Review: Houdini and Doyle: The Return of Jack by Leon Cygman

An untamed thriller that pits the bloodiest lore of England against a pair of legendary historical figures, Houdini and Doyle: The Return of Jack by Leon Cygman is an entrancing historical thriller.

Thirty-five years after Jack the Ripper’s murderous spree in the back alleys of Whitechapel, a vicious copycat emerges to continue his legacy of terror and gore. One of the city’s first female constables is on the case, along with DI Swanson and Chandler, but the investigation is further aided by two unlikely sleuths -legendary author Arthur Conan Doyle and the master of deception himself, Harry Houdini.

When Harry meets up with Arthur in London, their old feud over spiritualism resurfaces when the latter insists that he summoned Jack’s malignant spirit during a recent seance. Despite Houdini’s skepticism, the surprisingly pragmatic magician can’t resist the temptation of unraveling the baffling case with his old friend.

A deranged mastermind is bringing the city of London to its knees with a merciless revenge plot, and it will take Sherlock-level sleuthing and every trick up Houdini’s sleeve to stop the paranormal carnage. Hunting down “an insane murderer inhabited by the spirit of Jack the Ripper” is no easy task, however, and as more prominent citizens become mutilated victims, the hunters quickly become the hunted.

The competitive and slightly contentious relationship between Arthur and Harry is the compelling hook of the story, as most readers are familiar with the names, but probably haven’t seen these personalities come to life in other contexts. The prose is gritty in its portrayal of early 20th-century London as a smoky metropolis of success and sin, where some lives are worth less than others and history haunts every cobblestone. The settings are instantly believable, without leaning on excess description or familiar tropes, transporting readers a century into the past with ease.

The occasional inclusion of real photographs, advertisements, and news clippings adds authenticity and helps readers see themselves in this Interwar Period thriller. Like any good piece of historical fiction, there are blurred lines where fact and fantasy meet, from Doyle’s obsession with the Ripper murders to Houdini’s unique relationship with his protective wife, Bess. The interplay of mysticism, magic, and spirituality will keep readers on their toes as they await the next clever turn of the plot or moment of misdirection, while the thematic exploration of gender roles and fluidity for both criminals and crime-solvers gives the prose a timely edge. Cygman subtly nods to present-day conflicts without making the writing overly political.

While the character-rich plot and detailed urban landscapes are immersive, there is some clumsiness in the text itself; the dialogue often comes off as stilted and unnatural for the time period and locale, particularly in terms of modern idioms or speech patterns, in addition to being heavily used as a vehicle for exposition and backstory, as though the characters are aware that their interactions are being observed. Given how much of the story is driven by revelations through conversation, this has a cumulative effect on the believability and pace of the read, along with some repetitive scenes of police procedure.

That said, while the novel may not deliver on its full potential, it is supported by a wildly creative storyline and a brilliant cast of characters, which will keep readers guessing to the jaw-dropping end.