Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne (CLOSED)

Title: Angel Killer    

Author: Andrew Mayne     

Series: Jessica Blackwood, #1     

Published: September 2014, Bourbon Street Books   

Format: ARC Paperback, 352 pages   

Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours  

FBI agent Jessica
Blackwood believes she has successfully left her complicated life as a
gifted magician behind her . . . until a killer with seemingly
supernatural powers puts her talents to the ultimate test.

A
mysterious hacker, who identifies himself only as “Warlock,” brings down
the FBI’s website and posts a code in its place. It hides the GPS
coordinates of a Michigan cemetery, where a dead girl is discovered
rising from the ground . . . as if she tried to crawl out of her own
grave.

Born into a dynasty of illusionists, Jessica Blackwood is
destined to become its next star—until she turns her back on her
troubled family, and her legacy, to begin a new life in law enforcement.
But FBI consultant Dr. Jeffrey Ailes’s discovery of an old copy of Magician Magazine
will turn Jessica’s carefully constructed world upside down. Faced with
a crime that appears beyond explanation, Ailes has nothing to lose—and
everything to gain—by taking a chance on an agent raised in a world
devoted to seemingly achieving the impossible.

The body in the
cemetery is only the first in the Warlock’s series of dark miracles.
Thrust into the media spotlight, with time ticking away until the next
crime, can Jessica confront her past to embrace her gifts and stop a
depraved killer?

If she can’t, she may become his next victim.

My thoughts: I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Mayne at BEA this past Spring during the Harper Collins Party, where he was doing magic tricks and chatting it up with us bloggers. He talked a little about his upcoming book and I knew it was something I wanted to read. I was fortunate to get an advanced copy that night and then when I found out TLC was doing a tour for the book, I jumped at the opportunity to be part of it.

This is the first book of what I think will be a fun, intriguing series. I love the premise behind it – a magician-turned cop-turned FBI agent. Add to that the fact that the author himself is a magician and I was completely hooked. Once I started reading, I found I couldn’t put the book down – I was just flying through the pages, completely drawn in, and needing to find out what was going to come next. 

I loved the character of Jessica Blackwood. She’s great at her job, able to provide that attention to detail that magicians thrive on, yet insecure about not being taken seriously due to her background. This drives her to work even harder to catch the killer, leading to an even more thrilling pace. I am very intrigued by her relationship with Damien and wonder just how that will play out in future books – at least I hope he continues to be part of the series! There’s something curious about him that needs to be further explored.

I will readily admit that I usually don’t go crazy for anything having to do with magic or magicians. I haven’t ever been to or watched any of the famous magic shows – David Copperfield or Penn & Teller, but this book just called to me. I loved how the magic tricks were explained in such a way that it didn’t seem to ruin the magic, but rather provided a sneak peak into the magician’s bag of tricks. The marriage of magic and FBI just works. And I really enjoyed it…so much so that I cannot wait until the next book in this series comes out.

About the author: Andrew Mayne is the star of A&E’s magic reality show Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne, and has worked for David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and David Blaine. He lives in Los Angeles.

Authors Links: 

Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook

To see who else is participating in Andrew Mayne’s Angel Killer tour, click here. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS – CLOSED (US only)  

I ended up with two copies of this amazing book which means that you, my readers, benefit! I am giving away  one copy of Angel Killer. The only catch is that the giveaway book is an advanced reading copy (an ARC).

 

To enter…

• Leave a comment below & be sure to include your email address.
• Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.
• You MUST include email address or entry will be invalid.
• I will contact winner at the conclusion of the giveaway & they will have 2 days to respond or I will pick a new winner.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends September 30th.

Good luck!