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An Eli Marks Mystery #1
The Ambitious Card
The life of a magician isn’t all kiddie shows and card tricks. Sometimes it’s murder. Especially when magician Eli Marks very publicly debunks a famed psychic, and said psychic ends up dead. The evidence, including a bloody King of Diamonds playing card (one from Eli’s own Ambitious Card routine), directs the police right to Eli.
As more psychics are slain, and more King cards rise to the top, Eli can’t escape suspicion. Things get really complicated when romance blooms with a beautiful psychic, and Eli discovers she’s the next target for murder, and he’s scheduled to die with her. Now Eli must use every trick he knows to keep them both alive and reveal the true killer.
Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all! THE AMBITIOUS CARD is the first book in the Eli Marks mystery series.
As more psychics are slain, and more King cards rise to the top, Eli can’t escape suspicion. Things get really complicated when romance blooms with a beautiful psychic, and Eli discovers she’s the next target for murder, and he’s scheduled to die with her. Now Eli must use every trick he knows to keep them both alive and reveal the true killer.
Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all! THE AMBITIOUS CARD is the first book in the Eli Marks mystery series.
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First published August 15, 2013
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About the author
John Gaspard
102 books143 followersJohn is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has four other stand-alone novels: “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.”
He hosts two podcasts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast," and "The Occasional Film Podcast."
In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.
John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
He hosts two podcasts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast," and "The Occasional Film Podcast."
In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.
John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
December 8, 2018
What a fun new series I just began. An interesting first book that introduces the characters as well as introducing us to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and an interesting plot that kept me guessing until the end. I was sure I had solved the mystery about 100 pages from the end of he book - WRONG! Some may have solved it early but I really think the author did a fine job is disguising the real murdered and using card trick magic names as part of the solution. Someone us killing the psychics in the Twin Cities and it all begins when our hero, Eli Marks, is brought to a local Public TV show as a "debunker" of a "medium." He is not a debunker, but rather is a skeptic and by the end of the show has basically been able to prove how the seer was able to tell the audience members facts about their lives. And, shortly after the show the medium is found dead and Eli is considered a main suspect. In a way this reminds me of British TV Series "Midsomer Murders", because once someone is murdered there becomes a rash of murders and here we have a lot of deaths, as all types of mystics are killed. As I said it was a fun book for me, I learned a bit about magic, including the difficulties of children's magicians. I like where this series is heading and heartily recommend this to light mystery fans. So far I have also picked up books #3 & 5 on sale, since the series is not in our local library and want to find #2 ASAP so I can continue with this series.
March 2, 2017
5 Crazy Funny Stars
For some reason it took me a minute to get use the voice of the reader, but once I did, I fell right into the book. FREAKING HILARIOUS!!!!!
There were moments I was laughing so hard I was crying. Then I'd have to pause it so I wouldn't miss anything. I was also listening while I went for my walk (exercise) and had to explain to people passing me by that I was listening to an audiobook and not a crazy person cracking up at nothing.
I'm an avid TV watcher, and this reminded me of the series Monk that used to come on. Not the same characters at all, but I used to laugh just as hard at some of his antics.
I'm dying to listen to the next installment.
For some reason it took me a minute to get use the voice of the reader, but once I did, I fell right into the book. FREAKING HILARIOUS!!!!!
There were moments I was laughing so hard I was crying. Then I'd have to pause it so I wouldn't miss anything. I was also listening while I went for my walk (exercise) and had to explain to people passing me by that I was listening to an audiobook and not a crazy person cracking up at nothing.
I'm an avid TV watcher, and this reminded me of the series Monk that used to come on. Not the same characters at all, but I used to laugh just as hard at some of his antics.
I'm dying to listen to the next installment.
February 19, 2016
(Disclaimer: I was given a free copy by the author in exchange for an honest review)
It took me much of the book before I warmed to the main character, Eli. Frankly, he came across as kind of boring; the other characters were carrying the story, along with the very good narration. About 2/3 of the way through, his gloomy magician friend Nathan (who'll always find the cloud in a silver lining) gets Eli to sub for him at a birthday party gig, which at first seems like it'd be a disaster, but Eli comes out on top. I also really liked that he invited his girlfriend to Thanksgiving with him, Harry ... and a bunch of guys who nowhere else to go (including Nathan). Franny the phone psychic, who looks as though she'll be in the rest of the series, I found both annoying and (oddly) compelling.
Would I read the next one? Not in print, but perhaps if it's produced as an audiobook.
