New Release Review | The Magician Murders Josh Lanyon

The Magician Murders by Josh Lanyon
The Art of Murder #3
M/M Cozy Mystery
March 29, 2018

About the Book: Nothing up his sleeves. Nothing but murder…

Jason West, hot shot special agent with the FBI’s Art Crime Team, is recuperating from a recent hit-and-run accident at the Wyoming home of BAU Chief Sam Kennedy when he’s asked to aid in the investigation of a suspicious death in a National Forest.

When the dead man is found to be the Kosher Conjuror, a much-hated part-time magician accused of revealing the highly guarded secrets of professional illusionists, it seems clear this must be a simple revenge killing—until Jason realizes an earlier suspicious death at the trendy magic club Top Hat White Rabbit might be part of the same, much larger and more whsinister, pattern.

The Art of Murder series is a quagmire for me. When it comes to the plot, everything is always so interesting! They’ve all been really fun so far, but The Magician Murders was definitely my favorite. I loved how this case was one that Jason is only supposed to be advising on, while he’s on sick leave, but again he gets way caught up in everything! I’m like Jason, totally crazy about magic shows and magicians Magic makes everything so much fun! I have no complaints, honestly. I’m sure some may say this is a ‘bridge’ book, which is true, I just thought it was still really damn good.

I also love how different the relationship is between Sam and Jason, compared to Josh Lanyon’s other couples. Their relationship feels more realistic, in how they’re balancing each other against the demands of their jobs. I think what makes it tougher for me though, is how cold Sam Kennedy can be. It’s almost a positive, when I really think about it, because my frustrations with Sam mirror Jason’s frustrations. He’s almost too clinical most of the time, and it makes it harder to tell how he feels about their relationship, or how important Jason actually is to him.

It’s not even that I don’t like Sam, because I do. Most of the time I can understand what motivates him, and why he’s driven by a different type of emotion than most people. His brain works a differently. I only struggle with who he is when it comes to how he interacts with Jason. Maybe it’s because I’m an affectionate person, who needs return affection, but it’s sometimes hard to read about Sam.

On the flipside, I think that same level of detachment Sam has really makes the moments when he’s invested in Jason so much sweeter, so maybe it’s just a trade off. I know in The Magician Murders we see Sam at his most tender, and I think they were some of my favorite moments in any Josh Lanyon series, so maybe this is exactly how Josh Lanyon planned for their relationship to go. If so, I have a feeling things between Sam and Jason are just going to get hotter and more romantic.

The cliffhanger though! I mean, whaaaat??? Thank goodness there was a solid ending, and we weren’t cut off in the middle of a scene, but still! I mean, that’s a pretty mean precipice. I have so many questions, and the next book isn’t coming out until winter of 2019! It’s way too friggin far away! -Thank goodness there’s another Holmes & Moriarity coming out to tide me over.