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Felony Juggler: A Novel
From Penn Jillette of the legendary magic duo Penn & A street performer finds himself enmeshed in a crime and must outwit his fellow conspirators in his greatest juggling act yet
IN THE EARLY 1970s, Poe is living a nomadic life, hopping trains, sleeping rough, and juggling to feed himself. He eventually settles in Philadelphia and masters his street act before ever-growing crowds. When one of his fellow buskers presents him with an opportunity—a bank heist—he should have refused, an innocent bystander is killed, and he splits town a felon.
Unable to resist the lure of performing, he resurfaces halfway across the country as a regular act in a Renaissance Fair(e). Unfortunately, his notoriety outs him to the criminal organization who believes he took something of importance from them during the bank heist. Using all of the wit and misdirection that has made him the best street performer anyone has ever seen, Poe must outsmart and outmaneuver them in order to return to the peaceful life of juggling.
Drawing from his own youthful experience as a nomadic juggler—before earning international acclaim as one half of the magic duo Penn & Teller—Jillette’s madcap thriller is an authentic and often hilarious glimpse into the pleasures and perils of performing on the street.
IN THE EARLY 1970s, Poe is living a nomadic life, hopping trains, sleeping rough, and juggling to feed himself. He eventually settles in Philadelphia and masters his street act before ever-growing crowds. When one of his fellow buskers presents him with an opportunity—a bank heist—he should have refused, an innocent bystander is killed, and he splits town a felon.
Unable to resist the lure of performing, he resurfaces halfway across the country as a regular act in a Renaissance Fair(e). Unfortunately, his notoriety outs him to the criminal organization who believes he took something of importance from them during the bank heist. Using all of the wit and misdirection that has made him the best street performer anyone has ever seen, Poe must outsmart and outmaneuver them in order to return to the peaceful life of juggling.
Drawing from his own youthful experience as a nomadic juggler—before earning international acclaim as one half of the magic duo Penn & Teller—Jillette’s madcap thriller is an authentic and often hilarious glimpse into the pleasures and perils of performing on the street.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2025
19 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Penn Jillette
43 books449 followersPenn Fraser Jillette is an American comedian, illusionist, juggler and writer known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team Penn & Teller.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 21, 2025
Much like his first novel, Sock, Jillette returns to a sort of meta fiction and it’s just damn good. Penn can really tell a story.
April 6, 2025
3/5 STARS! I don't know what this book is & I dig it. Humorous, raunchy, even gory at times, this is a fun adventure of a street juggler who happens to accidentally get involved in a bank robbery. It's wild & chaotic, but so much fun. Very rarely are jugglers featured, so super cool to read from the perspective of one. This is definitely a unique & innovative story you'll have a blast discovering.
Thank you to Akashic Books for the review copy.
Thank you to Akashic Books for the review copy.
May 14, 2025
so I'm generally a fan of Penn jillette this book was a little disappointing for me. I know quite a bit about Penn's life because I listen to his podcast and I've read several other of his books. I think his real life is more interesting than the life that diverges in this book. I don't know if I quite understand what he wanted this book to be. it's certainly not a crime novel though crimes occur in it it's certainly not a comedy novel though there is some comedy. it's not literary as the main character doesn't change at all over the course of the book. and I don't know if there's really a message in this book that makes it worse reading. it also could have used some editing there were some mistakes that I noticed one that sticks out is a reference to covid in the 1980s. overall it was fine and if you're a fan of pendulum you'll probably appreciate it for what it is but otherwise I wouldn't spend money on it.
May 6, 2025
Felony Juggler, the third novel by Penn Jillette, the bigger, louder half of famed magic duo Penn & Teller, is a funny, semi-autobiographical novel in which Jillette images what his life would have been like had he fallen prey to peer pressure and made a choice that would have altered his path forever.