It took me much of the book before I warmed to the main character, Eli. Frankly, he came across as kind of boring; the other characters were carrying the story, along with the very good narration. About 2/3 of the way through, his gloomy magician friend Nathan (who'll always find the cloud in a silver lining) gets Eli to sub for him at a birthday party gig, which at first seems like it'd be a disaster, but Eli comes out on top. I also really liked that he invited his girlfriend to Thanksgiving with him, Harry ... and a bunch of guys who nowhere else to go (including Nathan). Franny the phone psychic, who looks as though she'll be in the rest of the series, I found both annoying and (oddly) compelling.
Would I read the next one? Not in print, but perhaps if it's produced as an audiobook.
July 20, 2020
Original story
The mystery was original, fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. A stage magician comes to know that a serial killer is killing psychics. He goes on to investigate the matter.
The story is told very well and the characters are very well etched. Kept the mystery very interesting till the very end.
The mystery was original, fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. A stage magician comes to know that a serial killer is killing psychics. He goes on to investigate the matter.
The story is told very well and the characters are very well etched. Kept the mystery very interesting till the very end.
November 27, 2020
Exceptional
A very entertaining and exciting mystery. The characters are strong and believable. A strong plot and a huge amount of dry humor made this a great read!
A very entertaining and exciting mystery. The characters are strong and believable. A strong plot and a huge amount of dry humor made this a great read!
September 4, 2020
I didn't have high expectations for this book, a 99 cent Kindle offer. I was very pleasantly surprised.
Eli is a professional magician, also considered by some to be a "debunker", especially of psychics, (but he prefers the term Skeptic). Eli and his uncle own a magic shop, and there are some demonstrations of magic tricks, they don't overwhelm the mystery. It's a well-written story with good characters and some humorous moments. I will be looking for more in the series.
Eli is a professional magician, also considered by some to be a "debunker", especially of psychics, (but he prefers the term Skeptic). Eli and his uncle own a magic shop, and there are some demonstrations of magic tricks, they don't overwhelm the mystery. It's a well-written story with good characters and some humorous moments. I will be looking for more in the series.
August 8, 2021
Very entertaining! Listen to the audio if you have the opportunity.
December 5, 2017
Quite a clever mystery! I love how the main character was a magician--it was refreshing to read a character with new expertise. And the mystery/murder plot was tied to psychic's and magician's tricks.
The murderer was pretty sneaky too--I only figured it out in the last half of the book. Everything tied together in a satisfying way at the end. The questions raised were answered.
This book is set in the Twin Cities, which is in my home state, so that was cool too. I'm not super familiar with Minneapolis and St. Paul, so I don't know if the stores and restaurants mentioned are all real, or mostly fictitious.
The murderer was pretty sneaky too--I only figured it out in the last half of the book. Everything tied together in a satisfying way at the end. The questions raised were answered.
This book is set in the Twin Cities, which is in my home state, so that was cool too. I'm not super familiar with Minneapolis and St. Paul, so I don't know if the stores and restaurants mentioned are all real, or mostly fictitious.
January 26, 2020
In a world where cozies seem to be flooded with estrogen, cats, and caterers, Eli Marks’ first mystery is a breath of fresh air for the guy who loves whodunnits. Although there are a few ‘F’ bombs scattered here and there (not many), I still consider this book to be very much a cozy with a fun and unique amateur sleuth in the form of a professional magician.
The writing and editing were strong. The mystery was quite enjoyable, with enough clues to allow the reader to solve it (which to me is a must in any whodunnit). The use of a magic trick as a framework for the series of killing was inspired, in my opinion.
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
The writing and editing were strong. The mystery was quite enjoyable, with enough clues to allow the reader to solve it (which to me is a must in any whodunnit). The use of a magic trick as a framework for the series of killing was inspired, in my opinion.
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
February 8, 2021
Entertaining and rather out of the ordinary in its setting. Professional magician, sceptical of the paranormal, is suspected of murdering a psychic., and the detective in the case is his ex wife's new husband.
Want to read
August 22, 2020EReaderNews
January 15, 2022
4.5 and a great start to the series. Witty, fast paced, humorous, zany characters, smart one liners and magic tricks laced throughout making for a very interesting and intriguing plot.
Read
April 22, 2023rtc
February 12, 2021
Enormously enjoyable. Fast moving and really funny. Looking forward to more.
