Alfred M. AlbersCritiques

Mystery, history, deceit and magic; wonderful blend of suspense.
Alfred M. Albers has a unique talent when he tells a story; he puts the reader into the book by detailing so clearly it is as though you are watching a movie...or actually going along with his characters. Where it may seem to some readers that the detail is, well, detailed, I think most will agree it puts a different perspective on everything from history to mystery. The author keeps us grounded in the story in a way I haven't often seen.

While we see nearly everything going on in the background it does connect us with the main story. Perhaps it is related to the attention to detail a magician must have, and the story after all is featuring John Michaels, world-renowned magician as the main character, and his wife, Stella. This is the fourth book in the John Michaels series. This particular magician works with the police in solving not just a probable crime commited on a fellow magician, but similarly in a series of murders that appear to be mob-related. In the first instance, was the death an accident or a murder? In the second instance, were any of the deaths related to the first?

With sleight of pen, the author misdirects the reader as easily as a magician misdirects an audience. Who is killing off local magicians and why? What has started this series of murders? How did it begin? Was it professional jealousy, gambling wars, infighting? There are mysteries and murders galore. Lies and deceit to go with them. The action builds throughout, with twists and turns that take the breath away and pull us along with them. History, mystery, misdirection, magic, lies and secrets, I was not happy to have to put the book down occasionally to attend to my household chores. I wanted to read from start to finish in one go. I love the John Michaels series.

I first met John Michaels preparing to go to his high school reunion in Alfred Albers' first book in this series, "Of Ghosts and Magic". After reading "A Pocket Full of Voices", I can see that the character has come a long way. John Michaels is a world renowned magician. Though retired he still performs many shows a year in smaller versions of his original acts. When he receives a call from a Mount Hope City, NJ lawyer, he learns that an old circuit friend, Gary Egan, is in trouble, so it's off to Mount Hope with wife Stella.

Gary is an exceptional ventriloquist, but he has been accused of thefts from celebrities who have attended his shows. The thing of it is that his voice was mimicked from the audience while room numbers were being called out, and this particular voice gives the room number of the attending celebrity, who later reports a theft from their room. Fortunately, Gary is released on his own recognizance and so is able to work unofficially in the background with John on his case, keeping in constant touch with his lawyer(s). John has often used his talents of observation and diversion in investigations.

Alfred M. Albers writes with a clarity of detail not often seen in this type of fiction. He also writes with great humour, especially in this book where Grumpy Perkins, Gary's not-so-dumb dummy, does his schtick. Grumpy has a rather funny sarcastic bent, but very successful for the character. Put together a magician and a ventriloquist and you get a very different take on a suspenseful murder mystery. As bodies begin to pile up, time is running out. Between humour and violence it begins to seem like two opposing sides of a coin. This is not your everyday cozy mystery, it definitely has much more to it, though still somewhat in the cozy murder mystery genre. The camaraderie between the people trying to help Gary, the interaction between Gary and Grumpy, and the increasing pace of the crimes make for a great variation and addition to this series. As always, I really enjoy reading books where I learn something new and this did not disappoint. I am looking forward to more of John Michaels in future books.

Imagine, your closest friend decides to disappear, and make sure he or she is not found easily… for over twenty years. Now imagine you make it your goal to find your old lost friend in time for the big event, with something spectacular that you are planning. That is what we find in this creative and captivating story in the case of very popular magician, John Michaels. His is told that of all the alumni that are returning, his closest friend, Alex, is missing and has not been heard from for over twenty years after their graduation.
John, being quite famous in his work, sets out with limited time to search for his missing friend.
On his journey, John reconnects with his lost ‘love’ from his teenage years and tells her his plans to find his friend, which also happens to be the cousin that she had a close bond to. We find a few more interesting characters that come across John’s path in this search.
In addition to the ride we are taken on while uncovering the winding path with our main character’s search, we slowly learn of Alex’s tale from where the two friends parted ways. As Alex’s tale is revealed, we do go ‘back in time’ from the present day of learning of the other’s current progress.
‘Of Ghosts and Magic’ is indeed aptly named, but not in a haunting and overly mystical way. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters as they came into the story. John is recognized by all, but unlike those in the public eye, he relishes being noticed and even performs a small magic trick for all those he comes in contact with, and his laid-back style is refreshing. I also was able to understand the bond that was clearly there for all those related in this tale. For me, I was very caught up in the story, the emotions of those in it and enjoyed it immensely. The events unwind in a way so that the reader is left wondering and trying to figure out what will come next. The magic act that is done for the school reunion was so well explained, that I could easily imagine it. I found this so refreshing as so many have the child inside us and find ‘magic’ intriguing. At least I do, and the way all the tricks were pulled off in this story, I would enjoy witnessing them myself. The symbolism on the importance of remembering your friends and family, and the importance of relishing life came through for me. I did not find myself disappointed in any way with this story, and I highly recommend it.

Of Ghosts and Magic by Alfred M. Albers

Despite the title of this book, it is primarily cheerful, with an undercurrent of mystery surrounding the strange disappearance of a Vietnam vet 26 years previously. Alex Holloman had returned home after his stint in Vietnam, but lost his parents in a horrible freak accident a few months later. After celebrating New Year's eve with his cousin Stella Noone, he walked out into the night and simply vanished.

