Scan barcode
thestarman's review
4.0
In 3 words: Lust, Lies, Illusions
Is the greatest hoax of all that we can ever really know another person? Is love an illusion, a mere magic trick? [no, that's not from the back cover. i made it up, but i think it sums up the book's theme well]
The age 25 to 30-ish characters in THE HOUDINI GIRL don't seem to have much on their minds besides sex, smoking, and different degrees of deceit. But perhaps -- just maybe -- they have their reasons. And then *WHAM* someone goes missing, and the plot takes a turn or two (but never a jagged twist, in my opinion).
It jumped a small shark when the sometimes-TSTL narrator decided to, but I was involved enough to want to see how it all turned out. I did like the final scene, even though things don't get entirely wrapped up.
Was there more to the disapperance than met the eye? Is there ever a good reason to deceive those you love (or lust after)? Is the magician-narrator reliable, or does he have a trick up his sleeve?
If such questions intrigue you, give this book a shot. I think you'll be 3+ stars happy with it.
VERDICT: 3.67, rounded to 4 because: magic, Irish cursing. Not half as twisty as I had hoped, but Rosa was a great character. Recommended if you like strange girlfriends, magic, mysteries, or moderate thrillers.
Also consider:
[b:Illusion|12408735|Illusion|Frank E. Peretti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331936724s/12408735.jpg|17377431], by Frank E. Peretti
[b:Club Deception|30141250|Club Deception|Sarah Skilton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476159251s/30141250.jpg|50575213] by Sarah Skilton
[b:The Kind Worth Killing|21936809|The Kind Worth Killing|Peter Swanson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417981750s/21936809.jpg|41240456], by Peter Swanson
[b:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327868566s/2429135.jpg|1708725], by Steig Larson
Is the greatest hoax of all that we can ever really know another person? Is love an illusion, a mere magic trick? [no, that's not from the back cover. i made it up, but i think it sums up the book's theme well]
The age 25 to 30-ish characters in THE HOUDINI GIRL don't seem to have much on their minds besides sex, smoking, and different degrees of deceit. But perhaps -- just maybe -- they have their reasons. And then *WHAM* someone goes missing, and the plot takes a turn or two (but never a jagged twist, in my opinion).
It jumped a small shark when the sometimes-TSTL narrator decided to
Spoiler
play amateur detectiveWas there more to the disapperance than met the eye? Is there ever a good reason to deceive those you love (or lust after)? Is the magician-narrator reliable, or does he have a trick up his sleeve?
If such questions intrigue you, give this book a shot. I think you'll be 3+ stars happy with it.
VERDICT: 3.67, rounded to 4 because: magic, Irish cursing. Not half as twisty as I had hoped, but Rosa was a great character. Recommended if you like strange girlfriends, magic, mysteries, or moderate thrillers.
Also consider:
[b:Illusion|12408735|Illusion|Frank E. Peretti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331936724s/12408735.jpg|17377431], by Frank E. Peretti
[b:Club Deception|30141250|Club Deception|Sarah Skilton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476159251s/30141250.jpg|50575213] by Sarah Skilton
[b:The Kind Worth Killing|21936809|The Kind Worth Killing|Peter Swanson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417981750s/21936809.jpg|41240456], by Peter Swanson
[b:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327868566s/2429135.jpg|1708725], by Steig Larson
fireadscrime's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent - couldn't put it down. Wanted to know what happened, but didn't want to finish! Can't wait to read his other stuff.
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
About a magician whose girlfriend dies in a train accident. Or suicide? Or, wait, murder? But why? Told in flashbacks, including approximately a third of the story from her point of view. Really intriguing, since she turns out to be a much better illusionist than he is, and more scrupled in spite of (because of?) her rather ugly past.
luftschlosseule's review against another edition
3.0
After the mysterious death of his lover Rosa, stage magician Red begins asking questions. He doesn't like the answers he's getting.
Narrated from the protagonist of his profession, you'd expect to learn something about magic. You're just used to it, to reading the so-called diary entries or narratives by stage magicians, but no, Red won't have any of this. He only reveals that no, his assistant the Lovely Kim didn't die for this trick, but describes how you would have seen it if you had been part of the audience.
I like that. Too many narrators are like "Well, we don't tell anyone" only to explain every single trick.
Red describes himself as mad with grief after Rosa's death, and since this book is narrated from his point of view, it feels muddled. ...or maybe that's just me, having had a few especially rough days, I don't know.
This book is made of two parts: Oxfort, where they met and lived together, and Amsterdam, where Red tries to discover where Rosa went two days of the week when she was supposed to be at work, and why she wanted to travel to the Netherlands as she died. Whom she wanted to meet there, if she knew the persons that might have killed her. And for a change of air he is in dire need of.
I like how it's told, the three-dimensional characters. But it didn't grip me as much as I had hope. Will be returning it to the open bookshelf and maybe looking for more by this author in the library, but that's it.
Narrated from the protagonist of his profession, you'd expect to learn something about magic. You're just used to it, to reading the so-called diary entries or narratives by stage magicians, but no, Red won't have any of this. He only reveals that no, his assistant the Lovely Kim didn't die for this trick, but describes how you would have seen it if you had been part of the audience.
I like that. Too many narrators are like "Well, we don't tell anyone" only to explain every single trick.
Red describes himself as mad with grief after Rosa's death, and since this book is narrated from his point of view, it feels muddled. ...or maybe that's just me, having had a few especially rough days, I don't know.
This book is made of two parts: Oxfort, where they met and lived together, and Amsterdam, where Red tries to discover where Rosa went two days of the week when she was supposed to be at work, and why she wanted to travel to the Netherlands as she died. Whom she wanted to meet there, if she knew the persons that might have killed her. And for a change of air he is in dire need of.
I like how it's told, the three-dimensional characters. But it didn't grip me as much as I had hope. Will be returning it to the open bookshelf and maybe looking for more by this author in the library, but that's it.
offmessage's review
4.0
A wonderful tale about the nature of deceit, love and grief, told through the medium of crime thriller.
Any more detailed review will give too much away, sadly.
And ignore the "modern erotic classic" tag on Amazon, it's not an erotic book at all (although there are a couple of sex scenes, they're neither graphic nor kinky).
Any more detailed review will give too much away, sadly.
And ignore the "modern erotic classic" tag on Amazon, it's not an erotic book at all (although there are a couple of sex scenes, they're neither graphic nor kinky).
More...