A Blast From the PastEli’s asked to perform his magic act at a swanky charity gala, The Zombie Ball– a former zombie pub crawl which has grown into an annual high-class social event. What begins as a typical stage show for Eli turns deadly when two of the evening’s sponsors are found murdered under truly unusual circumstances. Compounding this drama is the presence of Eli’s ex-wife and her new … presence of Eli’s ex-wife and her new husband, Homicide Detective Fred Hutton. Under pressure to solve the crime before the 800 guests depart, Eli and his detective nemesis go head-to-head to uncover the bizarre clues that will unravel this macabre mystery.
Praise for the Eli Marks Mystery Series
“An intriguing cross between noir and cozy, with fascinating details about magic tricks and plenty of quirky characters. An easy, enjoyable read for mystery buffs seeking a bit of an escape from the usual crime fiction fare.”
– Library Journal
“A finely-tuned, diabolical, sneaky, smart, stylish mix of magic and mayhem that plunges our hero Eli through a tangled web of danger and deceit that’ll keep you guessing.”
– Steve Spill, Magician and Author of I Lie For Money
“With twists and turns, flurries of romance, and a cast of characters that seem to be the unholy spawn of The Maltese Falcon and The Third Man, The Miser’s Dream keeps the pages turning and the reader delighted from start to finish.”
– Jeffrey Hatcher, Screenwriter, Mr. Holmes
“I loved this book. From beginning to end I was hooked. The story is fantastic and the cast leaves you wanting to know more. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.”
– Bookschellves
“This is an instant classic, in a league with Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Arthur Conan Doyle.”
– Rosebud Book Reviews
“Has as many tricks up its sleeve as its likeable magician-hero. As the body count rises, so does the reading pleasure.”
– Dennis Palumbo, Author of the Daniel Rinaldi Mystery Series
“A wonderfully engaging, delightfully tricky bit of mystery. Fans of magic will delight in John Gaspard’s artful use of the world of magicians, onstage and offstage. It’s a great story and great fun!”
– Jim Steinmeyer, Author of Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear
“A real winner of magical proportions. Filled with snappy, delightful dialogue and plenty of sleight-of-hand humor, Gaspard’s latest mystery in the Eli Marks series does not disappoint.”
– Jessie Chandler, Author of the Shay O’Hanlon Series
“The author does a fantastic job juggling the separate plots and keeping readers’ minds thoroughly engaged…and the pure entertainment of the industry will leave all readers hoping that there will be a ‘number three’ very soon.”
– Suspense Magazine
“The Ambitious Card is intelligently written and…entirely engrossing.”
– Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
“The deftly-plotted mystery is enriched by Eli’s relationships with his ex-wife, her new husband, his old-school stage magician Uncle Harry, and an interesting collection of people and places in and around St. Paul…This stylish novel is filled with interesting details, snappy dialogue, and appealing characters.”
– More Than a Review
“This story is very well-written and fun to read. I would definitely read another Eli Marks Mystery.”
– A Simple Taste for Reading
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Magician Eli Marks has been hired at the last minute to perform as the opening act at the Zombie Ball, an annual local fundraiser, when the originally scheduled magician backs out. He hasn’t been going out much since his divorce, but he needs the money, so he agrees to do the gig that night. Of course, Eli quickly sees tensions going on behind the scenes, including two competing top donors who everyone is handling with kid gloves and trying to keep away from each other. Then someone is murdered, and Eli finds himself involved with the case. Will he figure out what really happened?
While this is the sixth book in the series, it is mostly set in the past, with events taking place before book 1. While I missed seeing some of the series regulars and getting some updates on ongoing storylines, I was quickly caught up in the story, and I enjoyed seeing a different side of the few regulars we did see. The body isn’t found until later in the book than normal, but I was enjoying spending time with Eli and getting to know the suspects. Sure enough, things that happened and we learned came into play once the murder has been discovered, and I was impressed with how Eli pieced everything together. The story hinges on the suspects being strong, and fortunately, they are. This story is shorter than many of the books I read, but it was long enough to tell the story, and it was nice to breeze through a book quickly. While we don’t learn any of the secrets of magic, I still enjoy the behind the scenes glimpses we do get of the life of a magician. Whether a new or returning fan, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
THE ZOMBIE BALL, Episode #6, an Eli Marks Mystery by John Gaspard is a flash back in time to the period immediately following magician Eli Mark’s divorce from his now ex-wife, DA Deirdre Sutton (a period prior to book #1). Magician Eli Marks/MMC has been invited to perform at a popular public fund raising event called the Zombie Ball in downtown Minneapolis. During rehearsal he notices friction between a number of the organizers and sponsors, yet even Marks is surprised when a scream peels through the back hallway and a 911 call shortly follows.
I loved THE ZOMBIE BALL. It is an original, unpredictable, quirky mystery with magician Eli Marks as the main character. It kept my interest the entire time, wondering what might happen next. The cast of characters were unique and well described and the magic aspect is always a fun bonus. Currently, 9 novels/novellas/SS comprise this series, of which I’ve enjoyed 5. I look forward to reading/listening my way through them as I find them fun and delightful – John Gaspard being among my few “Go to” authors.
The ZOMBIE BALL can be read as a standalone title, however I highly recommend the entire series to readers who enjoy mysteries (light in tone, rather than dark or grisly), unique characters and fresh story lines with unusual settings. I listened to the audio version narrated by Jim Cunningham and recommend it, as well.
READER CAUTIONS* –
*THE ZOMBIE BALL, IMO, is suitable for most any reader.
VIOLENCE – This is a murder mystery but the murders are off scene and are mentioned after the fact.
PROFANITY – None.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS – None
I am learning a bit about magic so the titles in this series call to me. The main character – a magician and owner/partner in a magic shop – as are a number of active magicians – has his imperfections and a recent divorce – d/t the ex-wife’s infidelity with a homicide detective – that preys on his mind. He bumps into deaths/murders and the ex’s new homicide detective husband always seems to want to convict our magician – which is a way to get our hero involved in his own sleuthing. is uncle – who taught him magic (This is stage/close-up magic BTW not MAGICK -although sometimes there is a bit of paranormal.) and owned/runs/works at the Magic shop is an interesting voice – as are his magician cronies. I have read or listened to a couple of books in this series , and I expect I will be buying more.
Fun characters that you care about, inriguing plots and magic – what’s not to love?
You’d never believe the author wasn’t a magician. He only references supposedly well-known tricks, but he sells the concept and his major character perfectly. His uncle and the characters that surround him are also absorbing and you want to have drink and/or dinner with all of them. The series is addictive!
This was an engaging read from the magic to the tensions between characters, not the least of which are Deidre and her Homicide Detective husband. The pace is good, the suspects are all there, and then there is the finale and the killer. Eli nailed it – I didn’t. Unknowingly, I started at the newest (6th) in the series. The good news? It is easily read as a stand alone. The bad news? I will have to go back and read the other five – I enjoyed it that much! If you like soft-boiled or cozy mysteries, you’ll enjoy this one, and a male sleuth was a nice change. But beware of filberts.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.