I have been a big fan of Penn & Teller, specifically Penn, for a huge chunk of my life. I have been a weekly listener to Penn’s podcast, Penn’s Sunday School, since it first debuted in 2012. Because of that, I recognized the first several chapters of this book as being absolutely true, having heard Penn recount these same stories multiple times over the past thirteen years. It’s told exactly in his own voice, just as if he were really writing a straight autobiography. And that alone is incredibly entertaining, given the life Jillette lead from the time he “got out of high school on a plea deal” through his years hitchhiking around the country and street performing.
But, at a certain point, the “crime novel” part kicks in. The fictional Penn, named Poe in this story, makes a choice to get involved in a bank heist, and that changes his life forever. The rest of the novel is Poe on the run, he moves to Hibbing, Minnesota (because that’s where Bob Dylan is from) and begins a new life as “Tiny”. From here, we get to spend time with Tiny as he starts a new life and falls in love. That is, until his past catches up with him.
The fun part of the book is picking out what parts of the novel are being made up vs what parts of the story probably still reflect the life and thoughts of the real life Penn Jillette. As a Penn fan, I managed it pretty easily. But folks not as familiar with the man himself can still enjoy the meta, faux autobiographical nature of this tale.
Jillette’s voice is funny, unique, philosophical, and raunchy. He delights with stories about juggling, sex, hitchhiking, music, and clown college. He often takes tangents to poke fun at himself and at the reader. The novel is written almost, but not quite, stream of consciousness, like it was dictated as a bunch of stories and thoughts taken down word for word and not edited. Almost. It’s more readable than that. But it gives that vibe, and that’s part of the entertainment and charm. It also makes the pacing very brisk, as Jillette doesn’t get bogged down in language and descriptions. He’s telling a story on the page as if he’s telling it orally. He shares only the necessary details. And as much as I love rich, descriptive, incredibly detailed writing like in a Stephen King novel, there’s something wonderful about a story that’s in the vein of the oral tradition of storytelling. You can practically hear Jillette in the room with you telling this instead of you reading words on the page. It makes me want to revisit it with the audiobook (which Jillette reads himself).
If you thought a magician couldn’t be a good novelist, guess again. Pick up Felony Juggler and enjoy.
I have been a big fan of Penn & Teller, specifically Penn, for a huge chunk of my life. I have been a weekly listener to Penn’s podcast, Penn’s Sunday School, since it first debuted in 2012. Because of that, I recognized the first several chapters of this book as being absolutely true, having heard Penn recount these same stories multiple times over the past thirteen years. It’s told exactly in his own voice, just as if he were really writing a straight autobiography. And that alone is incredibly entertaining, given the life Jillette lead from the time he “got out of high school on a plea deal” through his years hitchhiking around the country and street performing.
But, at a certain point, the “crime novel” part kicks in. The fictional Penn, named Poe in this story, makes a choice to get involved in a bank heist, and that changes his life forever. The rest of the novel is Poe on the run, he moves to Hibbing, Minnesota (because that’s where Bob Dylan is from) and begins a new life as “Tiny”. From here, we get to spend time with Tiny as he starts a new life and falls in love. That is, until his past catches up with him.
The fun part of the book is picking out what parts of the novel are being made up vs what parts of the story probably still reflect the life and thoughts of the real life Penn Jillette. As a Penn fan, I managed it pretty easily. But folks not as familiar with the man himself can still enjoy the meta, faux autobiographical nature of this tale.
Jillette’s voice is funny, unique, philosophical, and raunchy. He delights with stories about juggling, sex, hitchhiking, music, and clown college. He often takes tangents to poke fun at himself and at the reader. The novel is written almost, but not quite, stream of consciousness, like it was dictated as a bunch of stories and thoughts taken down word for word and not edited. Almost. It’s more readable than that. But it gives that vibe, and that’s part of the entertainment and charm. It also makes the pacing very brisk, as Jillette doesn’t get bogged down in language and descriptions. He’s telling a story on the page as if he’s telling it orally. He shares only the necessary details. And as much as I love rich, descriptive, incredibly detailed writing like in a Stephen King novel, there’s something wonderful about a story that’s in the vein of the oral tradition of storytelling. You can practically hear Jillette in the room with you telling this instead of you reading words on the page. It makes me want to revisit it with the audiobook (which Jillette reads himself).
