Review: The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

The Magician's Lie
by Greer Macallister
Published by Sourcebooks Landmark on January 13, 2015 
Genres:  Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Pages: 320
Format: eBook, Paperback 
Source: NetGalley
Buy links: Amazon

Summary From Goodreads

Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician’s Lie, a debut novel in which the country’s most notorious female illusionist stands accused of her husband's murder --and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her innocence. The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear. But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors. 

My Review

Last year I had read "Night Circus" and I had adored it. As soon as I saw that this book was very similar to it I immediately decided to read it. It has literally impressed me. Now I can not wait to read "Water to Elephants".

It all happens in one night: Arden is arrested by Virgil Holt and in the barrack are just the two of them. Arden is accused of killing her husband: he was her assistant and died during an exhibition of magic. She proclaims innocent and begins to tell her life hoping to convince the policeman of her innocence. The story is a continuous alternation of the story of Arden's past and Virgil's story of that night.

Arden is the most famous woman illusionist: it had cost her so much to get there. She grew up with her mother, has never met her father. The only thing she may have inherited from him is her healing gift. She dreamed of becoming a dancer but had to give up because of her terrible cousin Ray.

The atmosphere of this book is really magical and engaging, once you start reading it drags you in and you would not to leave it anymore. It's full of suspense and twists from cover to cover. The love story is very special and romantic. It's really well written, doesn't look like a debut writer, I hope I can read another piece of her work soon.

If you have loved "Night Circus" try reading this story and you will not be disappointed.

Author 

Raised in the Midwest, Greer Macallister is a poet, short story writer, playwright and novelist whose work has appeared in publications such as The North American Review,  The Missouri Review, and The Messenger. Her plays have been performed at American University, where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing. She lives with her family on the East Coast. Her debut novel THE MAGICIAN'S LIE was a weekly or monthly pick by Indie Next, LibraryReads, People Magazine, SheReads, PopSugar, Publishers Weekly, the Boston Globe, and Audible.com.

http://www.greermacallister.com/