Thrilled to Death
A Samantha Shaw Mystery
By Jennifer Apodaca
Kensington Books
Feb. 2006
320 pages
ISBN: 0-7582-0988-6
Samantha Shaw is back and this time Grandpa may be arrested for attempted murder. That's because he was roaring mad that Shane Masters was coming to his town. Seems Shane has a bad habit of revealing magician's secrets and that's a no-no in the business. Grandpa may not be performing anymore, but he still networks with his peers through the multi-national Magic Makers Group.
Things seem innocent enough after Grandpa leaves the police station. The detective's questions are behind him for the moment. Fletch Knight, a young man Grandpa mentored was going to work on special effects with him just before his appearance at the House of Cards. Just dirt bikes, sky diving, nothing out of the ordinary these days. Another magic man, Bo, is in town to see Grandpa and his family.
When Shane comes to town trouble starts brewing, especially for Grandpa. Seems Shane wants him to figure out what magician sent a hit man after him. Grandpa had mentored Shane in the past, but broke off his connections when he started betraying a number of magicians. On top of that, Rosy and Nikki hire Samantha to find out whose act Shane is going to spoil. So the tension is high and Detective Vance is breathing down Sam's back. And as for Gabe, he's making sure Vance keeps his distance because he loves Samantha and doesn't want to lose her.
Samantha is worried that if a magician is desperate enough to hire a hit man to kill Shane, wouldn't he consider her Grandpa's investigation a threat?
When Shane is murdered, the homicide detectives have to find his killer to save the town's reputation. How safe is it for Grandpa and the magicians in his network? Read the book and find out.
THRILLED TO DEATH focuses on the bond magicians have and how important keeping their show secrets really are. Samantha once again is in the middle of the investigation and is always in danger and upsetting her gorgeous boyfriend. A few new characters added to the mix keep everything interesting and you don't know who to pin Shane's murder on. The plot rolls out evenly and tension is high. Worth reading and adding to your collection of mysteries. Not thrilled about the cover. I'd rather seen Samantha and Gabe.
four out of five magic shows
--Denise Fleischer, gottawritenetwork.com
January 29, 2006
copyright D. Fleischer & GWN
