Hokus Pokus

Sisterhood #9

by Fern Michaels

There is no match for the Sisterhood - the seven friends who have taken vigilante justice to a new level - not even the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Although the women foiled former FBI director Mitch Riley's plot to frame their friends Judge Nellie Easter and lawyer Lizzie Fox, now they must remain in exile or risk capture. They can't complain about their opulent digs on a remote, luxurious mountaintop, but the ladies desperately miss home.Their wish to return might come true sooner than they expect when they receive a panicked call from Supreme Court Chief Justice Pearl Barnes, who faces blackmail for her own illegal brand of justice. Now the women must not only sneak back into the United States, but also remain undetected as they investigate. But how do you make seven women disappear? With a nosy reporter on the brink of exposing them, the clock is ticking as the Sisterhood tries to create a little magic - and save the day...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller, Chick Lit, Crime

262 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2007

About the author

Fern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.

As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.

Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.

Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.

READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok I think I am done with the sisterhood books. They are getting really unrealistic and too violent for me. Too bad because I really kind of liked the first couple of books in the series.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sisterhood is back again! A fun, light read with some good laughs.

[M. Schilling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lame story!

[Nan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even more, unbelieve able than the last book. Old ladies looking young again because of Latex? No way unless they are really skinny. Also, not quite believing the reason why they needed to save the day again. Yet another old old friend needing help. Ehh. not buying it.

[Mum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absurd by every standard of what I value in any book.

[Bertha Ivins · Rating 4 out of 5]

With most series’s I find myself ready for the books to end by about the third book, but not with this series. I can’t wait to start the next book to see what kind of mischief the sisterhood will get into next. In this book I actually had places that I laughed out loud.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly but did make me laugh

[Terri L. Steed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hokus Pokus OMG

I am telling you with each one of the books the plots keep getting better and better. Quick get you a book, blanket and a good drink and cuddle up.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisterhood #9 Rules of the Game #2

I'm going to keep this super simple because yet again technology hates me and erased my first attempt at reviewing this.

*Old friend of Nellie, Myra, and Annie needed the Sisterhoods help.
* Supreme Court Justice Pearl Barnes being blackmailed by ex-son in law
* Sisterhood returns to the USA in Style...if you can rock and roll G-String Girls iconic G-Strings and pasties style.....
*Their nemisis Post reporter Ted Robinson is hot on their tail yet again
*With the FBI backing Ted can he finally take down the Sisterhood???


And thats all you get. If this machine liked me a bit more it would have not froze and lost everything soooo that means my thoughts are lost and I don't want to type it all over again.

You will like the book if you've read previous Sisterhood books..or not every reader is different. Personally I perfer the orginal group, second string doesn't have the same 'fire' that made me fall in love with the Sisterhood.

[Tara Kable · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was hilarious! I mean there is g-string girls, and firecrackers in places they shouldnt be! Ha!! Im a little over Ted, but thankfully he wasnt as prominent in this book. All in all, another good addition to the series.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

First one I've read of the series, and the last. It probably would have been better if I had read previous ones, since there wasn't much of a recap intro. Too many characters, too much money, and too many nick-of-time tricks. "James Bond's sisters, cousins, and aunts go on a violent adventure".

[Carol Loy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first few books of the sisterhood series, however I am done with them. Hocus Pocus was absurd, jumped around like a rubber ball and hard to follow and frankly I couldn’t care about the characters. Fern Michael’s should have stopped the series while she was ahead.

[Rflutist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters, but sometimes the violence goes beyond vengeance - too much so.

[Tara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

**This review is for the audiobook on Audible.**

Hokus Pokus by Fern Michaels, narrated by Laural Merlington, is Book 9 in The Sisterhood series. Like the others in this highly-engaging series, the writing and narration are awesome! With each book, I grow to love the characters more and more, but Charles is still my favorite. :-) At under 8 hours, it is the perfect length because it doesn't drag on with unnecessary details. The storyline is fast-paced, suspenseful, exciting, and unpredictable.

If I had a complaint, it would be that there are quite a few characters. In this book, there were moments where I had a difficult time keeping track of everyone. However, Laural Merlington's amazing voices for each character keep me focused on who's who; I don't think I would have been able to follow this one as closely if it wasn't for the outstanding narration. I've listened to all the books up to this point in order, but I take breaks in between (with other audiobooks), rather than listening to one Sisterhood book right after the other, which is probably the main reason I struggled in areas to remember who's who. Either way, it is still my favorite series, and I've even purchased a couple other books by Fern Michaels, outside of The Sisterhood series, to give a try.