Read
May 6, 2020The Ambitious Card by John Gaspard
This is the first of the Eli Marks mysteries. He has recently returned to the home of his Uncle Harry, where he spent much of his childhood after hus parents died. Eli is a magician, as is his uncle, who recently divorced his wife. Uncle Harry, even more recently, lost his wife to illness.Together Eli and Harry run Chicago Magic, a store that sells tricks over the counter and online. Both of them also do magic shows when the chance comes along. Uncle Harry is still grieving and has a show to do on this night for which Eli offers to substitute. It is not really a magic show, however. A mentalist will be performing live on television and Harry, who is a renowned debunker was supposed to show the audience that there is no such thing as real psychics, just magicians with tricks. Now Eli, who is not a debunker but is a skeptic, will have to show the audience, without giving the trick away and ruining the magic, that he can do the same thing as the psychic using card tricks. He ends his show with a trick called The Ambitious Card, a trick where one over-acheiver card, in this case the King of Diamonds, always comes to the top of the deck, ending with a flourish of stabbing the ambitious card to the table while it is mixed in with the rest of the deck . The audience had loved the mentalist while he was performing but as Eli went through his his act and the mentalist glared at him non-stop, the audience gradually came over to supporting Eli , who tucked the King of Diamonds in the shirt pocket of the mentalist before the show broke up. Imagine Eli's surprise the next morning when the police are at his front door demanding that he accompany them to the station for questioning because the mentalist was found dead, stabbed through the eye with the knife that Eli had used in the show the previous night and attached to the knife is the King of Diamonds! When there are more psychics found dead, all with the King of Diamonds prominently featured in their deaths, Eli knows that he has to get to the bottom of this mystery to save his own skin.
This is an intelligent and well-constructed mystery that has a bit of everything in it including the start of a new romance for Eli. And I applaud Mr. Gaspard for fooling me about the real killer until the end. If you like magic (and who doesn't) and thoughtful mysteries then you must read The Ambitious Card! Enjoy!
This is the first of the Eli Marks mysteries. He has recently returned to the home of his Uncle Harry, where he spent much of his childhood after hus parents died. Eli is a magician, as is his uncle, who recently divorced his wife. Uncle Harry, even more recently, lost his wife to illness.Together Eli and Harry run Chicago Magic, a store that sells tricks over the counter and online. Both of them also do magic shows when the chance comes along. Uncle Harry is still grieving and has a show to do on this night for which Eli offers to substitute. It is not really a magic show, however. A mentalist will be performing live on television and Harry, who is a renowned debunker was supposed to show the audience that there is no such thing as real psychics, just magicians with tricks. Now Eli, who is not a debunker but is a skeptic, will have to show the audience, without giving the trick away and ruining the magic, that he can do the same thing as the psychic using card tricks. He ends his show with a trick called The Ambitious Card, a trick where one over-acheiver card, in this case the King of Diamonds, always comes to the top of the deck, ending with a flourish of stabbing the ambitious card to the table while it is mixed in with the rest of the deck . The audience had loved the mentalist while he was performing but as Eli went through his his act and the mentalist glared at him non-stop, the audience gradually came over to supporting Eli , who tucked the King of Diamonds in the shirt pocket of the mentalist before the show broke up. Imagine Eli's surprise the next morning when the police are at his front door demanding that he accompany them to the station for questioning because the mentalist was found dead, stabbed through the eye with the knife that Eli had used in the show the previous night and attached to the knife is the King of Diamonds! When there are more psychics found dead, all with the King of Diamonds prominently featured in their deaths, Eli knows that he has to get to the bottom of this mystery to save his own skin.
This is an intelligent and well-constructed mystery that has a bit of everything in it including the start of a new romance for Eli. And I applaud Mr. Gaspard for fooling me about the real killer until the end. If you like magic (and who doesn't) and thoughtful mysteries then you must read The Ambitious Card! Enjoy!
December 27, 2022
5 enthusiastic Stars!
UPDATE: I just finished listening to the audio version of THE AMBITIOUS CARD narrated by Jim Cunningham and highly recommend it as an option that I found equally as delightful as the written books.
ORIGINAL POST:
THE AMBITIOUS CARD ~
I recently picked up THE AMBITIOUS CARD, in the Eli Marks Mystery series by John Gaspard. And, wow. It was every bit as good as I had hoped - I found it original, unpredictable, and it kept my interest until the end. The cast of characters were intriguing and unique. I see there are 6 additional books in this series. I plan to check out THE BULLET CATCH, #2 soon and hope I find it as fun and fresh as THE AMBITIOUS CARD.
THE AMBITIOUS CARD was a mystery involving a magician (Eli Marks)/MMC who has been implicated in a number of murders. He sets out to clear himself by attempting to solve the case himself. The settings were fascinating (I loved the crazy beginning and ending) and the magic was simply a bonus. I really look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I recommend THE AMBITIOUS CARD to readers who enjoy mysteries (light in tone, rather than dark or grisly), unique characters and fresh story lines with fascinating settings. Plus there is the side bonus of magic. :D
IMO, THE AMBITIOUS CARD is suitable for most any reader. The intimacy is very brief and inferred rather than on-scene (in the one occurrence) which I appreciated in this context. I believe there wasn’t any profanity. This is a murder mystery but the murders are not described in a graphic or dark fashion.
