THE HOUDINI KILLER

A debut crime novel chronicling the making of a serial killer.

In the late 1970s, Evie Eastway, a bartender and aspiring writer, is struggling in New York City until she survives an assault on 44th Street. During the ordeal, her attacker is accidentally shot dead with his own gun, which Evie keeps. This sets her on a path to fame as an anonymous vigilante killer. When she finds out that her assailant was a known criminal, she feels compelled to replicate her feeling of triumph again by tracking down and murdering other wrongdoers, including a racist skinhead, a drug dealer, and a pension swindler. She eventually becomes known as the “Houdini Killer” for her quick escapes from her crime scenes, and her murders result in press headlines and street art that call her nothing less than a hero. She also falls in love at the same time she’s gaining notoriety—and the object of her affection just happens to be a New York City cop who gets put in charge of the Houdini Killer investigation. The narrative effectively adds other complexities, including people close to Evie who find out what she’s doing, which, in turn, affect her motivations. Is it okay to kill innocent people, she asks herself, to cover up justified killings? Indeed, Moss’ strongest work in this novel comes when Evie’s increasingly sloppy work ensnares and endangers innocent people; the antihero protagonist ultimately claims to be searching for a happy ending, but she’s never fully able to commit to stopping. Some moments, such as Evie’s personal serial-killer rules (“Number one was a no-brainer; always wear sensible shoes”) feel clichéd. However, Moss shines when she focuses on the conflicts that a murderer faces when plans go awry, and the story as a whole comes together well at the end.

An occasionally convoluted story that delivers a surprising conclusion.