The Houdini Girl

Martyn Bedford

I quite enjoyed this, but the characters are unattractive and completely unsympathetic. It's a thriller about a conjurer trying to work out what's happened after his girlfriend's death. It runs out of steam three quarters of the way through and just unwinds. There is no satisfactory end.
Seán 21/5/00

This is the author's third novel, and Andrew felt that the novelist is "destined to disappoint slightly more with each new novel."

The book is about Red, a magician who is bewitched into a romance with Rosa, an Irishwoman. She then disappears and the book follows Red's attempt to find out what has happened. Unfortunately, virtually all the characters in the book are unpleasant, and half-way through Andrew really didn't care anymore. He felt the trip to Amsterdam was included in order to add a bit of salaciousness into the story (shades of John Irving, chorused the bookclub).
Andrew 27/8/00

By the same author

The frames have gone all funny - click to make it good.