UPDATE: I just finished listening to the audio version of THE AMBITIOUS CARD narrated by Jim Cunningham and highly recommend it as an option that I found equally as delightful as the written books.
ORIGINAL POST:
THE AMBITIOUS CARD ~
I recently picked up THE AMBITIOUS CARD, in the Eli Marks Mystery series by John Gaspard. And, wow. It was every bit as good as I had hoped - I found it original, unpredictable, and it kept my interest until the end. The cast of characters were intriguing and unique. I see there are 6 additional books in this series. I plan to check out THE BULLET CATCH, #2 soon and hope I find it as fun and fresh as THE AMBITIOUS CARD.
THE AMBITIOUS CARD was a mystery involving a magician (Eli Marks)/MMC who has been implicated in a number of murders. He sets out to clear himself by attempting to solve the case himself. The settings were fascinating (I loved the crazy beginning and ending) and the magic was simply a bonus. I really look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I recommend THE AMBITIOUS CARD to readers who enjoy mysteries (light in tone, rather than dark or grisly), unique characters and fresh story lines with fascinating settings. Plus there is the side bonus of magic. :D
IMO, THE AMBITIOUS CARD is suitable for most any reader. The intimacy is very brief and inferred rather than on-scene (in the one occurrence) which I appreciated in this context. I believe there wasn’t any profanity. This is a murder mystery but the murders are not described in a graphic or dark fashion.
December 1, 2014
The Ambitious Card is an old fashioned hard boiled detective mystery, although in this case the detective is an amateur and the setting is contemporary Minneapolis but the style and spirit are the same.
Eli Marks is a professional magician who lives with his beloved Uncle Harry, a magician and owner of a magic shop. Eli is invited to"debunk" a psychic on live TV on Halloween. The next day the psychic is found murdered and Eli finds himself in the uncomfortable position of prime suspect. This is doubly bad when the investigating detective happens to be married to his ex wife and would be more than happy to lock him up.
Not trusting the police to do the right thing, Eli decides to investigate the matter himself. Soon he is mingling with the city's top psychics and flirting with his friend's soon to be ex wife. Suspects abound but the body count is climbing, too. Humor, action and lots of descriptive metaphor keep the book moving. I would definitely recommend this to mystery lovers, especially fans of Sam Spade, Nick and Nora Charles and Philip Marlowe.
Eli Marks is a professional magician who lives with his beloved Uncle Harry, a magician and owner of a magic shop. Eli is invited to"debunk" a psychic on live TV on Halloween. The next day the psychic is found murdered and Eli finds himself in the uncomfortable position of prime suspect. This is doubly bad when the investigating detective happens to be married to his ex wife and would be more than happy to lock him up.
Not trusting the police to do the right thing, Eli decides to investigate the matter himself. Soon he is mingling with the city's top psychics and flirting with his friend's soon to be ex wife. Suspects abound but the body count is climbing, too. Humor, action and lots of descriptive metaphor keep the book moving. I would definitely recommend this to mystery lovers, especially fans of Sam Spade, Nick and Nora Charles and Philip Marlowe.
August 26, 2013
One of the most entertaining mysteries I've read this year. I love mysteries with stage magicians, so I was eager to read this book, and I wasn't disappointed. The set-up: magician Eli Marks shows a famous "psychic" to be a fake live on television on Halloween night; the psychic is murdered, a card from one of Eli's card tricks (The Ambitious Card) placed at the scene. Definitely a good set-up, plus a clever resolution I wasn't expecting on the other end -- but that's not why I loved the book. I finished it last week, and I still find myself thinking about many of the witty lines of dialogue and wonderful moments, like a beautiful scene of Eli performing a magic act at a spoiled kid's birthday party. I love it when a book sticks with me like that.
November 4, 2017
A less than stellar attempt at the gumshoe genre, with the twist that the protagonist is a magician. I wanted to add an extra star for the name-dropping of famous magic tricks/principles throughout the story, but even these were added pretty clumsily.
The revelation of the killer would come as a surprise to no one who has seen a couple of episodes of Murder She Wrote (it's always the most innocent seeming character, isn't it?) and even a Bond villain would have to point out the gross logical missteps of the bad guy in the final act.
Maybe this was supposed to be young reader fiction. Maybe the sequels to this book are more skillfully plotted/written. Doesn't matter, I won't be reading them.
The revelation of the killer would come as a surprise to no one who has seen a couple of episodes of Murder She Wrote (it's always the most innocent seeming character, isn't it?) and even a Bond villain would have to point out the gross logical missteps of the bad guy in the final act.
