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The Bullet Trick
Crime Writers Association award winner Louise Welsh follows up her hit artworld noir The Cutting Room with a slick literary suspense thriller set among the decadent domains of contemporary Berlin, Glasgow, and London. Meet William Wilson, a foundering so-called mentalist, conjurer, and above all — despite frequently being the opening act for strippers — a master performer. When his agent books him for a string of cabaret gigs in Berlin, he's hoping his luck's on the turn. Among the showgirls and grifters of Berlin's scandalous underground, Wilson can forget his lonely heart, his muddled head, and, more important, his past. But secrets have a habit of catching up with William and as he gets in over his head with a certain brand of lucrative after-hours work, the line between what's an act and what's real starts to blur.
Bringing the seedy glamour of the burlesque scene magnificently to life, Louise Welsh's deft contemporary tale is her richest and most macabre yet. A thundering thriller of Glasgow drinking dens, Soho clubs, and dark Berlin backstreets, The Bullet Trick is also an adults-only suspense, guaranteed to keep you guessing until its final explosive flourish.
Bringing the seedy glamour of the burlesque scene magnificently to life, Louise Welsh's deft contemporary tale is her richest and most macabre yet. A thundering thriller of Glasgow drinking dens, Soho clubs, and dark Berlin backstreets, The Bullet Trick is also an adults-only suspense, guaranteed to keep you guessing until its final explosive flourish.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
16 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Louise Welsh
53 books333 followersAfter studying history at Glasgow University, Louise Welsh established a second-hand bookshop, where she worked for many years. Her first novel, The Cutting Room, won several awards, including the 2002 Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and was jointly awarded the 2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Louise was granted a Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award in 2003, a Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award in 2004, and a Hawthornden Fellowship in 2005.
She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.
Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.
The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010
Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room
2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room
2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room
2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award
2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room
2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award
2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)
She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.
Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.
The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010
Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room
2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room
2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room
2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award
2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room
2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award
2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 23, 2023
Great premise - A story of a downward spiralling magician getting caught up in 3(!) related murder scenes. The story is told in split timeframes and across different cities - London, Glasgow and Berlin. As good as this author's The Cutting Room, if not better. A 6 out of 12, Three Star read for me.
December 17, 2009
When down-at-heel conjurer William Wilson gets booked for a string of cabaret gigs in Berlin, he is hoping his luck is on the turn. There were certain spectators from his last show he'd rather forget.
Amongst the showgirls and tricksters of Berlin's scandalous underground William can abandon his heart, his head and, more importantly, his past. But secrets have a habit of catching up with him, and the line between the act and reality starts to blur.
Bringing the seedy glamour of the burlesque scene magnificantly to life, Louise Welsh's deft contemporary tale is her richest and most macabre yet. The Bullet Trick is also an unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing till its final explosive flourish.
This book did not live up to the hype. At all. And, in addition to the last sentence of the blurb there, there are also five very effusive endorsements from other authors, all of which make me very dubious about the quality of their writing, if they're so impressed by Welsh's. Because really, it was not only not as exciting as they all promised, but it was actually quite dull.
For one thing, the blurb kind of implies that the really horrible thing happened before he went to Berlin, and that he went to Berlin to escape it, only to have it catch up to him there. But the really horrible thing happened in Berlin, and he went back to Scotland to try and drown his sorrows about it.
In basically an entirely separate and unrelated story, there's the thing he was actually trying to escape in Berlin. Which didn't even have anything to do with him. Now, people frequently get embroiled in things that have nothing to do with them in books, but when that happens, usually whatever the thing was will somehow became entwined in whatever the character's current situation is, and it will end up having to do with the character in question. This one didn't. There was this secret about the disappearance of the mother of the boyfriend of an old friend of the narrator's. And that's as close as it ever gets, except for the fact that William does end up in possession of a piece of evidence in the matter, and thus finds himself marginally involved. But never in a thrilling sort of way or anything. It's just there, and he's a practically disinterested bystander.
The other thing, the one that happens in Berlin, barely really fits into the story at all, except that it's the reason he's back in Glasgow, drinking himself into oblivion. Then the twist at the end happens, and it's not quite "and then he woke up," but it has almost that kind of feel to it. It certainly wouldn't qualify as an "explosive flourish."
