The Magician Card (The Tarot Mysteries Book 2)

The Magician Card is the second book in the The Tarot Mysteries by Bevan Atkinson. Originally released in 2012, this reformat is 163 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is an incredibly entertaining and well written book. Protagonist Xana is intelligent, strong, and likeable. The book is written in 1st person PoV, so hearing her internal monologue was a big part of the appeal for me. Her foil/partner is Thorne, is back and still a wonderful logical and Zen counterpoint to Xana's impulsive intuitiveness. Together, they're involved in high-biotech intrigue, industrial espionage and as always an element of family tragedy and betrayal. There's also a REALLY cool parallel plotline that is a fun Rear Window (It Had to be Murder) homage. I loved it! This is an extremely humorous read and it even surprised some audible laughs from me (not an easy feat) but the author manages to simultaneously sneak in some profound insights on interpersonal relationships and the myriad ways they can affect us for good or ill.

The plot gallops along, the tension arc is well controlled, and the technical aspects of the writing are seamless and enjoyable. This is an author who can really write. The secondary characters are well and sensitively drawn. The denouement was satisfyingly twisty. The language is G-rated, there's no sexual content (though Xana/Thorne do make some progress at sorting out what it is they have between them), and it's an enjoyable and humorous ride from start to finish. I was captivated from the first page.

I appreciated that the author didn't throw the main protagonists together in an unfortunate and unbelievable insta-love romance. In fact the author didn't abuse my suspension of disbelief one time in this book.

Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this first book in this highly entertaining series is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. It's always fun to find a new to me author and series to read. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of modern American mysteries. I'm looking forward to binge reading the rest of the series.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.