Conjuring Deception

by Camilo Iribarren

In Seattle, there have been a number of crimes committed by magicians and con artists. No law enforcer has been able to solve these misdeeds, until FBI agent Simon Shakespeare decided to form a team of magicians to help solve these acts of misconduct. Shakespeare is an expert in close up magic, but he knows he needs help when it comes to other specialties of magic, so he recruits cardist Ophelia Brownstone, mentalist Feste Fillmore, stage illusionist Juliet Gardner and escape artist Damon MacBeth. The team solves crimes involving any type of magic tricks and misconduct done to magicians. Their unique understanding of each specialty comes in handy to dissect the scene and create certain profiles of the perpetrators. Their current cases involve a jewel robber from three different cities and leaving a message that no one can decipher. Then, they will have to find out who is robbing five men and how come these men cannot remember how their bank accounts got cleaned out. How will they ever solve these cases?

102 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2015

Reviews

[Jill Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book as I’d loved Club Deception, which also centered around the world of magic. The premise within Conjuring Deception was certainly unique, vaguely hinting at the movie Now You See Me. This book housed a thrilling twist of FBI crime solving and the role magic plays in explaining and uncovering the perpetrator by a team of magicians, each with a unique skill set and diverse background. The team within consisted of a cardist, escape artist, illusionist, mentalist and their FBI handler, a former street magician. So, when a jewel heist occurs in which the perp disappears in a cloud of smoke, and a large sum robbery takes place with victims unable to remember what happened, this team is called in to solve.

There were two distinct cases solved within the folds of this book, as mentioned above. The cases are quickly briefed and wrapped, separated only by a bridge in which the family dynamic of each member is unveiled. The cases are wrapped quickly, with neat confessions being all but glazed over, leading the reader to feel this book would have been more satisfying had the sequences been drug out and extended to include more detail. Conjuring Deception holds all the cards (pun intended) to evolving into a GREAT magician crime solving series. The crime and love interests are there; as is the team with the great personalities. The story just needs to undergo additional editing to “smooth” the grammar and language flow while the drawing out of scenes would provide for a “fuller” reading experience.

For the full review, please visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordp...

*Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Camilo Iribarren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is compelling and leaves you wondering about the motive. Shakespearean names are a nice twist to the characters’ development as well