If you thought a magician couldn’t be a good novelist, guess again. Pick up Felony Juggler and enjoy.
November 3, 2025
I really appreciate the premise. Penn shares meaningful moments from his life, then explores an alternate path, imagining what might have happened if he’d made a different, less wise choice at one crucial point in his life. It’s a fascinating concept and well executed, though I’m not sure I was the intended audience. Although I’ve always been a big fan of Penn and Teller, I came away with mixed feelings about Penn himself, but I still admire the honesty and creativity behind the book.
July 6, 2025
At first, I thought this was a memoir and then with the whole robbery and mob angle, I thought it was fiction. Then at the end, he explained that it was based on his life except for the robbery mob part.
May 25, 2025
I am a big Penn and Teller fan.
This is Jillette's second novel. He writes like he talks. He has a quick rhythm. He never ignores the opportunity for a cheap and/or dirty crack. He walks the line between being a wise guy and a truth telling philosopher.
This is a story narrated by a kid from Greenfield, Massachusetts who ends up as a loudmouth comedy street juggler in Philidelphia. He meets up with a very talented and quiet magician who he teams up with. Penn admits in the acknowledgements that up until that point in the story, this is Penn's autobiography.
Penn explains what is involved in being a successful street performer. He shows how to recruit the local street kids, how to work with the other performers, how to attract a crowd, how to pace the show and how to make sure you collect as much from the crowd as possible. It is fascinating to have someone who is good at their job, explain how it is done.
The book becomes a novel when the magician gets him involved in a bank robbery gone bad and a bystander is killed. The juggler flees Philadelphia. He changes his identity. He settles in Hibbing, Minn. (Given Penn's Dylan obsession, that is not a coincidence.)
He meets a woman and develops a living as a juggler at Renaissance Faires around the Midwest. His Philidelphia experience catches up with him and the book turns into a crime thriller with bad guys and shootings.
Even the Hibbing part of the story has big chunks of autobiography. Penn explains some juggling stuff. He shows the economics of being a performer at a Renaissance Faire.
The crime stuff is the least convincing. There seem to be holes in the plot. He takes an implausible circumstance to get his character out of the hands of a bad guy. I think I would have enjoyed the whole thing more if it was just Penn's autobiography.
Penn knows how to tell a story. He loves wise cracks and digressions. This was fun.
This is Jillette's second novel. He writes like he talks. He has a quick rhythm. He never ignores the opportunity for a cheap and/or dirty crack. He walks the line between being a wise guy and a truth telling philosopher.
This is a story narrated by a kid from Greenfield, Massachusetts who ends up as a loudmouth comedy street juggler in Philidelphia. He meets up with a very talented and quiet magician who he teams up with. Penn admits in the acknowledgements that up until that point in the story, this is Penn's autobiography.
Penn explains what is involved in being a successful street performer. He shows how to recruit the local street kids, how to work with the other performers, how to attract a crowd, how to pace the show and how to make sure you collect as much from the crowd as possible. It is fascinating to have someone who is good at their job, explain how it is done.
The book becomes a novel when the magician gets him involved in a bank robbery gone bad and a bystander is killed. The juggler flees Philadelphia. He changes his identity. He settles in Hibbing, Minn. (Given Penn's Dylan obsession, that is not a coincidence.)
He meets a woman and develops a living as a juggler at Renaissance Faires around the Midwest. His Philidelphia experience catches up with him and the book turns into a crime thriller with bad guys and shootings.
Even the Hibbing part of the story has big chunks of autobiography. Penn explains some juggling stuff. He shows the economics of being a performer at a Renaissance Faire.
The crime stuff is the least convincing. There seem to be holes in the plot. He takes an implausible circumstance to get his character out of the hands of a bad guy. I think I would have enjoyed the whole thing more if it was just Penn's autobiography.
Penn knows how to tell a story. He loves wise cracks and digressions. This was fun.
