is an expert on Harry Houdini—he has written an acclaimed biography of the man—but the shift from nonfiction to fiction has resulted in a story that feels contrived.