Bluff by Michael Kardos, a review

Bluff’s Back-of-Book Description

Razor-sharp and spellbindingly told, Bluff takes us deep inside the fraught and fascinating world of a modern magician who becomes obsessed with magic’s dark twin―the underworld of the cardsharp.

 

“Hopelessly addictive.” ―Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning author of You Will Know Me.

 

“If you haven’t read Kardos yet, Bluff is the perfect place to start!” ―Lisa Scottoline, bestselling author of Exposed.

 

At twenty-seven, magician Natalie Webb is already a has-been. A card-trick prodigy, she took first place at the World of Magic competition at eighteen and has never again reached such heights. Shunned by the magic world after a disastrous liaison with an older magician, she now lives alone in a New Jersey apartment with her pigeons and a pile of overdue bills. In a desperate ploy for extra cash, she follows up on an old offer to write for a glossy magazine and pitches the editor a seductive topic: the art of cheating at cards.

 

But when Natalie meets the perfect subject for her piece―a poker cheat who dazzles at sleight of hand―what begins as a journalistic gamble soon becomes a test of everything she thinks she knows about her talent, and herself. Natalie soon finds herself facing a dangerous proposition that could radically alter her fortune―to help pull off a $1.5 million magic trick that, if done successfully, no one will ever suspect happened. With Kardos raising the stakes chapter after chapter, Bluff is a breathtaking work of suspense from a writer at the top of his game.

My Thoughts

A friend of mine listened to this book on audio, and told me about it. Her recounting of it was intriguing enough that I added it to my virtual ‘to read’ list and then my real bookshelf.

The last book I read was kind of heavy and emotionally stimulating. So when picking a book this time, I wanted something the opposite – quick and easy, not too deep or emotional. Like a fling; the book version of a fling. I picked up a few others and paged through them, but when I got to this one I felt like it was exactly what I was looking for. And you know what?! I was right.

Bluff is a suspenseful, easy to read fiction about a young female magician who finds herself in an interesting situations. The book actually starts off with her in an uncomfortable scenario, which made for a quick grab of my attention. And I like when gooks do that, too – introducing the reader to the character by showing us how they respond in difficult stations.

The author did a pretty good job with the main character for the most part. However, there were a couple times when I wondered if that’s really how she would have responded or acted if she was real. I kind of wonder if that’s due to the character being written by a man? Who knows I guess.

Additionally, there were a few other characters that where introduced that didn’t feel fully fleshed out; they were just kind of flat and unfinished feeling. This only felt disappointing in retrospect, though, and did not seem to take away from the main storyline. Like I said – it’s not a serious, deep book, it’s a surface level affair. Although, if I was tempted to look for a deeper meaning in Bluff, I think it would be something about the way people read others – like knowing if someone is a good person or not.

Anyways, the writing was pretty good and the story moved along nicely. As promised with a suspense, there were some twists I didn’t see coming, which was great; it wasn’t too predictable.

Most of the character interactions and dialogue were good. There was witty banter and enjoyable self-talk from the main girl (I always appreciate that). I think all my favorite quotes form the book are actually from her inner dialogue.  

Favorite Quotes From Bluff

“I heard somewhere that drinking alone is only sad if the booze is too cheap or too expensive.”

 

“Why had I gone and told my mother the truth when a lie was always better for our relationship.”

 

“Only minutes earlier we were having a good time. Amazing, I thought, how quickly an evening can turn dark. Ah, the holidays.”

 

“It was an incredible moment. A milestone I celebrated by not reacting at all.”

In Conclusion

I enjoyed Bluff and I happily give it 3.5 stars. It was the perfect little novel to get me through my week (or two… I was busy), the kind of book you’d like to read on vacation or something. 

A quick Google search tells me this author has written quite a few books, and they seem to be similar suspenseful, thriller types. Given my experience with this one – I would absolutely read another one of his. 

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