April 22, 2025
It's the 1970s and a young man named Poe decides to see the country. He hitchhikes, sneaks onto trains, paying his way day by day earning money by juggling for tips. It's the perfect way to live during those hippie times. When Poe decides to put down stakes in Philadelphia, he hones his juggling act, making lots of money along the way. He even sets it up like a business, allowing other street performers to get their piece of the action. His skills are noticed by a group of bank robbers who want to use him as a diversion as they attempt to pull off a heist worth millions. But when an innocent victim dies, Poe's life becomes one of a man on the run yet again, forced to start anew with a different identity. Poe makes his way to a small town in Minnesota, resumes his juggling act, and hopes to never be found by those who committed the robbery. That might be harder than it looks when you are a world-class juggler coming in at well over 6 feet tall, performing at the Renaissance Fair.
If you have read Penn Jillette's books before, you kind of know what you are getting into. He always manages to bring his own life into his novels, and this one appears to be as semi-autobiographical as it can be. Told with his signature humor, Felony Juggler will have you trying to guess what parts of this book are drawn from real life and what is a part of his imagination.
If you have read Penn Jillette's books before, you kind of know what you are getting into. He always manages to bring his own life into his novels, and this one appears to be as semi-autobiographical as it can be. Told with his signature humor, Felony Juggler will have you trying to guess what parts of this book are drawn from real life and what is a part of his imagination.
June 30, 2025
The protagonist of this fast-paced and loosely written crime novel is based on the author's own experiences as a street performer in the 1970s. Poe is a juggler with a strong patter and ability to charm others. The first third of the book outlines his backstory and the mechanics of establishing himself as a very successful Philadelphia street juggler while keeping the local shopkeepers, street gang, police, and other street performers happy. He's making tons of cash, has an apartment, a girlfriend, and a fun life -- all of which comes to an abrupt end when a street magician ropes him into a dicey bank heist.
The rest of the bulk finds him on the run, winding up in Minnesota, shacking up with a sexually adventurous librarian, and making a sweet living at Renaissance festivals. Of course, as in all the classic crime tales -- the past comes knocking, and Poe has to scramble to avoid everything crumbling again. All of this is delivered in a very chatty direct address to the reader, chock-a-block with observational humor of a sort, not to mention an abundance of raunch. It's kind of fun, if completely ludicrous, and within the first five pages, you'll know if the tone is going to work for you.
The rest of the bulk finds him on the run, winding up in Minnesota, shacking up with a sexually adventurous librarian, and making a sweet living at Renaissance festivals. Of course, as in all the classic crime tales -- the past comes knocking, and Poe has to scramble to avoid everything crumbling again. All of this is delivered in a very chatty direct address to the reader, chock-a-block with observational humor of a sort, not to mention an abundance of raunch. It's kind of fun, if completely ludicrous, and within the first five pages, you'll know if the tone is going to work for you.
June 22, 2025
I'm not a big Penn & Teller fan - so that may influence my review (i.e. I started out indifferent).
Reading this was like having the protagonist sitting in your living room, drinking beers, and telling this story (which might not have worked had I not been familiar with Penn as a celebrity personality). It is definitely first person perspective, which really drove my interest - imagine having a highly energetic giant in your house telling you stories. I enjoyed the interesting / funny asides where Penn broke the 4th wall.
I liked the characters and the story. The ending was satisfying, but the "surprise" nature of the cause of the conflict I found to be distracting. I guess you could say it was clever and it wasn't trite, but it was too goofy for me.
All that being said, I literally read this in one sitting (well, lying in bed thinking "You should go to sleep. But I wanna see how this ends!").
Reading this was like having the protagonist sitting in your living room, drinking beers, and telling this story (which might not have worked had I not been familiar with Penn as a celebrity personality). It is definitely first person perspective, which really drove my interest - imagine having a highly energetic giant in your house telling you stories. I enjoyed the interesting / funny asides where Penn broke the 4th wall.
I liked the characters and the story. The ending was satisfying, but the "surprise" nature of the cause of the conflict I found to be distracting. I guess you could say it was clever and it wasn't trite, but it was too goofy for me.
All that being said, I literally read this in one sitting (well, lying in bed thinking "You should go to sleep. But I wanna see how this ends!").