All of which led to the book feeling very aimless for at least half the duration. We didn't know anything about the horrible thing that was going to happen in Berlin (although I did start to guess), and not much about the other thing, either. And it alternated most of the way between chapters in Berlin, in the past, and chapters in Glasgow, in the present. With a few chapters of even older past thrown in to help confuse matters further, so the first part of the book was not only a little dull, but a touch confusing and disorienting, too.
So all in all, not one I was fond of, and one that falls pretty firmly on the "Don't bother" list.
Amongst the showgirls and tricksters of Berlin's scandalous underground William can abandon his heart, his head and, more importantly, his past. But secrets have a habit of catching up with him, and the line between the act and reality starts to blur.
Bringing the seedy glamour of the burlesque scene magnificantly to life, Louise Welsh's deft contemporary tale is her richest and most macabre yet. The Bullet Trick is also an unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing till its final explosive flourish.
This book did not live up to the hype. At all. And, in addition to the last sentence of the blurb there, there are also five very effusive endorsements from other authors, all of which make me very dubious about the quality of their writing, if they're so impressed by Welsh's. Because really, it was not only not as exciting as they all promised, but it was actually quite dull.
For one thing, the blurb kind of implies that the really horrible thing happened before he went to Berlin, and that he went to Berlin to escape it, only to have it catch up to him there. But the really horrible thing happened in Berlin, and he went back to Scotland to try and drown his sorrows about it.
In basically an entirely separate and unrelated story, there's the thing he was actually trying to escape in Berlin. Which didn't even have anything to do with him. Now, people frequently get embroiled in things that have nothing to do with them in books, but when that happens, usually whatever the thing was will somehow became entwined in whatever the character's current situation is, and it will end up having to do with the character in question. This one didn't. There was this secret about the disappearance of the mother of the boyfriend of an old friend of the narrator's. And that's as close as it ever gets, except for the fact that William does end up in possession of a piece of evidence in the matter, and thus finds himself marginally involved. But never in a thrilling sort of way or anything. It's just there, and he's a practically disinterested bystander.
The other thing, the one that happens in Berlin, barely really fits into the story at all, except that it's the reason he's back in Glasgow, drinking himself into oblivion. Then the twist at the end happens, and it's not quite "and then he woke up," but it has almost that kind of feel to it. It certainly wouldn't qualify as an "explosive flourish."
All of which led to the book feeling very aimless for at least half the duration. We didn't know anything about the horrible thing that was going to happen in Berlin (although I did start to guess), and not much about the other thing, either. And it alternated most of the way between chapters in Berlin, in the past, and chapters in Glasgow, in the present. With a few chapters of even older past thrown in to help confuse matters further, so the first part of the book was not only a little dull, but a touch confusing and disorienting, too.
So all in all, not one I was fond of, and one that falls pretty firmly on the "Don't bother" list.
September 13, 2024
Novela de serie negra que transcurre a caballo entre Glasgow, Londres y Berlín, entretenimiento puro, con buen ritmo y personajes interesantes, muy propios del género, que alterna dos historias, una en el presente y otra en el pasado, que necesariamente confluyen hasta completar el truco. Asesinatos, corrupción, culpa, desesperación, magia, sexo protagonizados por un mago, una femme fatale, dos strippers, gánsteres, policías y otros personajes oscuros que van tejiendo la trama. Recomendable.
April 13, 2009
The Bullet Trick is Louise Welsh’s second novel, which deftly follows up on her first The Cutting Room. Like her first book, this is a story that shoots for the gothic and carnivalesque, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
William Wilson is a magician on the last leg of a faltering career when an old friend asks him to do a second-rate show in a London strip club. What happens during the show drags Wilson into the violent aftermath of a dusty missing person’s case.
The story is set in three cities – Glasgow, London and Berlin – and Welsh effortlessly shifts between locations without losing the reader. Her depiction of these places and Wilson’s burlesque underground world is commendable, while the quirky showmen and grifters he meets along the way are appealing, if not memorable.
Louise Welsh’s writing is concise, and her style is playful in a way that makes the language itself alluring. In places the novel drags a bit, but the only real disappointment is William Wilson’s eventual show-down with the killer hunting him. One is left with a sense that the back story was more powerful than William Wilson’s awakening as an unlikely hero. Taken as a whole, it’s a fine read to pass the time, but chances are you won’t remember the details a week from now.
