John Gaspard

Magician Eli Marks's next mystery begins when he looks out of his apartment window into the projection booth of the theater next door and sees the body of the projectionist Tyler James lying on the floor. After calling the police and finding a way into the theater, they are surprised to discover that James had been shot in the back twice and the gun was still inside the locked projection booth - locked from the inside.

Eli is encouraged to look into the crime by the mysterious and sinister Mr. Lime. Eli soon learns that James had a sideline selling movie memorabilia and might have had the only remaining print of an early Lon Chaney film on offer. The film was missing when they broke into the room but an envelope with $75 thousand in cash was found.

Mr. Lime gives Eli four names of eccentric Twin Cities millionaires who might have had an interest in and the money to buy the film. One of them is a famous mystery author, one the scion of a famous Twin Cities banking family, and the other two made their fortunes as internet entrepreneurs. But none of them stand out above any of the others as the potential murderer.

Meanwhile while working on this mystery, Eli is also suffering from jealousy because a new magician has come to town who is everything Eli wishes he was. The new guy also seems to be moving in on Eli's girlfriend.

This was an entertaining mystery with engaging characters and a wonderful, wintry Twin Cities setting.… (mere)

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.… (mere)

The second Eli Marks mystery begins when he attends his fifteenth class reunion. Eli is recently divorced and "on a break" from his new relationship. He runs into an old crush who is married to another one of their former classmates - one Eli could never stand.

Eli also reconnects with on old friend who has become a television actor trying to transition to movie actor. The movie is being shot in Minneapolis and, since it concerns the mysterious death of a magician, the friend asks Eli to be his magic consultant. The climax of the film includes a dangerous classic trick called the Bullet Catch which has killed a number of magicians. The actor is afraid that the trick will kill him which will guarantee an audience for the film but not be at all good for him.

When the old crush's husband dies in what looks like a particularly brutal mugging, Eli is there to offer support to the grieving widow. He also gets drawn into the victim's history and business dealings as people around the victim are also being killed. A mysterious character who is filled with movie quotes also interacts with Eli because the first murder victim owed him money and he wants Eli to look into the death.

I loved the Minneapolis setting. I also loved the group of retired magicians who are friends of his Uncle Harry and who have served as Eli's mentors as he learned to be a magician. I liked the various magic tricks performed. I liked Eli who is smart and observant.

The narrator did a great job bringing all the various characters to life and illuminating their personalities with his voice.… (mere)