Maybe this was supposed to be young reader fiction. Maybe the sequels to this book are more skillfully plotted/written. Doesn't matter, I won't be reading them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2019
An easy read. Probably a 3.5.
It didn't grab me, but I enjoyed it. I got the right killer but for all the wrong reasons.
Eli is a magician who hangs out with his uncle (another magician) and he enjoys showing up frauds who pose as psychics After showing one up on live tv, the psychic is murdered with one of the cards Eli used to debunk the guy on the body. Then another psychic is murdered, and a 3rd. And since all have the same playing card with their body, the police think Eli is responsible. He figures he better solve the killings or he'll wind up in jail. There is a lot of patter and conversation in the book that is supposed to endear the characters to the readers, but I thought it got a bit old. Still, it was enjoyable and I'll read the one about Zombies next. :-)
It didn't grab me, but I enjoyed it. I got the right killer but for all the wrong reasons.
Eli is a magician who hangs out with his uncle (another magician) and he enjoys showing up frauds who pose as psychics After showing one up on live tv, the psychic is murdered with one of the cards Eli used to debunk the guy on the body. Then another psychic is murdered, and a 3rd. And since all have the same playing card with their body, the police think Eli is responsible. He figures he better solve the killings or he'll wind up in jail. There is a lot of patter and conversation in the book that is supposed to endear the characters to the readers, but I thought it got a bit old. Still, it was enjoyable and I'll read the one about Zombies next. :-)
October 18, 2021
Just okay
The story of the murders is good. The suspenseful part was fun to read. However the was a lot wasted sub stories. This would have been better as a short story or novelette.
The story of the murders is good. The suspenseful part was fun to read. However the was a lot wasted sub stories. This would have been better as a short story or novelette.
April 14, 2023
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
Eli Marks is a highly skilled magician but he's made a name for himself as a debunker of psychics, showing how so much of what they do is nothing more than magicians tricks. This doesn't make him very popular among the psychic community.
Eli debunks a popular psychic in a very public forum and then that same psychic is later discovered dead. At the scene of the crime is a playing card, the King of Diamonds - which happens to be the signature card for Eli's most famous trick. More psychics are killed and more clues lead police to seriously consider Eli as a suspect.
It all gets more complicated for Eli when he falls in love with a psychic and then learns that she is targeted to be the next victim of the real killer.
Somewhere along the line, in all the various ways I get books, I got this as a free read. Because I have such a backlog of ARCs from publishers, I tend to put my free reads on the back burner. But once in awhile I get in the mood to crack one open and in this case, I'm really glad I did.
Author John Gaspard hooks the reader immediately with the first person narrative from the very likeable character of Eli Marks. He's smart, clever, and just enough of a wise-ass to be fun and not a jerk. He's also working in this book in locations in Minnesota and I recognized some of the locations presented.
Late edit: Because I enjoyed this, I bought the audio book for my wife and I to listen to while on an extended road trip. We both thought that this book suffered from some over-writing. A number of chapters included descriptions (of people, magic tricks, reflections, etc) that went on and on at great length. Generally these added nothing to the book - just massive amounts of descriptions. It does get much better in the second book.
I enjoy magic (magic tricks) which is probably why this appealed to me in the first place. Couple the magic with a solid mystery and a touch of romance, and we've got a really exciting, enjoyable read. I am looking forward to more of the Eli Marks adventures.
Looking for a good book? The Ambitious Card by John Gaspard is the first book in the Eli Marks mystery series. If the other books in the series are as good as this I have a wonderful series to look forward to.
Eli Marks is a highly skilled magician but he's made a name for himself as a debunker of psychics, showing how so much of what they do is nothing more than magicians tricks. This doesn't make him very popular among the psychic community.
Eli debunks a popular psychic in a very public forum and then that same psychic is later discovered dead. At the scene of the crime is a playing card, the King of Diamonds - which happens to be the signature card for Eli's most famous trick. More psychics are killed and more clues lead police to seriously consider Eli as a suspect.
It all gets more complicated for Eli when he falls in love with a psychic and then learns that she is targeted to be the next victim of the real killer.
Somewhere along the line, in all the various ways I get books, I got this as a free read. Because I have such a backlog of ARCs from publishers, I tend to put my free reads on the back burner. But once in awhile I get in the mood to crack one open and in this case, I'm really glad I did.
Author John Gaspard hooks the reader immediately with the first person narrative from the very likeable character of Eli Marks. He's smart, clever, and just enough of a wise-ass to be fun and not a jerk. He's also working in this book in locations in Minnesota and I recognized some of the locations presented.
