Book Review: Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore

Acts of Violet
by Margarita Montimore (Montimore)

Half of Acts of Violet is composed of a missing person podcast, news articles, emails, and similar coverage of a superstar stage magician (Violet Volk) who disappeared mid-act a decade ago. The other half is a more traditional narrative from the point of view of Violet’s sister, Sasha, who doesn’t want attention from Violet’s fans or podcasters. But Sasha has been waking up in strange places. She’s worried about her daughter who idolizes Violet without knowing the whole story. Is it time to tell her side after all?

 

This book kept me up late two nights in a row and snatching time where I could in the middle. I was glued! There’s some good info here about the history of stage magic and Russian American culture. Is it better to know or not know how an illusion is done? This is a question that comes up throughout this book. Personally, I’ll take a little of both.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan or The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden S. (as Told By His Brother) by David Levithan.)

 

( official Acts of Violet page on the official Margherita Montimore web site )

 

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review(s): The Zig Zag Girl and Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths

The Zig Zag Girl and Smoke and Mirrors

by Elly Griffiths (Griffiths)

 

In April 2021, the libraries’ Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group reading assignment was to sample one or more of the series novels written by British mystery author Elly Griffiths. Having long been a fan of stage magicians, and fondly remembering the 1973-1974 Bill Bixby TV series The Magician (featuring a crime-solving prestidigitator), I decided to try The Zig Zag Girl, first in a 1950s-set series that features a team-up between Max Mephisto, star stage magician, and his old Army friend turned small town police detective Edgar Stephens. I ended up enjoying the first one so much, I immediately read the second entry, Smoke and Mirrors as well. Both are very good, but actually have somewhat different tones.

 

In The Zig Zag Girl, a brutal murder of a young woman occurs, in which her body is cut into thirds, much like a stage illusion done by Max Mephisto. The senior detective on the case, Edgar Stephens, served with Max in WWII, in a unit called The Magic Men, comprised of magicians and illusionists, who were tasked with creating large-scale illusions to fool the Germans into believing the English coast was better-defended than it actually was. Edgar calls on Max’s magic-trick background for advice, but then more murders occur, each tied in some way to the old Magic Men unit. The characters are engaging, with the magician angle in the 1950s providing a fresh viewpoint. There’s a strong sense of place, in the British seaside town of Brighton. And the mystery of a young woman who’s appeared who may have some connection to Max’s past is intriguing. The mystery itself is fairly commonplace and easy for the reader to solve, so the fun here is getting to know the characters.

 

In Smoke and Mirrors, two young children are murdered and their bodies left to be discovered in a staged tableau, but are hidden by a snowstorm. Edgar, once again in charge of the investigation once the bodies are found, finds himself emotionally torn up by the events. Fortunately, Max is appearing in a nearby musical comedy stage show, where his illusion skills are put to good use, and is there to provide insight. New recurring characters are introduced (who will become even more prominent in subsequent entries), and the mystery is a lot more complex this time. But this one has a much darker feel than the first one in the series.

 

I really like this series, especially the friendly relationship between Edgar and Max, and look forward to reading more — there are five so far with a sixth due in late 2021. If you like a 1950s time frame, police procedurals, or the world of stage performers (particularly magicians or illusionists), you’ll probably enjoy this series.

[If you enjoy these, I recommend trying to track down the following TV shows featuring stage magicians, illusionists or mentalists who help solve crimes: The Magician (1973-74, 22 episodes), starring Bill Bixby; Blacke’s Magic (1986, 13 episodes), starring Hal Linden and Harry Morgan; Jonathan Creek (1997-2016 — a UK show with 26 episodes with several year gaps between seasons) starring Alan Davies; The Mentalist (2008-2015, 151 episodes) starring Simon Baker and Robin Tunney; and Deception (2018, 13 episodes) starring Jack Cutmore-Scott.]

