Product Details
The Man Who Killed Houdini

The Man Who Killed Houdini
By Don Bell

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Product Description

More than two decades of research provide the basis for this true-life detective story of the mysterious man who stepped into Harry Houdini's dressing room on an October night in 1926, delivered one fatal sucker punch, and then vanished from the public eye completely. Nine days after the incident, Houdini was dead, the victim of a ruptured appendix, and his killer, a Montreal student named J. Gordon Whitehead, was nowhere to be found. Up to now, this tale of a mistimed punch and an untimely death had become myth, with many questions still unanswered: What happened to the man who threw the fatal punch? Who were the two witnesses and how much did they know? Was Houdini's death truly an accident? Interviews, affidavits, eyewitness reports of the night, and the only known photograph of Whitehead ever published all shed new light on an enduring mystery. Written with flair and wit, this tale of true crime gradually builds a riveting profile of the life of this intriguing but unknown historical figure, finding and then following Houdini's killer.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #450073 in Books
  • Published on: 2004-10-01
  • Original language: English
  • Dimensions: .63" h x 5.54" w x 8.50" l, .72 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 260 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The late Don Bell's gripping examination of Houdini's mysterious death dismisses popular theories and possible perpetrators, eventually zeroing in on a reclusive divinity student who all but disappeared after he sucker punched Houdini and caused the ruptured appendix that would soon kill the vaudevillian escape artist. In the wake of Houdini's death, innumerable potential culprits surfaced, not least among them the spirit mediums Houdini frequently ridiculed. Bell, however, identifies J. Gordon Whitehead, a self-described divinity student, as the punch thrower. The book documents Bell's search for witnesses and corroborators in an alternately dry and creepy fashion. A visit to Whitehead's grave in Montreal maintains an air of expectancy, and Bell's visit to Whitehead's hometown seems to suggest the intrepid reporter was being shadowed, either by his own paranoia or Houdini himself. The eeriness mounts as Bell gets closer to Whitehead, a man who seemed to want to give the impression he was hiding something. While scrupulously researched, the book will appeal mostly to Houdini enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists. Photos.
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About the Author

Don Bell was a writer and antiquarian book dealer in Montreal, Quebec. A recipient of a National Magazine Award, he also received the Stephen Leacock Award for humor in 1973 for Saturday Night at the Bagel Factory. His column, Founde Bookes, was featured in Books in Canada until his death in 2003.