WONDERFULLY ENGAGING, DELIGHTFULLY TRICKY… The first is the fatal mugging of an old crush’s husband, followed by the suspicious deaths of the victim’s business associates.
At the same time, Eli also comes to the aid of a classmate-turned-movie-star who fears that attempting The Bullet Catch in an upcoming movie may be his last performance. As the bodies begin to pile up, Eli comes to the realization that juggling these murderous situations — while saving his own neck — may be the greatest trick he’s ever performed.
Praise for THE BULLET CATCH:
“The Bullet Catch is 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
“Gaspard’s latest Eli Marks mystery, The Bullet Catch, 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 and Co-Writer of My Favorite Year
“The Bullet Catch is 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. Head to the bookstore and get yourself a copy now!” – Jessie Chandler, Author of the Award-Winning Shay O’Hanlon Series
“The author does a fantastic job juggling the separate plots and keeping readers’ minds thoroughly engaged…The relationships between Eli and his remarried ex are interesting, to say the least, and the pure entertainment of the industry will leave all readers hoping that there will be a ‘number three’ very soon.” – Suspense Magazine
“The Bullet Catch has a quick pace and dialogue that engages the reader from the first page…Gaspard has written a great character into an original storyline…I will definitely be seeing/reading more of Eli as Gaspard expands this promising mystery series.” – Examiner.com
“Readers, get ready for your mind to expand as Eli Marks returns and uses his powers of prestidigitation, intuition and deduction to solve another mystery. If David Copperfield and Sherlock Holmes had a child, it would be Eli Marks.” – Scott Wells, The Magic Word Podcast
Books in the Eli Marks Mystery Series:
THE AMBITIOUS CARD (#1)
THE BULLET CATCH (#2)
THE MISER’S DREAM (#3)
THE LINKING RINGS (#4)
THE FLOATING LIGHT BULB (#5)
THE ZOMBIE BALL (#6)
more
5 Stars! This has quickly become a favorite series of mine.
(1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= Yes, it was Okay/Sweet; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= A favorite, it was great!).
I am really enjoying this series. :D. THE BULLET CATCH, #2 is a Eli Marks Mystery by John Gaspard. I found it fun, original, unpredictable, and humorous. It kept my interest through til the end. There were a few twists along the way that surprised me and the magic tricks were simply a bonus. The cast of characters are intriguing and unique – amongst them a group of talented and aging magicians. These and other secondary characters reappear in each book and, along with Eli, their back stories continue to grow. There are currently 10 novels/novellas/SS in this series (of which BULLET CATCH is 4th or 5th. I look forward to reading/listening my way through each book but the BULLET CATCH could also be enjoyed as a standalone title.
In the THE BULLET CATCH experienced magician Eli Marks/MMC has been asked by Jake, an old High School classmate and now a somewhat successful Hollywood actor, to please “watch his back” during the filming of a movie in which Jake is presently working. It’s convenient for Jake that the filming is taking place in the same city Eli resides. Jake’s film character is a famous magician who was known to have died publicly during his presentation of a trick which proved fatal to him – the Bullet Catch. Jake has concerns that someone involved in the movie may use the opportunity of the reenactment and filming of that dangerous trick to actually murder him. Soon after Jake’s first contact with Eli, people begin to die.
I highly recommend THE BULLET CATCH (and the Eli Marks Mystery series) to readers who enjoy mysteries (light in tone, rather than dark or grisly) with unique characters and storylines. Eli Marks (and his voice) remind me somewhat of a young Peter Falk – as a magician, rather than a detective – and accordingly, various magic scenes appear in each book. 😀 I listened and enjoyed the audio version of THE BULLET CATCH with narration by Jim Cunningham.
READER CAUTIONS – NEARLY CLEAN
IMO, THE BULLET CATCH is suitable for most any reader. The 2 intimacy scenes were inferred rather than on-scene, which I appreciated in this context. I believe no profanity was present. This is a murder mystery but the murders were not described in a graphic or dark fashion.
An entertaining mystery, quickly paced and well narrated. Includes clever lines, several characters I’ve come to know and enjoy, and plot twists handled with the aplomb of a professional magician. I highly recommend the Eli Marks series and look forward to listening to the next audiobook!
I enjoyed it. A really good mystery
great peak into life of magic, magicians and old loyal friendships. through in a mystery and…..you have a very entertaining, interesting read
Coming into this book at the second installment didn’t make a difference. Great story line and premise! Kept me turning the pages to find out where this whole thing went!
My husband does magic as a hobby so I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more of the series.
Love this series! I would describe myself as a voracious reader and I have never come across another series featuring a magician as the main character. Myron Bolitar, his uncle, his girlfriend, and even the creepy Mr. Lime are by turns smart, funny, vulnerable, flawed and ultimately triumphant. Myron always manages to figure out “who done it ” though it takes him a while to get there. The series has been consistently well written, twisty and funny without becoming to formulaic. The stories are intelligent without being pretentious. Each book is based on a magician’s trick and the trick somehow leads to the answer. I am looking forward to reading more of the series, which I hope has many more books to come. I encourage you to join Myron, Megan, Uncle Harry and all the rest of the crew in Minnesota on their adventures. Just be sure to dress warm. They are in Minnesota after all.
This book is about a magician who goes to his high school reunion. He meets up with an old nemesis and his wife. He had a crush on the guy’s wife in high school. The nemesis ends up dead and he is a suspect so he decides to investigate and more people end up dead.
The Bullet Catch is my first book by John Gaspard. Soon into the book I found that I really enjoyed and appreciated Gaspard’s style of writing. The book just flows. It felt like the easy flow of Allan Lee or Lee Child. The pages just kept turning. The characters all fit and were vivid in my mind.
I will be going back for more books by Gaspard.
Intriguing!
Loved how great all the twists and turns made this hard to put down, couldn’t wait to see the next twist in the plot!
I really enjoyed this book.
I rarely read a mystery book and laugh out-loud but this author can twist a phrase. Original and entertaining. All of us have attended school reunions and can identify. The added plot twist about magic tricks and Hollywood added to the enjoyment. I hope the author keeps writing.
never got a chance to finish this book as it disappeared before i could finish
I enjoyed this book because the protagonist was lovable and the other characters were well developed. The magic theme was different and fun to read about. My only complaint is that the Kindle edition was full of misspellings and grammatical errors. That shouldn’t happen in an otherwise quite good read.
Interesting slant for story telling
I like reading this book
What a roller coaster ride!!! Full of wonder, joy, suspense and tears. A simply wondrous piece of writing.