Bluff
A Novel
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- USD 25.99
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- USD 25.99
Publisher Description
A down-on-her-luck female magician is drawn into a dangerous criminal scheme in this "hopelessly addictive" thriller (Megan Abbott, Edgar Award–winning author of Give Me Your Hand).
At twenty-seven, magician Natalie Webb is already a has-been. A card-trick prodigy, she took first place at the World of Magic competition at eighteen and has never again reached such heights. Now she lives alone in a New Jersey apartment with her pigeons and a pile of overdue bills.
In a desperate ploy for extra cash, she follows up on an old offer to write for a glossy magazine and pitches the editor a seductive topic: the art of cheating at cards. But when Natalie meets the perfect subject for her piece—a poker cheat who dazzles at sleight of hand—what begins as a journalistic gamble soon leads her into a dangerous proposition with the highest of stakes . . .
"Truly gasp-worthy." —Library Journal, starred review
"[A] delightfully surprising thriller." —The Florida Times-Union
"If you haven't read Kardos yet, Bluff is the perfect place to start!" —Lisa Scottoline, New York Times–bestselling author of Someone Knows
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of this intriguing if flawed caper novel from Kardos (Before He Finds Her), 27-year-old magician Natalie Webb loses her cool with an audience volunteer and nearly blinds him with a thrown playing card at a holiday party held at a Newark, N.J., hotel. Anticipating a costly settlement, Natalie needs to get some cash quickly. Her initial plan is to write an article comparing a magician's card tricks with a card sharp's methods of cheating, but she decides to abandon her chosen subject, Ethan Garret, for Ethan's niece, Ellen, after observing her in action at the card table. Natalie's plan changes again when Ellen offers to take her on as a partner in a card cheating scheme that could net $1 million. But instead of moving to the high-stakes game, the story bogs down in page upon page of card manipulation practice. The thrills come finally on the night of the game and in its startling aftermath. This works best as a character study of Natalie, who has a deep backstory that explains her current straits and motivation.