August 17, 2025
It’s so hard to know what to make of this book. I read Jillette’s previous, Random, and rather enjoyed it. This book feels much more of an early years autobiography, and he says that it broadly is, at least until a bank heist takes place. Then it starts to boil up in to quite a taught thriller, before plateauing towards the end when it should be reaching a crescendo, and then ending in dull indifference. Why? Did he get bored as he got towards the denouement? It seems like it was finished only because he had to…
Anyway, if you like Penn and Teller, or at least Penn, and enjoy his very personal style, and the somewhat sleazy content with much reference to assorted bodily fluids - then this could be for you.
If he writes another (and he’s suggested he will) then I’m sure I’ll read it. I just hope it will be a bit better.
Anyway, if you like Penn and Teller, or at least Penn, and enjoy his very personal style, and the somewhat sleazy content with much reference to assorted bodily fluids - then this could be for you.
If he writes another (and he’s suggested he will) then I’m sure I’ll read it. I just hope it will be a bit better.
November 10, 2025
A little too crass and sophomoric for my tastes. Definitely written by someone who grew up in and is still living in the 70s. Has entertainment value, but the writing tends to drift a little off topic too often. Penn's voice was in my head the entire time I was reading this novel. He has a unique voice and it was succinctly represented. If you like Penn, and dig his humor, you'll enjoy this book. I just think this would be more popular and acceptable had it been published in the 80s or early 90s. It's strongly Dick Lit, and much more Dick than Lit. That said, it's a great throwback to when life wasn't so uptight and woke. Unfortunately, the type of people this book would be really popular with don't read books.
April 6, 2025
I loved this book, it was truly a fun, crazy, bawdy read, that sounds like Penn Jillette talks. Part of the fun was trying to figure out what was really true from life and what was made up. And its so well done it made me think if there's a really dark chapter in the juggler's past. Hmmm...
The writing and plot had some echoes of Donald Westlake, with a touch of Carl Hiaasen, a world where everyone is a bit nuts and the criminals are too delightfully dumb to do too much damage.
I received an ARC of this title from #Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
The writing and plot had some echoes of Donald Westlake, with a touch of Carl Hiaasen, a world where everyone is a bit nuts and the criminals are too delightfully dumb to do too much damage.
I received an ARC of this title from #Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
August 4, 2025
I’m a fan of Penn & Teller. I think their entertainment is very smart and witty. But I’ve had trouble in the past trying to read Penn Jillette’s books and I don’t know why: writing style? topics or plots? raunchiness?
I enjoyed Felony Juggler. Even before reading the acknowledgements I felt like the first third of the book was semi autobiographical and it was fascinating and entertaining. The rest was fun, with occasional diversions and asides from narrator or author to the reader that were smart (or smart alecky).
I enjoyed Felony Juggler. Even before reading the acknowledgements I felt like the first third of the book was semi autobiographical and it was fascinating and entertaining. The rest was fun, with occasional diversions and asides from narrator or author to the reader that were smart (or smart alecky).
March 29, 2025
I have always wanted to learn to juggle but have never stuck with it. It is something I would like to learn before I die, just because. I requested an advanced readers copy of Felony Juggler because a friend of mine is a big fan of Penn Jilette . I decided to give it a try before passing it on. Glad I did. It is funny, entertaining and a bit raunchy (in just the right amount) . Thoroughly enjoyed it and am inspired to give juggling another try!
Peggy Z
Peggy Z
May 3, 2025
What a fun read. It is the 70s and Poe, a street juggler gets involved in a bank heist, which leads to a murder and he is off running. When reading the beginning, I had the sense that the author was using parts of his own life to the story. And the acknowledgments at the end confirmed. Although, the bank robbery and aftermath are all made up. I loved Jillette’s humor and his interjections of comments to the reader. An overall enjoyable book.
April 9, 2025
Won from a book site. Love Penn and Teller, read one of their non-fiction books, so I jumped on this. Well-written and -edited, half (or more) a memoir by Penn, and certainly an insight into his life and worldview. Fun, funny, fast-paced. Had a hard time taking breaks; always wanted to see what was coming next.