Late edit: Because I enjoyed this, I bought the audio book for my wife and I to listen to while on an extended road trip. We both thought that this book suffered from some over-writing. A number of chapters included descriptions (of people, magic tricks, reflections, etc) that went on and on at great length. Generally these added nothing to the book - just massive amounts of descriptions. It does get much better in the second book.
I enjoy magic (magic tricks) which is probably why this appealed to me in the first place. Couple the magic with a solid mystery and a touch of romance, and we've got a really exciting, enjoyable read. I am looking forward to more of the Eli Marks adventures.
Looking for a good book? The Ambitious Card by John Gaspard is the first book in the Eli Marks mystery series. If the other books in the series are as good as this I have a wonderful series to look forward to.
June 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this first book in the Eli Marks mystery series by John Gaspard. I really wanted to read this because it would be my first cozy mystery featuring a male amateur sleuth and he is a magician to boot (bonus points)! I mean I read a lot of cozies that are bookish theme, culinary theme, crafty and so on so a cozy in which the main character is a magician? Yes PLEASE!
Eli is living with his Uncle Harry after the recent death of his Aunt Alice and Eli's divorce. They live above the Chicago Magic although the books are set in Minnesota in a suburb of Minneapolis. Eli fills in for his uncle on a public television show as a debunker (skeptic) or a local psychic name Grey. When Eli reveals his secrets and performs a card trick called The Ambitious Card little did he know Grey would be found dead the next day and he would be the suspect. It doesn't help the the investigating detective is the one his wife (who is a ADA) left him for but I like how the author portrays their relationship and how she is on Eli's side and convinces Homicide Detective Fred Hutton to drop the charge but when more bodies start popping up Eli realizes he really needs to get moving and solve these murders before he's performing magic tricks for his fellow inmates!
This was a funny mystery that took place in a world I'm not familiar with but enjoyed learning about and hats off to the author for never revealing the secrets of a magicians and giving up insights into psychics and that world and not in a patronizing way either. I never felt at any time the author was making fun of psychics or that world.
My only con is that Eli actually didn't solve the murders! In the reveal he showed up and the killer revealed themselves to Eli. Eli actually thought it was someone else and I actually thought it was someone else too.
Can't wait to read all the books in this series.
Eli is living with his Uncle Harry after the recent death of his Aunt Alice and Eli's divorce. They live above the Chicago Magic although the books are set in Minnesota in a suburb of Minneapolis. Eli fills in for his uncle on a public television show as a debunker (skeptic) or a local psychic name Grey. When Eli reveals his secrets and performs a card trick called The Ambitious Card little did he know Grey would be found dead the next day and he would be the suspect. It doesn't help the the investigating detective is the one his wife (who is a ADA) left him for but I like how the author portrays their relationship and how she is on Eli's side and convinces Homicide Detective Fred Hutton to drop the charge but when more bodies start popping up Eli realizes he really needs to get moving and solve these murders before he's performing magic tricks for his fellow inmates!
This was a funny mystery that took place in a world I'm not familiar with but enjoyed learning about and hats off to the author for never revealing the secrets of a magicians and giving up insights into psychics and that world and not in a patronizing way either. I never felt at any time the author was making fun of psychics or that world.
My only con is that Eli actually didn't solve the murders! In the reveal he showed up and the killer revealed themselves to Eli. Eli actually thought it was someone else and I actually thought it was someone else too.
Can't wait to read all the books in this series.
July 13, 2021
Eli Marks is a magician who lives with his uncle, Harry Marks, also a magician, in an apartment over Chicago Magic, a magic store that they operate. Eli is asked by a local television station to debunk a popular mentalist, known only as Grey. Eli exposes several of Grey’s tricks by using a deck of cards, performing a trick called the Ambitious Card, to show how the mentalist was able to misdirect the attention of his audience. The next day it is discovered that the mentalist Grey has been murdered, with a king of hearts card left on his body. The police consider Eli to be a “person of interest” in this murder. When other popular psychics are murdered, that have a connection with Eli, the police are convinced that he is involved, if not the murderer. The body count continues to increase until Eli is forced to conduct his own investigation in order to prove his innocence.
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. I found the characters in the story to be unique individuals that were involved with either magic or various psychic abilities, or they were charlatans only interested in separating their clients from their money. Simple magic tricks were explained and cleverly integrated into the plot of the novel. This is the first book in a series featuring the magician, Eli Mark.
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. I found the characters in the story to be unique individuals that were involved with either magic or various psychic abilities, or they were charlatans only interested in separating their clients from their money. Simple magic tricks were explained and cleverly integrated into the plot of the novel. This is the first book in a series featuring the magician, Eli Mark.
