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. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.
But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless-and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors.
REVIEW
This book has received a lot of praise. I had very high hopes and that was its downfall. I am glad I did not purchase this, I picked it up at my local library. SUPPORT YOUR LIBRARY!!
Any way, I digress…
Arden is a magician in the Vaudville era. She is truly a master of her craft. She creates her own tricks and holds the audience in the palm of her hand. When her husband is murdered she is the only suspect.
The time period is extremely enjoyable…learning about the magic tricks….not so much. The author went into many details about how a trick was made and performed. It really slowed down the flow of the story.
Arden is an enjoyable character with lots of charisma and intelligence. The story is interesting just thick with unneeded information.
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