William Wilson is a magician on the last leg of a faltering career when an old friend asks him to do a second-rate show in a London strip club. What happens during the show drags Wilson into the violent aftermath of a dusty missing person’s case.
The story is set in three cities – Glasgow, London and Berlin – and Welsh effortlessly shifts between locations without losing the reader. Her depiction of these places and Wilson’s burlesque underground world is commendable, while the quirky showmen and grifters he meets along the way are appealing, if not memorable.
Louise Welsh’s writing is concise, and her style is playful in a way that makes the language itself alluring. In places the novel drags a bit, but the only real disappointment is William Wilson’s eventual show-down with the killer hunting him. One is left with a sense that the back story was more powerful than William Wilson’s awakening as an unlikely hero. Taken as a whole, it’s a fine read to pass the time, but chances are you won’t remember the details a week from now.
June 6, 2016
A noirish book whose conjurer/scam artist protagonist flashes forward and back in time between demimonde London, Glasgow, and Berlin. I liked it enough to order Welsh's two other (not part of a series) books: The Cutting Room and Tamburlaine Must Die.
April 30, 2025
What a… disappointment! I thought this book would be magical as it was #gifted, however the plot was predictable.
The story jumps between Glasgow, London and Berlin and follows a conjurer William Wilson who just can’t seem to catch a break, who knew magic was so unpopular.
He has a show in London, where he bumps into an old friend Sam and his friend asks him for a favour; to steal an important envelope out of a man’s pocket in the audience of the said show, when he does Sam repays him wish cash! However as he’s handing over the envelope, the man Montgomery is looking to get it back! In a rush Wilson keeps the evidence and disappears, like a true magician! Sadly without a trace.
Wilson then gets a gig in Berlin, but Montgomery tracks him down and attempts to get the envelop back, unsuccessfully, the envelop isn’t with him anyway it’s in Scotland with his mother. During his trip to Berlin, Wilson meets two strange characters Sylvie and Dix and slowly and surely they convince him to make a heck lot of money by doing one of the famous bullet tricks (yes I’ve said the title of the book) and Wilson is led to believe he’s killed Sylvie and runs back to Glasgow.
When he returns to Glasgow his smoking and drinking habits worsen and Wilson has to sort out his life, he obtains the envelop from his mother and opens it realising that Montgomery is tied to a murder / missing woman from the 70s, I guess as his last trick he puts a grand plan together to catch Montgomery and clear his conscious, if he believes he killed Sylvie at least he can release the soul of Gloria (the missing woman).
The story is an easy read, but I feel the author spent too long on describing the variety of pub interiors of Glaswegian pubs and not enough time on the crimes. Wilson keeps being surrounded by death from nearly pushing a guy so hard he nearly broke his neck to waking up next a homeless murdered man, but in essence a lot of this took focus away from Wilson’s real intentions.
The book only gets good 120 pages in, for me anyway. The hints given through out the book means you get no surprises in the end and there’s no real twists or turns in the book, making it predictable. again there’s more spent naming the types of drinks everyone ordered than to the actual ‘crimes’ within the book.
The story jumps between Glasgow, London and Berlin and follows a conjurer William Wilson who just can’t seem to catch a break, who knew magic was so unpopular.
He has a show in London, where he bumps into an old friend Sam and his friend asks him for a favour; to steal an important envelope out of a man’s pocket in the audience of the said show, when he does Sam repays him wish cash! However as he’s handing over the envelope, the man Montgomery is looking to get it back! In a rush Wilson keeps the evidence and disappears, like a true magician! Sadly without a trace.
Wilson then gets a gig in Berlin, but Montgomery tracks him down and attempts to get the envelop back, unsuccessfully, the envelop isn’t with him anyway it’s in Scotland with his mother. During his trip to Berlin, Wilson meets two strange characters Sylvie and Dix and slowly and surely they convince him to make a heck lot of money by doing one of the famous bullet tricks (yes I’ve said the title of the book) and Wilson is led to believe he’s killed Sylvie and runs back to Glasgow.
When he returns to Glasgow his smoking and drinking habits worsen and Wilson has to sort out his life, he obtains the envelop from his mother and opens it realising that Montgomery is tied to a murder / missing woman from the 70s, I guess as his last trick he puts a grand plan together to catch Montgomery and clear his conscious, if he believes he killed Sylvie at least he can release the soul of Gloria (the missing woman).