May 7, 2025
A little crude for my taste, but it was a page turner right up until the end, and if it wasn’t for the ending, it would be an easy five star rating from me. But I found the ending to be very disappointing—I don’t want to spoil the book for others, so I’ll just say everything up to the last chapter was 5 stars, the last chapter for me was 1 star, and so I’m giving it three stars.
July 11, 2025
This was a fun read! Quite vulgar which always makes for an interesting read. There were so many man moments though at the same time. I appreciated the blend of fiction and personal life! Made the character very real and I appreciated how much he liked juggling. I still hate street performers though!
August 19, 2025
I've been a lifelong fan of Penn & Teller. Knowing this was partially autobiographical made it interesting to me. I'm not sure how interesting or engaging it would be for people who aren't fans. The narrative splits between story telling and fourth wall breaking, with a mercurial, if esoteric, narrator
September 24, 2025
There’s a moment where this book diverts from autobiography into fiction and it’s incredibly obvious when that happens (even knowing nothing about the author). And the book suffers for it. Everything after the main character becomes the felon feels directionless until he suddenly remembers at the end that he has to actually wrap the whole crime bit up.
May 26, 2025
3.5⭐Strange but entertaining.
June 21, 2025
It was ok. I found myself skipping paragraphs together back to the story.
August 17, 2025
Funny, raunchy, and - as Jillette notes – slightly longer than The Great Gatsby. It's a better book, too.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
September 8, 2025
Don't understand exactly what happened on the last page. More absurd and raunchy than I prefer. But entertaining and easy to read.
May 15, 2025
2025 - The 52 Book Club Challenge
Prompt 25: Breaks the fourth wall
Prompt 27: Features a magician
Prompt 40: Stream of consciousness narrative
Prompt 25: Breaks the fourth wall
Prompt 27: Features a magician
Prompt 40: Stream of consciousness narrative
July 19, 2025
I really wanted to like this. I like Penn. I like magic. I like juggling. I like crime fiction. So what's not to like?
Penn's authorial voice. The bombast that's fairly entertaining in a brief TV appearance becomes overbearing in a whole book where it's ONLY his voice you're hearing.
And his perverse sense of morality. He's like Mr Mackey from South Park when it comes to drugs and alcohol, 'mmm drugs are bad, ok?' but he's also like Mr Garrison from South Park insofar as he's a total fucking coomer, filling the book with his accounts of threesomes with sweaty grubby hippies him and his girlfriend picked up at the Renaissance Fayre.
Sex in fiction doesn't generally bother me. It can be as extreme as you like and it won't bother me in the slightest. But this book is Penn. Written by Penn, about Penn's experiences in Penn's voice.
Gross, gross, gross. I hated it.
Penn's authorial voice. The bombast that's fairly entertaining in a brief TV appearance becomes overbearing in a whole book where it's ONLY his voice you're hearing.
And his perverse sense of morality. He's like Mr Mackey from South Park when it comes to drugs and alcohol, 'mmm drugs are bad, ok?' but he's also like Mr Garrison from South Park insofar as he's a total fucking coomer, filling the book with his accounts of threesomes with sweaty grubby hippies him and his girlfriend picked up at the Renaissance Fayre.
Sex in fiction doesn't generally bother me. It can be as extreme as you like and it won't bother me in the slightest. But this book is Penn. Written by Penn, about Penn's experiences in Penn's voice.
Gross, gross, gross. I hated it.
September 25, 2025
It is said that juggling alters the brain and it must be true because I’ve never read anything like Felony Juggler, by juggler extraordinaire Penn Jillette. What kind of brain wrote this? Anyway, this does have a plot and, as you’d expect, it involves a felony and a juggler but that's not the main draw in this book - it's the lightning fast deflections and asides that get tossed into the plot as it unfolds that are. I don’t know how well this would work for anyone who hasn’t seen Penn & Teller’s stage show but for fans it's definitely worth the price of admission. My thanks to Librarything Early Reviewers for an advance copy.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews