Spirit Sleuths : Calkins Creek : 9781662680236 : 1662680236 : 10 Sep 2024 : A School Library Journal Best Book, Best Nonfiction Middle to High School 2024 A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2024 The latest from acclaimed author Gail Jarrow reveals how magicians-including Harry Houdini and his team of investigators-exposed fake mediums who exploited the vulnerable and gullible in the early twentieth century. ? Shelf Awareness, starred review ? School Library Journal, starred review After millions of people died during World War I and from the 1918 influenza pandemic, the popularity of Spiritualism soared. Desperate to communicate with their dead loved ones, the bereaved fell prey to extortion by fraudulent mediums and fortune-tellers.  But magician Harry Houdini wasn't fooled. He recognized the scammers' methods as no more than conjurer's tricks. Angered by the way people were exploited, Houdini set out to expose the ghost hoaxes. In his stage show, he revealed the frau