The story is an easy read, but I feel the author spent too long on describing the variety of pub interiors of Glaswegian pubs and not enough time on the crimes. Wilson keeps being surrounded by death from nearly pushing a guy so hard he nearly broke his neck to waking up next a homeless murdered man, but in essence a lot of this took focus away from Wilson’s real intentions.
The book only gets good 120 pages in, for me anyway. The hints given through out the book means you get no surprises in the end and there’s no real twists or turns in the book, making it predictable. again there’s more spent naming the types of drinks everyone ordered than to the actual ‘crimes’ within the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2008
Good book. I have to accept that despite turning my back on "literature" after my teens, I do need "real" books. I'm not actually at home with mainstream books and probably never will be. I was looking for what I want and need in genre fiction, but a good book always has elements of mystery in it, a real book deals with sex in some way at some point. Welsh does so very obliquely in this novel (I'm not sure how one reviewer characterised the protagonist, and I'm hesitant to judge on his reaction to others *no spoilers*), but that's all for the good, since I couldn't stand any of the many slim girls peopling its pages and the nightclubs William traverses.
Equally I thought I detested multiple flashbacks, but most of my good authors have them, see also: mystery-revealed, see also: Gale. Twice I think Welsh could have cut and merged, but overall it worked well - and of course she's a truly good writer.
I hate the cover, wish I had the other one, but oddly enough the text managed to make the obviousness of it seem less so. Two further plus points are the two older women (the missing woman's sister's ire at everyman thinking it was always about sex) and that the protagonist ends up drinking and gambling just as in the beginning - if this was his journey into the heart of darkness, as one review-line said, it didn't change him, nor explain to us why he is like he is (which, incidentially, is a good person). It's also not "slick" as another review-line said, because slick implies superficial, and while assured this is not fake.
ETA: some words about the main theme - it did seem too close to Welsh's famous first novel, but then again there is a real lack of critique at the pleasure (mostly) men get from seeing females hurt, and it is a different story to the historical search of the gay auctioneer in Cutting Room. If her second novel is also about a gay man, then that's another thread I don't mind in Welsh's case - she is a very different caliber to the many female authors writing gay men these days. Fingers crossed (for Maria McCann as well).
Equally I thought I detested multiple flashbacks, but most of my good authors have them, see also: mystery-revealed, see also: Gale. Twice I think Welsh could have cut and merged, but overall it worked well - and of course she's a truly good writer.
I hate the cover, wish I had the other one, but oddly enough the text managed to make the obviousness of it seem less so. Two further plus points are the two older women (the missing woman's sister's ire at everyman thinking it was always about sex) and that the protagonist ends up drinking and gambling just as in the beginning - if this was his journey into the heart of darkness, as one review-line said, it didn't change him, nor explain to us why he is like he is (which, incidentially, is a good person). It's also not "slick" as another review-line said, because slick implies superficial, and while assured this is not fake.
ETA: some words about the main theme - it did seem too close to Welsh's famous first novel, but then again there is a real lack of critique at the pleasure (mostly) men get from seeing females hurt, and it is a different story to the historical search of the gay auctioneer in Cutting Room. If her second novel is also about a gay man, then that's another thread I don't mind in Welsh's case - she is a very different caliber to the many female authors writing gay men these days. Fingers crossed (for Maria McCann as well).
March 20, 2010
I picked up this book from my library, the picture first caught my eye and then the title, and when I read the blurb and noticed that some of it was set in Berlin ...... I was travelling to Berlin soon ....... I just had to borrow it. And I'm really pleased that I did as I absolutely loved it.
The story starts in present day Glasgow and travels back and forth in time to Berlin and London narrated by William Wilson, Mentalist and Illusionist, who was
When his agent sends him to a London club for a gig he somehow gets mixed up in a missing persons mystery, involving the police and blackmail, and where, shortly after, two men are found shot to death, he decides it would be a good idea to disappear and take another job in a cabaret club in Berlin....... but, unfortunately, his troubles have only just begun. As the chapters alternate between the different cities and the different times, I loved the way Louise Welsh built up the suspense, we knew something terrible had happened to William earlier but the clues are slowly dragged out and the story never slows or gets boring.
Even though William is not the most endearing of characters, he drinks too much, smokes too much, and at the beginning of the book he gambles too much, but his witty and dry humour had me laughing out loud a couple of times and I found myself liking him more and more as his life starts to unravel in the darkly gothic world of glamour and magic.
