The award-recognized Houdini investigation

Three death certificates. Ten suspects. One body.

What if Houdini didn’t die the way history says? Former surgeon Larrian Gillespie reopens the evidence in a 420-page medical-forensic investigation.

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  • Kirkus Indie Award Finalist
  • Kirkus Best Indie Books 2026
Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice book cover

The verdict from critics

A case readers cannot put down.

Independent reviewers and Houdini historians agree: this investigation changes the conversation.

An absorbing, argument-starting account of what really happened to Harry Houdini.
Kirkus Indie Star Review
This book will shake things up!
Michael Claxton, Genii, The Conjurors Magazine
It’s a blockbuster—and a mythbuster!
Patrick Culliton, Houdini: The Key

One investigation. Choose your edition.

Choose how you want to own the case.

Choose the paperback to read the complete investigation, an unsigned sealed or author-signed hardback for your collection, or the ebook for digital reading.

  • 420-page medical-forensic investigation
  • 187 illustrations printed on matte art paper
  • Biography, forensic investigation, and detective story in one

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Paperback $28.95

The complete 420-page investigation.

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Larrian Gillespie, author and medical investigator

Why trust this investigation

A surgeon’s eye on a century-old mystery.

Larrian Gillespie brings medical training, forensic reasoning, and a storyteller’s instinct to the evidence surrounding Houdini’s final days. Her investigation combines historical documents, clinical analysis, and interviews with leading Houdini experts.

  • First woman in urology at UCLA
  • Former physician, surgeon, and forensic historical medical researcher
  • Ten published books across health, food, and true crime

Inside the investigation

An autopsy of the legend.

Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice follows the contradictions through medical records, eyewitness accounts, hospital rooms, secret correspondence, and private collections.

Part biography, part forensic investigation, and part detective story—it asks readers to follow the evidence rather than inherit the legend.

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