Margery and Me
Maryka Biaggio
Type: ARC
Genre: Historical fiction, biographical fiction
Word count: 90,000
Warnings: Swearing
In 1920s Boston, famous psychic Margery Crandon astounds her followers and confounds scientists. Her deceased brother, Walter, regularly visits her seances, regaling the circle with his salty repartee. She attracts followers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but Harry Houdini insists she’s a fraud. Will the master magician undo her, or will her powers convert him?
What’s this?
In the 1920s, Margery Crandon captivated both Boston society and psychic researchers with her astonishing seances. At her gatherings, her deceased brother Walter regularly appeared, entertaining the circle with his witty and cheeky remarks. Margery‘s abilities earned her the admiration of luminaries, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats. But one man stood in opposition: Harry Houdini, the legendary magician, who was determined to expose her as a fraud.
Margery and Me tells the true story of the medium who mystified scientists, challenged skeptics, and sparked a sensation across America and Europe. As Houdini and Margery clashed in a battle of wits and wills, the question remained: Could the master illusionist unmask her, or would her extraordinary powers be enough to convert even the most resolute of doubters?
Maryka Biaggio is a psychology professor-turned-novelist who brings forgotten lives back into the light. Specializing in historical fiction inspired by real people, she crafts emotionally resonant narratives anchored in careful research. Her debut novel, Parlor Games (Doubleday, 2013), launched a distinguished career that includes Gun Girl and the Tall Guy and Margery and Me. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including the Willamette Writers Award, Oregon Writers Colony Award, Historical Novel Society Review Editors’ Choice, La Belle Lettre Award, and a Publishers Weekly pick. Biaggio is celebrated for illuminating overlooked historical figures with psychological depth and narrative grace.
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