The Illusionist’s Apprentice

Author: Kristy Cambron

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: March 7, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Cambron has mastered suspenseful historical fiction and this is no exception!

Wren Lockhart has a past that she would love to keep buried. But being the apprentice to Harry Houdini has made her keep even more secrets than just her past.  Secrets that people would love to find out.  Secrets worth killing for.  After attending a spectacle put on by Horace Stapleton, who was once debunked by Houdini, she finds herself in the attention of the FBI.  Stapleton led people to believe that he could raise someone from the dead, but the subject later died at the scene.  So, the FBI calls on Wren to help them figure out how Stapleton did it.  And why the victim died.  Again.  But when someone tries to gun down Wren and one of the agents, she begins to realize that her personal life is changing with the more danger she steps into.  Someone may be trying to kill her.  Someone she may trust with her life.

As always, Kristy Cambron has spun another amazing tale. If you are a fan of the movie The Prestige or The Illusionist, then you will definitely enjoy this book.  Going backstage behind some of the greatest illusionists in history is phenomenal.  And Cambron does the research to bring you there.  From the theater settings to the street corners in London, you feel like you are in the scene with the characters.

There was a little bit of past/present narrative that dealt Wren exclusively, not like her earlier novels that split between characters in different times. Even so, this was still a fantastic read.  One thing that I found interesting was her choice to use the word collaborate so many times.  This has become such a popular word in today’s society that I wonder if it really was used that much in the time frame depicted in the book.  Just seemed a little interesting to me and made me think about it.  Which is a very good thing as a reader.

Wren’s character was fun to explore as a reader. She is a very closed off and private person and the story does a great job of explaining why.  But when the romance between Wren and Elliott begins to bloom, that is when the fun really begins because her character has a transformation from being self-sufficient to allowing herself to be loved.

Overall this was very exciting, enlightening, and fun to read. I can’t wait to see what she is working on next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.