The Magician’s Trunk is the thirteenth volume in the McCabe and Cody mystery series by prolific author, Dan Andriacco, a product of MX Publishing, known almost exclusively for Sherlock Holmes pastiches and versions. But, although this series is set very firmly in modern-day Ohio, the shadow of Conan Doyle’s detective lurks on nearly every page.

Sebastian McCabe, the brains of our pair of amateur sleuths, is his own man – a mystery writer and literature professor at the fictional St Benignus University

However, he consciously models himself on Holmes, sharing his deductive powers and frequently referencing him. Meanwhile, the narrator, Thomas Jefferson (Jeff) Cody, is a veritable Watson, enthusiastically pursing red herrings, and generally catching hold of the wrong end of the stick.

I have to admit that this is the first of the thirteen mysteries that I have read, but it won’t be the last. Most enjoyable it is, with a clever, twisting plot concerning a tontine and a trunk that disappears and reappears as if by magic, and which contains a mysterious bequest. In addition, there’s a cast of colourful characters, including an animal channeler, an obsessive collector of baseball cards (bet you didn’t know that a 1952 Mickey Mantle card in mint condition was sold at auction for $12.6 million.)  and a beautiful wedding planner/magician who’s as bald as the proverbial coot.

The narrator tantalisingly refers here and there to some of Dan Andriacco earlier McCabe and Cody adventures, which look to have equally intriguing plots (“The witch gave him a closer look. ‘You’re Sebastian McCabe,’ she said. ‘I once saw you name a murderer on live television. [See Bookmarked for Murder]”).

He also incorporates very contemporary references – covid features, for instance, and there’s a mention of cryptocurrency fraudster, Sam Bankman Fried – which place the story firmly in the here and now.

I was sure the description of the Futuro house owned by one of the characters was a Dan Andriacco invention. A dwelling that looks for all the world like a newly landed UFO: how unlikely is that!

But no. Apparently, the Futuro house was designed in the late 1960s by a zany Finnish architect, though it didn’t catch on, and fewer than a hundred were made. Just another fascinating little detail in an absorbing story.

The Magician’s Trunk, A McCabe and Cody Mystery by Dan Andriacco is published by MX and available directly from them at https://mxpublishing.com/collections/2024-new-books/products/the-magicians-trunk-mccabe-and-cody-book or from the usual outlets.