I highly recommend this entire 5-star series to those who enjoy books about friendship, family, loyalty, and justice. I say justice, instead of revenge, because these women are all about doing what's right. I love that each character has her own unique identity, completely different than the others, yet fits perfectly together with those in the group. If you are new to this series, I highly advise you to start at the beginning with Book 1; doing so will add to your understanding, appreciation, and overall enjoyment of the series as a whole. Without hesitation, I rate Hokus Pokus: The Sisterhood, Book 9 by Fern Michaels, narrated by Laural Merlington 5 out 5 stars. Until next time....happy listening!

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)

[Beth Peninger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Supreme Court Chief Justice Pearl Barnes makes a late-night, incognito visit to her longtime friend, Judge Nellie Easter, with a plea for help. Judge Barnes has her own brand of justice that she's been directing for several years, and her former son-in-law and life partner are about to expose her efforts. It could end her career and the people her brand of justice is helping. She needs the Sisterhood's help. But Judge Easter and the stateside team aren't ready for missions on their own. The original team is still considered fugitives of justice and seeking sanctuary on a mountaintop in Spain. Feeling like they don't have a lot of options, the original team sneaks back into the United States and coordinates mission efforts with their stateside counterparts. However, events like the weather and other delays conspire against the mission and the vigilante justice coming for the men, threatening to undo Judge Barnes's years of good, underground work.

Okay, this one was as implausible as every other book in the series (and I suspect future titles), but this one was not as entertaining to read. A couple of things are really getting on my nerves - dead daughter/sister Barb speaking to Myra, Charles, Nikki, and journalist Ted Robinson. Adding to these annoyances, in this title, was the dynamics between the newly formed stateside team. The last book ended with the reader having an impression that the stateside team would create a strong alliance with one another and their vigilante fugitive counterparts. However, that did not happen, and the in-fighting of the stateside team was annoying. I cannot believe Michaels is still authoring new titles in this series, we'll see how long I last with it. I may ride it out, or I may only be able to handle another couple of titles.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't give away spoilers in my reviews.
Hokus Pokus is part of the Sisterhood series - a group of strong women who bond together to seek justice when justice fails. I've loved every book I've read so far. I have to admit, this book has been the funniest one so far. I don't give away spoilers but I laughed out loud so many times reading this.
I love the strength each sister (and the men too) bring to the group. I particularly really like Charles and Jack and how they fit into each story.
The women are out of the country for safety but need to return to the US. Because I haven't read the book before Hokus Pokus (Hide and Seek) yet, I am not sure why they had to leave the US and hide out. It doesn't matter since I have found it easy enough to read any of the books as standalones until I am all caught up.
Chief Justice Pearl Barnes plays a huge role in this book and I really enjoyed getting to know her character better. I love how honorable all these women are. I think Pearl would be a great sister to add to the Sisterhood and I'm guessing she becomes a sister later on in the series.
I almost would love to see the Sisterhood become a Netflix series, but I think I love the books so much, it would ruin it for me. It's still fun to sort of pick a celebrity to play each sister in my mind while I read though.
I can't wait to read my next one.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love taking these adventures with the Sisterhood. At times, I find myself on the edge of my seat while hoping they make it out of their sticky situation, or laughing out loud as they inflict their revenge.

The vigilantes receive a cry for help from one of Myra's childhood friends. This task, though, will require them to go back to the U.S.. Since they are on the wanted list, the vigilantes are reluctant to take the chance of being seen. In true Sisterhood fashion, they decide to take on the bad guys and help Judge Pearl Barnes save her Underground Railroad project. Not only do they return to the U.S., but they return as the popular band the G-String Girls. A hilarious group of events occur, while the girls take care of business and jet away to their new home on a mountain in North Carolina.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sisterhood was asked to help a Supreme Court justice to help smuggle in woman and children who had been abused or abandoned. The Sisterhood came from Spain disguised as the rock band the “G String Girls.” This band was scantily clad. Even old myra dressed as a rock star. Lizzie drove the bus to get the kiddos to safety. However, the real G String Girls were detained in Germany and would be late in their arrival for their scheduled concert. That forced the Sisterhood to have to go on stage and perform while they lip synced. Ted claimed to the FBI that the G String Girls were the Sisterhood vigilantes. By the time the FBI arrived to the concert, the real G String girls had arrived to the concert and were performing on stage and the Sisterhood vigilantes had slipped away. Instead of staying in Spain, from now on they’d be staying in a mansion on a Big Pines Mountain in North Carolina.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The banter between Annie and Myra boy! Myra she constantly says "I should have pushed you off that mountain top Annie" I mean Annie does say somethings at times and it's like where did you come up with that Annie. Then they make up like childhood friends do.

