Overview

For fans of Louise Penny and Robert Dugoni, Illusionist is a contemporary crime thriller where PI McPherson must choose between killing an author at a writing retreat in the Pacific Northwest or letting a college student die.

When an illusionist joins the Pines & Quill writing retreat, one of the owners vanishes without a trace in the middle of everyone, but the surrounding would-be witnesses don’t see or hear a thing. That’s when crime boss Georgio Gambino makes a checkmate move against his nemesis, Sean McPherson. He forces a writer in residence to kill another writer and frame McPherson. In a video call, Gambino warns the writer, “If you don’t follow orders, your daughter will die.” Then, he pans the camera to prove access to her college dorm room. 

McPherson discovers that Carmine Fiore, Gambino’s second in command, covets his boss role and is staging a coup. As Gambino’s soldiers traffic drugs, weapons, and humans, Fiore plants incriminating evidence against the notorious Sureños gang. Can McPherson leverage that knowledge for a temporary truce and the gang’s help?

The writers in residence—a former NASCAR driver, a professional triathlete, an architect turned house flipper, and a world-renowned magician who may not be who she appears to be—band together with McPherson to create the illusion of a lifetime.

Review

In true Laurie Buchanan fashion, The Pines and Quill writing retreat will send you reeling…in more ways than one.

This retreat is perfect for the solitude of the writer. And trust me when I say…I want to go and just read. But life does not stay peaceful, even at The Pines and Quill.

Enter Sean Mcphersons’s nemesis, Georgio Gambino. He forces a writer in residence to kill another writer and frame McPherson. In a video call, Gambino warns the writer, “If you don’t follow orders, your daughter will die.” Then, he pans the camera to prove access to her college dorm room. 

Sean McPherson or “Mick” as he is called is my all time favorite. I love his intellect and his magnetism. The author uses all of his attributes to create this suspenseful tale you do not want to miss.

I love this series. It is not necessary that you read them in order, but trust me, you will want to read them all!

Need a good mystery with great characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

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