Danger in the Dark A Houdini & Nate Mystery

Harry Houdinithe world's greatest escape artistis 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 just in time. A suspicious stranger has recently wheedled his way into the confidences of Nate's wealthy great-aunt. Now their house is filled with spooky late-night gatherings, the purpose of which is kept secret from Nate. What is going on? Houdini is just the man to tackle this tangled mysteryand help Nate and his family escape the grasp of an imposter more cunning and dangerous than Nate could have imagined.

TOM LALICKI is the author of three acclaimed nonfiction books for young readers, including Grierson’s Raid: A Daring Cavalry Strike Through the Heart of the Confederacy. The newest Houdini & Nate mystery, Frame-up on the Bowery, will be available from Farrar, Straus and Giroux in Fall 2009. Tom lives in Westchester County, New York. Learn more about Tom, Houdini, and Nate at www.tomlalicki.com.

“Man-to-man, Nate – your aunt is in danger. This villain Trane means to take her fortune, to throw you and your mother out of her house, to make you beggars. It has happened many times before, even in this city. I will not allow it to happen to you.”
     The force and speed of Houdini’s statement hit like the quick punches a street bully throws when his victim isn’t ready. Fighting to catch his breath, Nathaniel sputtered, “But . . . but . . . what do you mean?”
     “This creature wants everything your aunt possesses. I have never laid eyes on David Douglas Trane, yet I know that he will not stick at killing your aunt – or you or your mother. He wants your aunt to change her will to make him, not you, her beneficiary. Thank your lucky stars that your aunt has resisted. But when she finally gives in, Trane will no longer need her, or your mother.”
     Nathaniel was choking on a rising tide of anger, rage, confusion.
     “Breathe deeply, through your nose,” Houdini counseled. “I just threw you into a bathtub filled with ice water. It will be easier now.”