REVIEW: The Illusionist's Apprentice

The Illusionist's Apprentice
Author: Kristy Cambron

Once the apprentice to the amazing Harry Houdini, Wren Lockhart now performs her illusions on the vaudeville stage. She is talented, but eccentric...shutting nearly everyone out of her life, dressing in men's clothing and ignoring most social conventions. She relies only on herself. Her past taught her that. The past she keeps secret. After a man is supposedly raised from the dead by another illusionist, Horace Stapleton, the resurrected man promptly drops dead. Stapleton was previously debunked as a fraud by Houdini and Wren knows he didn't raise anyone from the dead. So, what did happen? She is approached by FBI agent Elliot Matthews to help with the investigation. Stapleton is a fraud, but Wren knows he isn't a murderer.

Set in the Vaudeville and flapper era of the 1920's, this book has much historical color amid the vibrant backdrop of stage performers, illusionists and all the magic of the Jazz Age. The mystery is engaging and the characters are believable. I loved Wren's strength and independence. Elliot is intelligent, patient and determined. The action is great, and the story perfectly paced to build tension. I found myself carrying my Kindle with me everywhere so I wouldn't have to stop reading!

Kristy Cambron is the author of several novels including The Butterfly and the Violin. To find out more about the author and her books, check out her website at https://kristycambron.com/

**I volunarily read an Advance Readers Copy of this book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**