Publisher: Henery Press
Published: August 20, 2013
Format: Paperback (288 pages)
ISBN: 9780988657137
Origin: Publisher through NetGalley (egalley)
***Though the publisher provides the free book, I offer the opinion.***
My Look:
Eli Marks is a bachelor, a debunker, and a magician, but now, he can add a new title to that list. A murder suspect.
He is a well-known in the circle of magicians, psychics, and sensitives, but Eli is not usually liked much among this crowd, for good reason really. He performs, but he’s also known to expose the frauds and enjoy it too.
When he’s not making the magic world mad, he and his uncle, Harry, make customers happy. They run Chicago Magic (which is far from that location) and sell to those who really want to learn their craft. In fact, Uncle Harry will not sell the next trick to some of his customers until the customer proves the mastery of the one they owned previously.
This store has been in his family for years and was Eli’s home during his childhood. With Halloween closing in on them, his uncle is already in preparation mode and everything seems to be going according to plan until Eli picks the wrong fraud to expose. This man who was publicly shown off, and didn’t take it well, is murdered. He dies with the same card that Eli used to expose him, exposing Eli to his ex-wife’s police detective husband before becoming a thorn in his ex-wife’s side.
On the good side of luck, he’s finding that his new love interest seems interested in him too.
However, once more murders happen to the people Eli knows, he is aware that even his prosecutor ex-wife can only do so much, as this frame couldn’t fit any better around Eli’s neck. And by the time Eli thinks he knows who is doing this, he founds out that not only is he wrong, but he is about to die too.
My Take:
John Gaspard’s AMBITIOUS CARD will introduce you to the world of magic and it’s history, but this book will leave you falling into murder along the way.
I really enjoyed getting to know Eli Marks, and I loved Uncle Harry too. These two show that old school and new age come from the same cloth and both men have the utmost respect for the craft. To each, trickery is not magic but true magic is a time-honored tradition, and it’s one that today is still very interesting. You’ll find yourself rooting for Eli and his love interest, while enjoying Uncle Harry’s assortment of friends.
THE AMBITIOUS CARD by John Gaspard is a must read!