May 10, 2022
This is the first book in the magician Eli Marks mystery series. Eli is recently divorced. His District Attorney wife had an affair with a homicide detective and dumped Eli to marry him. Eli is back living with his recently widowed uncle Harry and working at his uncle's magic shop.
The story begins with Eli being on a television program set in the Wabasha Caves where he is to debunk a fake psychic. The show goes quite well with Eli showing how the psychic did his tricks without giving away secrets that are kept by magicians. Eli does a number of tricks including one known as the Ambitious Card where the same card keeps showing up no matter how the deck is cut or shuffled.
Things begin to go wrong the next day when the fake psychic is found murdered and the card that was the object of the Ambitious Card trick is found with him. Eli becomes a person of interest and the focus of the attention of his ex-wife's new husband. Since Eli had no previous connection to the victim, he is let go.
But when a number of other psychics are also found murdered and the same playing card is left at each scene, Eli needs to find out who the killer is in order to keep himself from being framed.
I loved the Minneapolis-St. Paul setting for the story. I really enjoyed the interesting assortment of characters. I'll be reading more in this entertaining series.
The story begins with Eli being on a television program set in the Wabasha Caves where he is to debunk a fake psychic. The show goes quite well with Eli showing how the psychic did his tricks without giving away secrets that are kept by magicians. Eli does a number of tricks including one known as the Ambitious Card where the same card keeps showing up no matter how the deck is cut or shuffled.
Things begin to go wrong the next day when the fake psychic is found murdered and the card that was the object of the Ambitious Card trick is found with him. Eli becomes a person of interest and the focus of the attention of his ex-wife's new husband. Since Eli had no previous connection to the victim, he is let go.
But when a number of other psychics are also found murdered and the same playing card is left at each scene, Eli needs to find out who the killer is in order to keep himself from being framed.
I loved the Minneapolis-St. Paul setting for the story. I really enjoyed the interesting assortment of characters. I'll be reading more in this entertaining series.
March 26, 2023
Several reading friends have recommended this series, and I’ve wanted to read it since the cover caught my eye a couple of years ago. It’s currently in the Audible plus catalog, and I’m trying to get to as many of those as possible before they’re no longer available, so it was time 😊
I like that the book is set in a magic shop in Minneapolis. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual bakery, bookshop or coffee/tea house in New York, Florida, Texas or California, and opens up a lot of possibilities for future books in the series. I like Eli, the MC, and the other primary characters, especially Eli’s uncle, Harry. There is a love interest, but it doesn’t take over the story, which is what I prefer in my mystery books.
The mystery in this book was intriguing, and it got more complicated as the story progressed. There were several murders, and it was obvious that they were connected, but how – and why? I had my suspicions about whodunnit relatively early in the book, and I was right, but the motive I assigned to that person was entirely wrong.
I look forward to reading the next book in this series to see what magic and illusions are featured in the story.
I like that the book is set in a magic shop in Minneapolis. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual bakery, bookshop or coffee/tea house in New York, Florida, Texas or California, and opens up a lot of possibilities for future books in the series. I like Eli, the MC, and the other primary characters, especially Eli’s uncle, Harry. There is a love interest, but it doesn’t take over the story, which is what I prefer in my mystery books.
The mystery in this book was intriguing, and it got more complicated as the story progressed. There were several murders, and it was obvious that they were connected, but how – and why? I had my suspicions about whodunnit relatively early in the book, and I was right, but the motive I assigned to that person was entirely wrong.
I look forward to reading the next book in this series to see what magic and illusions are featured in the story.
August 28, 2023
Eli Marks is a magician turned debunker. You know how Derren Brown goes around calling out small time psychics and fortune tellers? Well, that.
Not a bad set up because learning how some of these tricks are done is interesting. Strange how this only applies to any man Eli meets. All the women in here, be it gorgeous assistants or hippie crystal healers, are to be cuddled and treated like little children if they are viable sexual partners OR sassy Matriarchs that steamroll him if not.
No seriously, at one point he takes a woman home and checks her closet and under the bed for monsters before she takes her clothes off as his reward then asks him to tell her a story after tucking her in... I would like to note that the author went out of his way to stress that the woman was in her mid twenties. I sure do remember asking for a bed time story when I was twenty five, that's very normal... apparently...
The weird men writing women thing aside, the book was ok and the mystery interesting. I did find find Eli himself rather dull, maybe to offset the colourful cast of side characters that were so over the top they come off as cartoonish.
Not a bad set up because learning how some of these tricks are done is interesting. Strange how this only applies to any man Eli meets. All the women in here, be it gorgeous assistants or hippie crystal healers, are to be cuddled and treated like little children if they are viable sexual partners OR sassy Matriarchs that steamroll him if not.