This was funny at times especially towards the end. Kathryn is a hoot!!
The ladies they are growing into their own. Charles really is in the background, making sure things runs smoothly.
It does feel like it gets a little mooshy between Jack/Nikki, Yoko/Harry. I understand though. Oh and wait there is another couple forming? I can't wait to see where that is going to lead!!

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ninth book in the Sisterhood series involves a supreme court justice who is being blackmailed. The Sisterhood is contacted to help find and stop her blackmailer. Characters from the previous books make appearances as they all try to bring the blackmailer to justice. As usual, there are some humorous situations and dialogue which keep the plot moving along. There isn't much time to spend on the relationships between some of the characters who are in love with each other; hopefully, there will be more time focused on them in the next book of the series.

[Fredell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another installment of Ms. MICHAELS "Sisterhood" series lived up to the previous books. The group of women, labeled as vigilantes by the local authorities, law enforcement community, and government, have become expatriates due to their last adventure. As usual, the ladies are into another intriguing adventure. Risking arrest, they return to the US to help Supreme Court Justice with her pet project. They are able to help solve the problem and bring the real culprits to justice with their usual panache.
I enjoyed the development of the plot and Michaels's deft writing skill.

[Gloria Ginn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as the previous eight Sisterhood books -- mainly because I found the premise for the whole book to be faulty: It is not illegal to help women leave abusive husbands, and therefore the whole reason behind the blackmail scheme and for the Sisters to risk arrest by returning to the U.S. to aid the "railroad" helping abused women did not make any sense at all. This faulty premise made the book not so enjoyable. I still like the characters, so I am giving this book a 4.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, very much like the rest of the series. I still find it, irritating that everyone in the group of vigilantes tells everyone, they know absolutely every detail about the group, about their equipment, about their connections, about their plans, about their locations, and that never backfires on them. In this book, it also appears that the only people in town that don't know who they are, and what they're up to are the FBI, CIA, and police. But if you can get past that, the story is very enjoyable.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mission Impossible Meets The Great Escape
This is the 9th book in a series that centers around a group of women vigilantes who are tired of seeing the miscarriage of justice. The group contains very sharp and able women with the help of some sharp and able men. It also helps that their cruise director is former MI6 and several of the women are Billionaires. Being wealthy and having wealthy friends all over the world is a good thing. The stories are tight with intriguing storylines. For the most part, these stories are clean, with little violence, no gore, and no bedroom scenes.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sisterhood is still on the mountain and are getting antsy. Although the place is fabulous and has almost everything they could ask for, they missed home and their lives there. However, they know they will go to jail if they return. When Supreme Court Justice Pearl Barnes contacts them with a major problem, blackmail, the girls really want to help. Justice Barnes runs an underground line for abused women and children to be ushered out of harm's way from their abusive partners. The only way to help her is to return to Washington DC; but how?

[Gina H · Rating 3 out of 5]

so far, worst book in the series!

This book was terrible and ridiculous and the whole thing with the women being the band members was stupid and sexist and weird. And what’s with all the cussing. The earlier books that didn’t have this much in it. I don’t know if it’s making you feel powerful to write that trash, but I wish you would stop! I’ve liked some of the other books, but some of the ones that you’re doing now are terrible and harsh and awful! That mess with the firecrackers ! What is wrong with you?

[J Shu · Rating 3 out of 5]

9/23. The girls secretly move to a beautiful mountain retreat in North Carolina to help Judge Barnes help her friend Pearl who is being blackmailed by her ex son-in-law. Pearl is involved in an underground railroad of sorts, helping women and their children escape bad conditions. The sisters pose as a half-naked popular singing group to lead their opponents astray. Creative, humorous, but somewhat unrealistic. Fun read.

[Ruth Mindick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced adventure for the Sisterhood. Couldn't put it down - again. I still don't love the involvement of the "second string" as they are less exciting characters. Still a good read though that left me eager to go on to the next book.

Fans of The Sisterhood will enjoy Hokus Pokus. Well-written as always and I recommend it to fans of Fern Michaels.

[Deb Snelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this series and laughing the whole time. This one, however, may be my last. There are so many bumbles that could be solved. Like, why hasn’t the reporter been “dealt with” while other characters “disappear” without a trace? It seems too unbelievable in a mostly fantastical series. And some of the main adult characters act like children.

[Judy Benvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It will be a long time before I read another Sisterhood book. 60 yr old women passing themselves off as 20-something rock-n-roll singers? Not enough latex in the world (I am over 70). And the character Annie is so mouthy I want her to go back to her mountain and stay there. Adding more and more people to the Sisterhood doesn't make the story better - just more muddled. Enough already!