In the desert town of Mesa Ridge, retired stage magician Harry "The Magnificent" Blackwood has traded spotlights for bookshelves at his specialty shop, "Tricks of the Trade." With his one-eyed rescue pug, Houdini, at his side, Harry enjoys sharing his love of magic and illusion with visitors through carefully selected books and the occasional sleight-of-hand demonstration. But when renowned skeptic Dr. Victoria Grant is found dead in his locked shop backroom—crushed by a falling bookcase rigged with a mechanism straight from Harry's own magic handbook—the former illusionist becomes the prime suspect in a murder that seems designed to frame him.
With his estranged daughter Cassie unexpectedly in town, Harry must dust off his powers of deduction to clear his name. Together with Houdini (who has an uncanny talent for finding crucial clues), earnest local reporter Flynn Jackson, and former stage assistant Riley Thompson, they delve into Dr. Grant's investigation of an old stage illusion gone wrong. As Harry and his unlikely team dig deeper, they discover connections between the murder and the mysterious disappearance of a volunteer during Harry's most famous trick years ago—"The Vanishing Wonder"—a connection someone in Mesa Ridge is desperate to keep hidden.
"Booked for Death" delivers a delightful mystery where stagecraft meets sleuthing, and misdirection isn't just for magic shows. With snappy dialogue, colorful desert town characters, and a touch of showmanship, this cozy whodunit explores how even the greatest illusionist can be fooled by appearances, and how sometimes the most important secrets are hidden in plain sight. Harry's journey proves that second acts can be the most meaningful performance of all, especially when they reveal not just the truth behind a murder, but the path to reconciliation with the people who matter most.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
With his estranged daughter Cassie unexpectedly in town, Harry must dust off his powers of deduction to clear his name. Together with Houdini (who has an uncanny talent for finding crucial clues), earnest local reporter Flynn Jackson, and former stage assistant Riley Thompson, they delve into Dr. Grant's investigation of an old stage illusion gone wrong. As Harry and his unlikely team dig deeper, they discover connections between the murder and the mysterious disappearance of a volunteer during Harry's most famous trick years ago—"The Vanishing Wonder"—a connection someone in Mesa Ridge is desperate to keep hidden.
"Booked for Death" delivers a delightful mystery where stagecraft meets sleuthing, and misdirection isn't just for magic shows. With snappy dialogue, colorful desert town characters, and a touch of showmanship, this cozy whodunit explores how even the greatest illusionist can be fooled by appearances, and how sometimes the most important secrets are hidden in plain sight. Harry's journey proves that second acts can be the most meaningful performance of all, especially when they reveal not just the truth behind a murder, but the path to reconciliation with the people who matter most.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Maisy Marple's Booked for Death