The descriptions of his illusionist acts were fascinating, all the various larger than life characters were well-defined and I was totally engrossed from start to finish.
The story starts in present day Glasgow and travels back and forth in time to Berlin and London narrated by William Wilson, Mentalist and Illusionist, who was
the warm-up act for a whole trough of comedians and stand ups. The guy nobody came to see.
When his agent sends him to a London club for a gig he somehow gets mixed up in a missing persons mystery, involving the police and blackmail, and where, shortly after, two men are found shot to death, he decides it would be a good idea to disappear and take another job in a cabaret club in Berlin....... but, unfortunately, his troubles have only just begun. As the chapters alternate between the different cities and the different times, I loved the way Louise Welsh built up the suspense, we knew something terrible had happened to William earlier but the clues are slowly dragged out and the story never slows or gets boring.
Even though William is not the most endearing of characters, he drinks too much, smokes too much, and at the beginning of the book he gambles too much, but his witty and dry humour had me laughing out loud a couple of times and I found myself liking him more and more as his life starts to unravel in the darkly gothic world of glamour and magic.
The descriptions of his illusionist acts were fascinating, all the various larger than life characters were well-defined and I was totally engrossed from start to finish.
December 7, 2010
I'd put this somewhere on the up side of average. A bit slow in the beginning and not an author I'm going to race around looking for, though perhaps one I will read again. So it quite surprised me when I found her mentioned online as one of the big new names taking crime writing into the literary bit of mainstream fiction. I liked the plot and some of the characters (bit players better drawn than the major parts) but didn't think the writing was anything to get excited about.
July 28, 2009
Disappointing because I loved The Cutting Room so much. The main character just didn’t have what the other guy had.
August 18, 2019
The novel is set variously in Glasgow, London and Berlin and intercuts between the three at intervals. It starts with William Wilson, mentalist and illusionist, having fled back to Glasgow to hide after a sojourn as a conjuror in the Berlin night club Schall und Rauch has gone wrong. He had only taken that job after a one-off gig at a London venue - a benefit for a retired policeman, Jim Montgomery, nicknamed ‘the Wizard,’ - was followed by the violent deaths of the club’s proprietor Bill and his boyfriend Sam, whose knowledge of Wilson had got him the gig. Bill had prevailed on Wilson to use his palming skills to remove a package he said belonged to him from the detective’s jacket pocket. Montgomery wants it back - even tracking him down to Berlin. Wilson’s need to return to Glasgow depends on his awareness of this and of the possible dangers of the conjuror’s bullet trick of the title. Only once back in Glasgow does Wilson open the package to see what it contains.
This is where the whole enterprise falls into what I might call the standard thriller plot. A single untrained individual besting the world and solving a decades old mystery don’t ever strike me as very likely. Welsh’s gifts as a novelist are many, a feel for character and an eye for description among them. She does this sort of plot well enough but somehow or other the reader (well, me) always suspects that Wilson’s situation isn’t going to turn out to be as black as he paints it.
There is a reminder of the buttoned-up attitudes inculcated into Scots by centuries of Calvinism when Wilson says of an old friend that he, “pulled me into a hug that was traitor to his west coast of Scotland origins.”
The cover of the edition I read is emblazoned with a quote from Kate Atkinson, “Her most thrilling yet.” I was not quite so enthralled, maybe because of the conjuring business. If a faker is telling you something then you must expect fakery. Of the four Welsh novels I have read so far the best has been Tamburlaine Must Die, perhaps due to its historical setting.
This is where the whole enterprise falls into what I might call the standard thriller plot. A single untrained individual besting the world and solving a decades old mystery don’t ever strike me as very likely. Welsh’s gifts as a novelist are many, a feel for character and an eye for description among them. She does this sort of plot well enough but somehow or other the reader (well, me) always suspects that Wilson’s situation isn’t going to turn out to be as black as he paints it.
There is a reminder of the buttoned-up attitudes inculcated into Scots by centuries of Calvinism when Wilson says of an old friend that he, “pulled me into a hug that was traitor to his west coast of Scotland origins.”
The cover of the edition I read is emblazoned with a quote from Kate Atkinson, “Her most thrilling yet.” I was not quite so enthralled, maybe because of the conjuring business. If a faker is telling you something then you must expect fakery. Of the four Welsh novels I have read so far the best has been Tamburlaine Must Die, perhaps due to its historical setting.
