The second Eli Marks mystery begins when he attends his fifteenth class reunion. Eli is recently divorced and "on a break" from his new relationship. He runs into an old crush who is married to another one of their former classmates - one Eli could never stand.

Eli also reconnects with on old friend who has become a television actor trying to transition to movie actor. The movie is being shot in Minneapolis and, since it concerns the mysterious death of a magician, the friend asks Eli to be his magic consultant. The climax of the film includes a dangerous classic trick called the Bullet Catch which has killed a number of magicians. The actor is afraid that the trick will kill him which will guarantee an audience for the film but not be at all good for him.

When the old crush's husband dies in what looks like a particularly brutal mugging, Eli is there to offer support to the grieving widow. He also gets drawn into the victim's history and business dealings as people around the victim are also being killed. A mysterious character who is filled with movie quotes also interacts with Eli because the first murder victim owed him money and he wants Eli to look into the death.

I loved the Minneapolis setting. I also loved the group of retired magicians who are friends of his Uncle Harry and who have served as Eli's mentors as he learned to be a magician. I liked the various magic tricks performed. I liked Eli who is smart and observant.

The narrator did a great job bringing all the various characters to life and illuminating their personalities with his voice. ( )

magic, situational-humor, verbal-humor, snarky, amateur-sleuth, whodunit, murder, mystery*****

Great fun mystery with characters who make you laugh a lot. There is a real plot filled with twists, red herrings, and misdirections but it's the fun that I will remember at odd times!
The audio is narrated by Jim Cunningham who really adds to it all. ( )

My original The Bullet Catch audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

The book begins with an old friend showing up and inviting Eli to attend their high school reunion. He also spills the beans about his latest acting bit, a movie about a magician who dies in the execution of an illusion. Eli agrees to give him a hand.

Meanwhile, at the reunion, Eli runs into his crush from 20 years ago, and things quickly escalate and deteriorate (in that wonderful way that all murder mysteries deteriorate) from there.

John Gaspard is fast becoming one of my new favorite authors. The pacing of this story felt a little slower than the first book, but it didn’t drag. I love the way he weaves famous magic tricks and illusions, well known music and comedy acts, and allusions to classic movies into his plot and dialogue. It makes for such a great background, and many common bonds between the reader and characters. I really want to hang out with Uncle Harry and the “Artful Codgers” and listen to them talk smack and reminisce over a beer or two. Granted, the younger generation won’t recognize many of the references, I know there are quite a few going over my head, and I’m far more immersed in the entertainment of 50 years ago than most people my age. Nevertheless, it’s written in such a way that ignorance shouldn’t detract from the reading experience in any way, though there are some definite clues you’ll miss if you’re not up on your trivia.

Coincidentally I happened to have watched one of the movies mentioned less than a week before I listened to this book, so I had a hint fresh in the mind, though it didn’t give much away.

I’ve come to love Eli Marks (in a strictly platonic way), he’s clever and thoughtful without being particularly brilliant. He’s funny and sarcastic, and just so real. Combined with the first person POV that the book is written in, it’s like he’s just telling you a story. Maybe sitting on the couch with you. I’m pretty fond of all the characters, Frannie, Megan, and of course, Harry. Even Marks’ Ex-wife Deidre is is a great character.

Quality wise, I have to give it the full 5 stars, everything is clear, no EQ or mic distance issues, and the music is great, and not too long.

As for Jim Cunningham, he is one of my new favorite Narrators. He nails the tone of this book, and delivers all the characters flawlessly. He captures Harry’s gruff, crotchety old voice, and Eli’s younger, clever yet lacking a little self-confidence, personality. He also delivers on the female characters, softer, but not in anyway the “man pretending to be a girl” tone that some guys adopt.

I can hardly wait for the next book. Three cheers for John Gaspard!

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. ( )

In the world of magic, the Bullet Catch is an illusion in which a magician appears to catch a bullet fired directly at him. The magician catches the bullet in his mouth or, sometimes, his hand.

In John Gaspard’s novel, The Bullet Catch, Chicago magician Eli Marks has one possible murder to solve and yet another murder to prevent.

BULLET-CATCH-book-listWhen Eli reluctantly attends his 15-year reunion, he feels he finally appears on the radar of his once unapproachable high school crush, Trish– after all, her shady husband spends the evening tossing back too many drinks and hanging on other women. But he doesn’t count on Trish being a widow the next time he sees her . . . the very next morning! The death is ruled a mugging, but a mugging-that-might-not be-a-mugging, and Eli uses his connections with the DA’s office (his ex-wife) and the police department (her new husband) to dig around for the truth. Meanwhile, his old school friend, Jake, is set to star in a movie – a biopic of a magician who died performing the Bullet Catch. The production is sinking fast, and Jake is sure someone believes the death of the leading man will generate box-office gold.

With Eli Marks, Gaspard has created a witty, sympathetic, hero who is almost unnervingly likable. He is intelligent without being arrogant, loves his family and friends, displays common sense, and yet is fallible. Eli seems to be able to win anyone over. Even his ex-wife, with whom he claims to have a contentious relationship, shows him concern and warmth on occasion. I would like to be able to say Eli was so perfect, I did not believe the character, but I bought him completely. I am still trying to figure out how Gaspard managed to develop such a wholly lovable hero.

The Bullet Catch has a quick pace and dialogue that engages the reader from the first page. In fact, I was struck by how much this book relies on action and dialogue. The novel contains very little internal analysis or examination of emotions by its characters. When I had finished The Bullet Catch, my impression was that I had been reading a screenplay, rather than a novel. I was not surprised to read later that Gaspard has directed six low-budget movies and written books on the subject of low-budget film making.

The “screenplay” feel of the book is evident from the first chapter. The Bullet Catch is the second in Gaspard’s “Eli Marks Mysteries.” As with any series, the author is faced with the question of how to bring the reader up to speed on what transpired in previous novels, if at all. The Bullet Catch opens with Eli in the chair at his therapist, to whom he proceeds to relate the plot points of the prior book. The scene may as well have been prefaced by the announcement, “Previously, in the Eli Marks Mysteries . . .” The therapist’s office is a functional device, but a bit heavy-handed.

Nevertheless – screenplay, novel – a little of both – I enjoyed the author’s smart incorporation of details about the magic industry, as well as Eli’s relationship with his much-older uncle, Harry. John Gaspard has written a great character into an original storyline –If it seems to have been written to fit into an allotted time slot on cable TV, it doesn’t detract significantly from the reader’s enjoyment of the novel. I will definitely be seeing/reading more of Eli as Gaspard expands this promising mystery series. ( )