No seriously, at one point he takes a woman home and checks her closet and under the bed for monsters before she takes her clothes off as his reward then asks him to tell her a story after tucking her in... I would like to note that the author went out of his way to stress that the woman was in her mid twenties. I sure do remember asking for a bed time story when I was twenty five, that's very normal... apparently...
The weird men writing women thing aside, the book was ok and the mystery interesting. I did find find Eli himself rather dull, maybe to offset the colourful cast of side characters that were so over the top they come off as cartoonish.
July 3, 2017
Funny, fresh, interesting mystery novel
In this new, original mystery novel, a stage magician and skeptic, is launched into an investigation where someone is going around killing psychics, leaving a playing card at each of the crime scene. the twist is that instead of consulting on the case to help the police find the killer. He's an amateur detective investigating and trying to set up trouble, and is on of the radar of homicide detective Fred Hutton, who happens to be married to his ex-wife. The rest of the cast is full of interesting characters, that you'd find in a humorous/soft boiled mystery. the book is fast-paced and well-written, but still easy to enjoy. The murders happen offscreen, there isn't a lot of curse words, and the sex scenes are omitted, but still reads like detective fiction, the setting is Minneapolis, Minnesota, versus a small town or suburb. If you want a good book to read it has a somewhat lighter tone, but still feels like a detective novel. I would encourage you to check this book.
In this new, original mystery novel, a stage magician and skeptic, is launched into an investigation where someone is going around killing psychics, leaving a playing card at each of the crime scene. the twist is that instead of consulting on the case to help the police find the killer. He's an amateur detective investigating and trying to set up trouble, and is on of the radar of homicide detective Fred Hutton, who happens to be married to his ex-wife. The rest of the cast is full of interesting characters, that you'd find in a humorous/soft boiled mystery. the book is fast-paced and well-written, but still easy to enjoy. The murders happen offscreen, there isn't a lot of curse words, and the sex scenes are omitted, but still reads like detective fiction, the setting is Minneapolis, Minnesota, versus a small town or suburb. If you want a good book to read it has a somewhat lighter tone, but still feels like a detective novel. I would encourage you to check this book.
March 4, 2018
This is an amateur sleuth mystery featuring a magician. He is suspected of murder, so he takes it upon himself to try to solve the crime.
This fits into a tradition stretching back decades. There’s nothing overly literary or groundbreaking, and it doesn’t seem to be trying to fit into any trendy sub genres. The writing and plotting are done well enough to enjoy.
The things I didn’t like are, unfortunately, not uncommon. The reason he’s a suspect involves people who have a conflict of interest, but no one mentions recusal. The sleuth is taken by surprise at the end, which I hate. I would have preferred more detecting and less meandering through magic acts and romance, although they arguably helped develop the character and added humor.
Overall, I enjoyed it, and I rounded up my score on the basis that the first book in a series is often the weakest.
This fits into a tradition stretching back decades. There’s nothing overly literary or groundbreaking, and it doesn’t seem to be trying to fit into any trendy sub genres. The writing and plotting are done well enough to enjoy.
The things I didn’t like are, unfortunately, not uncommon. The reason he’s a suspect involves people who have a conflict of interest, but no one mentions recusal. The sleuth is taken by surprise at the end, which I hate. I would have preferred more detecting and less meandering through magic acts and romance, although they arguably helped develop the character and added humor.
Overall, I enjoyed it, and I rounded up my score on the basis that the first book in a series is often the weakest.
August 18, 2020
Good first entry into a series. The character is different, at least not too many magician/sleuth protagonists, but that's what I liked. It reminded me of a Dick Francis novel in that the main character has some unusual job and I always learn something about that job.
Eli Marks is thrust into the position of detective when he ends up as the prime suspect in a murder.. make that murders. In the first outing the victims are all psychics. And no, they didn't see it coming. He makes some mistakes that the reader is all but yelling at him, "it's a trap!" but it makes him human and provides the suspense of the book. The supporting cast of characters were good, and I expect that they will become more fully fleshed out in the other books.
His uncle Harry is my favorite. He's a blend of head scratching logic and sage advise. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Eli Marks is thrust into the position of detective when he ends up as the prime suspect in a murder.. make that murders. In the first outing the victims are all psychics. And no, they didn't see it coming. He makes some mistakes that the reader is all but yelling at him, "it's a trap!" but it makes him human and provides the suspense of the book. The supporting cast of characters were good, and I expect that they will become more fully fleshed out in the other books.
His uncle Harry is my favorite. He's a blend of head scratching logic and sage advise. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
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