The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. But one night she swaps her trademark saw for an axe.
When Arden’s husband is found dead later that night, the answer seems clear, most of all to young policeman Virgil Holt.
Captured and taken into custody, all seems set for Arden’s swift confession. But she has a different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless, and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding.
Before I started reading The Magician’s Lie I fully expected it be be a crime novel, following the usual procedure of a crime committed and then the investigation so I was a bit surprised when this wasn’t really what I got.
Yes, there is a crime but then the focus moves to the life story of Arden, how she ran away from an abusive relationship and finally got the chance to achieve her dream. She doesn’t come across as a bad person. In fact, she is a victim of more than one act of cruelty.
It is a while since I read historical crime fiction and I liked this a lot. The image of turn of the century America was captivating. A New York where Grand Central Station has yet to be built and Fifth Avenue was still a residential Street. All this combined with the account of a theatrical career and a few magician secrets revealed. I like to learn something new when I read a book and the account of the Iroquois Fire was a horrifying section of the novel. More so when I realized that it was an actual event.
I like to think it was a happy ending for at least one of the main characters and I am interested in whether we will see further novels featuring any of them. It would work well as a series as well as a standalone novel.
A completely unexpected read that I enjoyed immensely.
You can buy the book here
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