August 14, 2017
Louise Welsh has a very compelling way of writing. This is the second book of hers I've read, and again, I've just rattled through it. The seediness is back again that I vaguely remember from the Cutting Room. This time it's the world of conjurers in the night club scene, dancers and exotic dancers, slightly less than legal business men and so forth. The book is set in three places and times, London, Glasgow and Berlin, and it skips between the three so that you don't find out what went on in each place until the end. Although I did kind of see the Berlin bit coming (ho ho ho, aren't I the perceptive one), although I still don't really get why someone would pay a lot of money for the kind of pathetic performance that was given at the end. Anyway... William Wilson is a Glaswegian magician working in London. He gets hired as a warm up act for a couple of exotic dancers at a policeman's retirement do, and in the duration of the evening is "persuaded" by the club owner to lift something out of one of the policeman's jackets. Of course no one tells William the truth about exactly what it is, but because of this little thievery, he's dragged into a decades old mystery. One that gets more contemporary when he finds out a few days later than the club owner has been murdered. By this point he's taken a job in Berlin even though he doesn't speak German and isn't a star, and believes himself to be safely out of the way. But the London mystery seems to be tracking him to Germany and then onwards to Glasgow, whilst at the same time he gets mixed up in what I will only describe as perverted oddness in Berlin.
February 17, 2025
This is yet another book that's sat unread on my shelves for almost 20 years -- until now! It opens with our protagonist, Scottish stage magician William Wilson, touching down in Glasgow and looking for a cheap bedsit in the heart of town -- clearly, his life is not on a smooth track... The narrative then skips around between three timelines across three locations: London is the earliest, followed by Berlin, and then Glasgow.
In London, it's clear that Wilson is barely scraping by professionally, forced to take the cash for two-bit gigs like a policeman's retirement party in the back of a club. However, he lives for the rush of the performance and has no other career plans, so takes what he can get. Soon after the police gig -- at which some very dodgy stuff occurs, he's booked into a cabaret in Berlin. There, prospects seem better -- but a wild American woman brings chaos in her wake. It's clear from the Glasgow section that something went very wrong in Berlin, and most readers will suss out pretty readily what that's likely to be, and so when it comes, it's no surprise.
That said, there is a twist -- but not enough of one, as again, most astute readers will have seen it coming a mile away. The book climaxes at a benefit magic show for kids with Down Syndrome in Glasgow where things are neatly resolved. All in all it's a decent crime story with a somewhat annoyingly self-destructive protagonist at its heart. The author does a very good job at crafting scenes and building out a rich cast of supporting characters, I just didn't feel the main ones were all that compelling. I would probably give another book of hers a whirl though.
In London, it's clear that Wilson is barely scraping by professionally, forced to take the cash for two-bit gigs like a policeman's retirement party in the back of a club. However, he lives for the rush of the performance and has no other career plans, so takes what he can get. Soon after the police gig -- at which some very dodgy stuff occurs, he's booked into a cabaret in Berlin. There, prospects seem better -- but a wild American woman brings chaos in her wake. It's clear from the Glasgow section that something went very wrong in Berlin, and most readers will suss out pretty readily what that's likely to be, and so when it comes, it's no surprise.
That said, there is a twist -- but not enough of one, as again, most astute readers will have seen it coming a mile away. The book climaxes at a benefit magic show for kids with Down Syndrome in Glasgow where things are neatly resolved. All in all it's a decent crime story with a somewhat annoyingly self-destructive protagonist at its heart. The author does a very good job at crafting scenes and building out a rich cast of supporting characters, I just didn't feel the main ones were all that compelling. I would probably give another book of hers a whirl though.
November 23, 2016
William dropped out of university years ago. He was convinced that magic was due for a comeback and as a conjurer, he was headed for the big time. It wasn't and neither was he. A decade later he's drinking too much and taking the small jobs his agent sends his way. One of these leads to a side job to steal an envelope after a job at a strip club. He still had the envelope when the people who hired him are murdered and he flees to Berlin, to a steady gig at an Erotische Cabaret.
Welsh wrote an excellent debut novel, The Cutting Room and this book continues in the same dark vein. William is a man who has come not to expect much from people or life, and is rarely disappointed. He's still basically an ethical man, no matter the ease at which he accepts the odd bribe to look the other way, and willing to confront his own incriminating acts if necessary.