 [ official The “Brighton Mysteries” page on the official Elly Griffiths web site ] 

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

 

Hey mystery fans! Don't miss this month's Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group where we'll be discussing the "Jack McEvoy" series novel Fair Warning by Michael Connelly. The June  2021 Just Desserts meeting, returning to "in-person" meetings for the first time since February 2020, will be tonight at 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown at 14th & "N" St. For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (on CD)

The Magicians
by Lev Grossman [Compact Disc Grossman]

I started off reading this one for my science fiction club's monthly book discussion, then ran out of time and switched to the audio book-on-cd adaptation, which I ended up enjoying far more than the traditional printed version. Narrator Mark Bramhall brings a perfect narrative tone to all the characters in this modern-day fantasy tale. Often described as "Harry Potter for adults", this is the story of a group of disaffected young adults, who were all "discovered" in their youth and given the opportunity to go to a school for magicians in the eastern United States. The first third of the book chronicles their education -- and their rebellious nature -- while the latter two thirds follows their lives after their schooling is over and they have to find a way to integrate into a mundane society, when they've got the wonders of the magician world at their fingertips. There are parts of this novel that I enjoyed tremendously, and other parts that were completely off-putting -- the sex and drug abuse for example. There are many fascinating characters, although you'll end up being annoyed at many of them. In the end, I find myself grudgingly recommending this book -- it is exceptionally well-written -- but with the caveat that many readers will ultimately be either offended or exasperated by both the characters and the plot. Let the reader beware! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Scott's Reviewer Profile and more of his reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the two sequels, The Magician King and The Magician's Land.]

[Also available in traditional print format.]

[ official The Magicians page on the official Lev Grossman web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations! 

The Amazing Harvey by Don Passman

The Amazing Harvey
by Don Passman

The distinctive cover of this one jumped out at me from the "new mysteries" section at Barnes and Noble every time I saw it, so I was happy to see the libraries pick it up as well. The Amazing Harvey is Harvey Kendell, a professional magician in Los Angeles, struggling to make ends meet. Moving from one low-paying performance job to another, and hanging out with his fellow magicians at The Magic Castle between gigs, Harvey's life suddenly spirals out of control, when he's accused in a case of rape and murder. Harvey knows that he didn't do the crime -- heck, he'd never even met the women he's accused of assaulting and killing. But, the police have DNA evidence that seems to contradict his claims. Turning down his mother's offer to hired a flashy TV attorney, Harvey instead turns to a former classmate, Heather, who's having some issues of her own, keeping her legal practice afloat without relying on handouts from her far-more successful attorney father. With Harvey working as Heather's legman, they look into the details of the life of the victim in Harvey's case, and Harvey also helps Heather with some of her other current cases. The characters here are well-rounded and, for the most part, likeable. Harvey's coping mechanism for stress is to crack wise. The backdrop of a working magician's life is fascinating. I look forward to more in this series. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ See Scott's Reviewer Profile ]

[If you enjoy this, don't pass up the opportunity, if you ever get it, to see the television series The Magician, starring Bill Bixby. It had a short one-season existence on NBC in 1973-74, and starred Bixby as playboy philanthropist Tony Blake, a top-end magician (think David Copperfield) who solves mysteries on the side. It was terrific, and it's a shame that it hasn't come out on DVD yet. Bootleg copies are available to watch, either partial or full episodes, on YouTube.]

[Scott shared this one at the May 2014 Series Share meeting of the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group at the libraries!]

[ Publisher's official The Amazing Harvey web site ] | [ official Don Passman web site ]

Have you read this? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Now You See Me (on DVD)

Now You See Me
[DVD Now]

After a group of magicians known as the Four Horsemen rob a bank during their act Agent Dylan Rhodes is tasked in tracking them down. The only problem is that the magicians always seem to be one step ahead of him. I loved this movie and was completely surprised by the ending. -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library [There are a lot of movies about magicians; some similar to this would be The Illusionist and The Prestige.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Now You See Me movie/dvd web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Staff Recommendation - The Prestige

The Prestige

[DVD Prestige]

Marvelously dark period drama with heavy doses of fantasy and mystery. Two turn-of-the-century Victorian stage magicians begin a rivalry and feudd that involves one-upsmanship, thievery, manipulations of loved ones, sabotage, and ultimately murder. This film is exceptionally atmospheric -- filmed, where possible, with natural lighting. The set designs are gorgeous. And the acting, on the parts of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, is wonderful. The script, based on an award-winning novel by Christopher Priest, is by the same writer/director who brought us Memento, and this summer's Batman: The Dark Knight, so be prepared for lots of twists and turns. This is NOT, however, a movie for kids...it has a very dark tone, and by the end you realize that both magicians are willing to sacrifice their humanity and become monsters to outdo the other. Nevertheless, a highly recommendable movie. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library/Reference

[ official Christopher Priest web site ] [ official The Prestige on DVD web site ]

Have you seen this one? Or read the original book? What did you think?

Ten new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.