Stella and Alex had been very close. Both were also close with his best friend, John Michaels, the three a tightly knit group. John was also a Vietnam vet who had returned several months earlier and became over the next few years a world-renowned magician. Alex's disappearance made an incredible hole in the lives of both Stella and John.

When John receives an invitation in 2000 to their high school 30 year reunion, he immediately calls Stella. Over the years he was touring with his magic show, he had gradually been in contact with her less often. The reunion is the link that begins the chain of action, renewal, and reconnection of friendships. It is the catalyst that begins the search for Alex.

Alfred M. Albers has written a wonderful book of relationships and how they work or don't work, as well as a very interesting glimpse of magic from the inside out. John is asked to bring his magic act out of retirement as the main entertainment for the reunion.

The storyline is unexpected and great to relax with in a comfy chair; the portrayal of the people of New York was a nice surprise from the overtly rude citizens often portrayed in books.

The reunion itself brings happy memories to this reader, memories so often shared at these events and the wonderful camaraderie that ensues. The magic show is a huge success and the evening ends on a very high note.

Unexpectedly, this was not the end of the book. The author still has more to say, but it is far from a letdown. This is the point at which relationships become a major factor in the story. Misunderstandings, psychological effects on the Vietnam war survivors, especially those who suffer further trauma after returning home, as so many did, tie up the loose strings into a neat package.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept my interest, taught me something about dealing with depression, a little bit of magic, and the difference friends can make in one's life.

Time goes by fast, but it seems to have flown at the speed of sound, when John Michaels, a now famous retired magician receives a request from Drew Marsh, an former classmate who begs him to come out of retirement to put on a show for the class for their 30th reunion. Never one to say no to an old friend and curious to see how some of his classmates have fared in life, John agrees to bring the show out of retirement one more time.

During their conversation, Drew shares that he has contacted and verified attendance by all but a few classmates. John learns Buddy Marcella died in Vietnam, and that there are several other classmates Drew is on the track of…it’s just a matter of time before he finds them. But one classmate Alex Hollowman, the former big man on campus, and their senior year class President cannot be located. Both Drew and John discuss Alex’s at length and ruminate on where he might be.

Getting into the idea of bringing the show back for one fun show, John checks in with his old crew to see if they are available. All three ladies, Sally, Patty and Maria are thrilled to join in on the fun and Dave Marsh, master carpenter is in as well. The excitement grows as they discuss and decide on what they will put into this performance.

Meanwhile John can’t get it out of his mind that Alex cannot be found. They had been such good friends, until a horrific event changed Alex’s life. After the event Alex’s cousin, Stella began to help Alex put his life back together. But as they say, “Things change as time does,” and virtually overnight, Alex was gone and all leads brought those searching back to the beginning. His childhood home where he was not living despite all avenues they searched for ideas as to his location was where all leads stopped.
.

Time was growing short, the show was quickly approaching and John needed Alex for a myriad of reasons. One the reader finds to be simply the fact that he is worried about his friend. And others bring this tale together in a magical way. These other reasons are very important to the story but to share them would ruin a suspenseful magical tale and the ending wouldn’t have the effect on the reader the author intended, were I to reveal it.

It is an interesting story and though I got bogged down in part with excess verbiage regarding Alex, the search and Alex’s cousin Stella, it was still a book that leaves the reader wondering if it really will have a happy ending or if the traditional “happy ending” will be nothing but a disappearing act in Alex‘s life, that he will never be found. For this reader, I liked that the author very cleverly kept certain details unsaid until the end. I think it is this choice the author made, that makes the book, one that is hard to put down and though there are a lot of facts to wade through, they do help flesh out parts of the book that need to be known.

Other than tightening up the storyline and losing some repetitive facts, this is an enjoyable book that will keep the reader interest peeked as John searches for his friend, and reconnects with friends he hasn’t seen in over 30 years with an ending that is true to the image of John the master magician.

"Of Ghosts and Magic" is a strong story of finding the ghosts of the past. It takes a magician to find this "ghost". John Michaels' 30th class reunion is ahead of him and at the request of his former classmate, he agrees to take his magical show out of retirement. When he learns that his high school friend, Alex Holloman, has yet to be located and has disappeared since 1974, John decides he is going to look for his friend and if he finds him, he will incorporate him in the reunion's magic show.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt John Michaels was a very strong and likeable character. The dialogue was fantastic and felt myself really wanting him to succeed. In real life, Mr. Albers is a part time professional magician and it shows through his descriptions of the magical acts and tricks. I really felt a bonding with Alex and could understand his pain and how the events of his life snow balled in to him disappearing in to "thin air" after coming home from two years in Vietnam and his parents being killed six months after his return to civilian life. The descriptions of New York City's subway system, neighborhoods, eateries and hotels was very realistic! The ending certainly gave me tears- of happiness of course!

I felt, though, there were some inconsistencies, for example, on page 179. Alex is taken back to 1964 during the British invasion and it's talking about music of the time and his desire to learn to play the guitar. Then in paragraphs 3 and 4, he is in Walter's Music store there is description of CDs, which weren't around then. I am not sure if it should have maybe been LPs? Then the next page jumps to 1984 and his teaching beginning guitar lessons. That is the only issue is the mention of CDs. It's very well possible I misread it but other then that, this book was a fantastic read. I really enjoyed John Michaels' respectful tone towards others he is dealing with in various scenes.

Thumbs up to Mr Albers for "Of Ghosts and Magic"