Welsh wrote an excellent debut novel, The Cutting Room and this book continues in the same dark vein. William is a man who has come not to expect much from people or life, and is rarely disappointed. He's still basically an ethical man, no matter the ease at which he accepts the odd bribe to look the other way, and willing to confront his own incriminating acts if necessary.
February 27, 2017
Although I read this book 11 years ago, I still remember enjoying the unexpected twists and turns of the pot, and the decadence of Berlin. I've always been a huge fan of Louise Welsh, who lived in my friend's flat when she was at Glasgow Uni. I particularly adore The Cutting Room, as that reminds me of how wonderful the West End was in the late '80s, with it's mixture of (sometimes very distinctive) characters, great bars and unusual shops. Now it's full of wankers, and the unique shops have gone. This isn't quite as good as her creepy debut, but is still worth a read, as is anything by one of Scotland's most talented authors. Perhaps I'll give this one a re-read soon...
June 23, 2023
I was hoping for more from this book, but it took a while to get going. William Wilson, a magician/conjurer down on his luck takes a job at a policeman’s retirement function where he took something he shouldn’t have from the policeman and now he is after him. To escape he takes a gig at a raunchy club in Berlin, but that does not workout too well either so he returns home to Glasgow, where he hides and drinks too much. The story is told across different timelines and cities, London, Berlin and Glasgow. It was too slow, and took too long to find out what was going on and why William went into hiding.
September 11, 2018
I've read one of Louise Walsh's books before (though the title escapes me) at the recommendation of a friend. I do recall not being particularly taken with it. This book I enjoyed more. The writing is slick and I like the way the story jumps back and forth betweens settings and time. The big reveal, not so big, but an enjoyable, cosy thriller. One I liked for the writing and presentation more than the plot.
July 4, 2024
For a thriller that's set in multiple cities, this novel wasn't as scenic and exciting as I expected it to be. But Louise Welsh's language is very engaging, and the descriptions don't feel too overdone, but I was reading an extremely boring classic before this, so "The Bullet Trick" seemed fast and easy in comparision! I wish there hadn't been so many flashbacks and the primary protagonist isn't very memorable. But all in all - a decent thriller!
August 2, 2017
A slow moving story and just interesting enough to keep me reading, albeit in small periods. Wilson and other characters weren't very interesting but at least the Berlin part was better. When Wilson returns to Glasgow he becomes a different man and also, the police are strange people. We are not 'in' on a lot of stuff so it is a bit of a surprise when things happen.
September 2, 2019
Like most books with dual timelines, one plot was much more interesting than the other. If this was only the Berlin story it would have been a much better book. It also did that annoying trope when it kept alluding to 'that awful thing'. I know they were trying to build tension but it took all the shock out of the event when it happened.
Overall, I didn't warm to it.
Overall, I didn't warm to it.
January 12, 2022
I enjoyed the plot, and the way the two elements of the story were wound together, but at times I found it hard to remember this was a book written by a woman. OK, we weren't supposed to like the main character, but his attitudes towards women were hard to take. And of course - spoilers - it was inevitable that he had been deceived. An OK read but one I probably won't be recommending.
June 18, 2025
It's too easy to put down, and I seem to be willing to do chores to avoid picking it up again.
There are ambiguities as to who is talking at times. The writing is cumbersome and I find myself re-reading sections, thinking I missed something.
There are ambiguities as to who is talking at times. The writing is cumbersome and I find myself re-reading sections, thinking I missed something.
December 7, 2025
read till page 109 than put it down...I found it uneventfull. this was my second book from this author, the first one being The Girl In The Stairs whoch I loked a lot. Maybe it was not what I expected.
February 10, 2017
The blurb makes it sound more lavish than it is so I was a little disappointed but it's easy to read and has a good ending.
July 26, 2017
I thought I had the end all figured out, obviously not... Very nicely played
November 16, 2018
Interesting set of disreputable characters in steamy, down-at-heel environments.
July 4, 2019
It's one magic show, the way the plot runs, the way it's written and louise welsh s one good conjurer. with all the tricks and flips in the book, you are bound to enjoy it till the last page
November 4, 2020
Absolutely brilliant. I read a lot. So it was a rare pleasure, not being able to guess what happened next.
April 28, 2021
Clever, with little heart.
April 18, 2022
Another very enjoyable story with good characters
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