The Phantom Files: Houdinis Curse is a fun paranormal novel for middle grade readers. This book was really fun and the second book in the series the first of which focused on Mark Twain. I love how this series interweaves paranormal elements with fun figures from history. These books are relatively unknown which is sad as they are a present to read. Well done!

A follow up to Book #1 of the Phantom Files. Alex, our narrator and Bones, are in the process of making a connection with Katie, Bones' dead sister. As in the previous book, Alex quickly establishes he can communicate and see ghosts. While, Bones, his best friend longs to compile their essence using the state of the art paranormal equipment. The meeting is successful, leading to Alex's first spirited kiss (pun intended). The boys move quickly into the body of the novel. meeting Houdini, who requests their help in removing a curse that has prevented his ability to move on. Wolfe has provided a clever solution as to why Houdini did not contact his wife after his death. Houdini is on record as saying he would try to communicate after death.

The action moves to a paranormal convention held in Louisville KY. Alex is not surprised to find that Bones is well known and well regarded within the para normal community. What surprises both of them is the identity of Reaper666, Bones Twitter buddy who helped them in book 1. Reaper is Charlie, a girl, a striking girl with red hair, freckles, and an antipathy towards Alex. Will Bones be able to align both his friends to solve Houdini's problem? Which method of ghostly communication is better, scientific instruments or communication using Spirit Guides? Is Houdini's curse too strong to overcome or will the Great Houdini prevail? What if the truth no matter how
preposterous, is not governed by perception, but is in fact reality.

Wolfe handles all paranormal events with a light touch.He includes enough suspense to keep the reader engaged. The historical anecdotes concerning Houdini, and the other primary ghost Big Jim Porter, add weight to the story. The author presents both sides of paranormal investigations, those who seek and those who are skeptical. While I lean towards skepticism, the author convinced me that the paranormal world could be worth exploring.

A good addition to ghost tales and adventures. Recommended.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy from netgalley and Dreaming Robot Press in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for the opportunity.

Alex and Bones’ adventures continue in this second book, and this time around they will need to bring in the cavalry if they want to help and escape intact.

The very first element that I loved so much was the paranormal conference. It’s basically something like ComiCon or VitCon, or other numerous ...Cons, but about everything ghostly and paranormal! How cool is that! And it turns out that Bones is a famous fellow in this paranormal community.

We also get to meet Reaper666, who turns out to be pretty cool and hopefully will join Alex and Bones in the next adventures. I’d love to see how their friendship develops and what new turns it takes with the addition of a new member.

Besides, the amazing paranormal conference, new friend and many dangerous events, I just have to talk about various paranormal equipment, and how Bones slowly earns his own place in the dynamic of their group. He is the tech master and also the brains when it comes to everything ghosts related. He’s been researching these topics for years, becoming a walking encyclopedia.

I absolutely adore works that use people from history in their fictional stories. For an utterly fabulous series that is my all-time favourite history-fiction blend, check out the Oscar Wilde mysteries by Gyles Brandreth. SO. GOOD.

But I digress.

I love that this series uses people from history as ghosts to tell a great story. And "The Phantom Files" does just that. There's great characters (for the most part), the right amount of humor (the line "[b]ut my bike had things the fancy [bikes] didn't -- personality and a name!" is a GEM), and some really great frightening action scenes that keep the pacing and interest strong. There is also a nice ending with a good message about forgiveness and family. The only weak spot in the whole work is the character of Charlie. Unfortunately Charlie is a horrible mix of ditzy fan-girl, stuck-up snob, and sandpaper-like abrasion all mixed together to form a character that I didn't trust from the word "go". Honestly, I kept waiting for her to betray the other characters and show her true colours. She's THAT bad. The betrayal never happened but still. You don't really want a character (who looks like she's going to be a regular main character) to be untrustworthy to your readers.

Nonetheless The Phantom Files is a fun read for younger readers and looks like it's going to be a great series.