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    The Illusionist's Apprentice
    The Illusionist's Apprentice
    The Illusionist's Apprentice
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Illusionist's Apprentice

    Written by Kristy Cambron

    Narrated by Amy Rubinate

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Set during one of the richest, most vibrant eras in American history, this Jazz Age novel tracks Houdini's assistant in a world of misdirection, suspense, and forgotten pasts to remind us that not all illusions happen on the stage.

    Wren Lockhart, apprentice to master illusionist Harry Houdini, uses life on a vaudeville stage to escape the pain of her past. She continues her career of illusion after her mentor's death, intent on burying her true identity.

    But when a rival performer's act goes tragically wrong, the newly formed FBI calls on Wren to speak the truth--and reveal her real name to the world. She transfers her skills for misdirection from the stage to the back halls of vaudeville, as she finds herself the unlikely partner in the FBI's investigation. All the while Houdini's words echo in her mind: Whatever occurs, the crowd must believe it's what you meant to happen. She knows that if anyone digs too deep, secrets long kept hidden may find their way to the surface--and shatter her carefully controlled world.

    • Historical fiction with a dash of suspense
    • Stand-alone novel
    • Book length: 99,000 words
    • Also by author: The Paris Dressmaker, The Italian Ballerina, and The Ringmaster's Wife
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateMar 7, 2017
    ISBN9780718095284
    The Illusionist's Apprentice
    Author

    Kristy Cambron

    Kristy Cambron is a vintage-inspired storyteller writing from the space where beauty, art, and history intersect. She’s a Christy Award–winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling novels, The Butterfly and the Violin and The Paris Dressmaker. Her work has been named to Cosmopolitan Best Historical Fiction Novels, Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal’s Best Books, and she received a Christy Award for her novel The Painted Castle. Her work has been featured at Once Upon a Book Club Box, Frolic, Book Club Girl, BookBub, Country Woman magazine, and (in)Courage. She holds a degree in art history / research writing and spent fifteen years in education and leadership development for a Fortune 100 corporation before stepping away to pursue her passion for storytelling. Kristy lives in Indiana with her husband and three basketball-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a peppermint mocha latte and a good read.

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    Reviews for The Illusionist's Apprentice

    4/5

    35 ratings6 reviews

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    • 3/5
      An intrigue into vaudeville and early entertainment performers led me to this book. I felt that the characters could be stronger but the story kept them going so if you are looking for more plot driven book this would be it.
    • 5/5
      I was intrigued with this book from the beginning. It was eerie to read about a dead man that was alive and coming out of a coffin. The crowd was awestruck until the man feel down. Was he really alive the whole time? Was it an illusion to get an audience to come to the show? Magicians have always fascinated me and the author does a masterful job of taking us into a world very few people get a glimpse of.The references to Houdini and his secrets were so intriguing that I was captivated by the authors superb knowledge of him. Can you imagine working beside Houdini? What would you do with all the secrets you knew about him? Wren is a great character and I found her to be sly, steady, aware of her surroundings and guarded with secrets many would want to know. Why has the FBI asked her to help solve a crime? Wren is very well know among the illusionists and she is very suspicious of anyone who wants to expose them.I loved the beautiful writing and the way the author swept us to a time period that many don't talk about. Houdini was very smart and taking on Wren as his apprentice was everything she had hoped for. Secrets and mystery take this story to back alleys and unsavory characters. The author has written another story that takes figures from history and mixes them with fictional characters . The end result is a masterpiece of intrigue , exciting characters, secrets that must be kept hidden and danger that lurks in the darkness. This is another outstounding book by an author that mixes reality and fiction and gives readers an exciting look into the past. I received this book from The Fiction Guid. The review is my own opinion .
    • 4/5
      Following Houdini’s death in 1926, one of his contemporaries, Horace Stapleton, announces that he will bring a dead person back to life. Horace has been overshadowed by Houdini for his entire career and hopes his public showing on New Year's Eve will make him famous. The event becomes a tragedy when his “volunteer” dies at the performance. The FBI is called in to investigate the possibility of foul play. Houdini’s former apprentice, Wren Lockhart becomes involved when her name is found on the on the dead man’s body. With her background as an illusionist, the FBI pursues her assistance. This puts her in a bind since she is hiding many personal and industry secrets related to the case.Wren Lockhart is reluctant to help the FBI investigate this case. She is protective of her role in the community of illusionists and she does not want to align herself with law enforcement. As events unfold, her life is threatened and she is forced to change her role in the investigation. She will do her best to uphold her promises while chasing down leads from the case.Kristy Cambron's novel is full of suspense and weaves in many interesting characters. This book is a compelling combination of historical fiction and mystery. Wren Lockhart is a fictional character loosely inspired by Dorothy Young who was Houdini’s stage assistant for many years.
    • 5/5
      Houdini's former apprentice, Wren, finds herself in a hurried race to beat the clock. Or is the killer?Wren knows Houdini's secrets. And someone is out to get them. Someone willing to kill to get them. And Wren knows who it is.Wren, well known in vaudeville, is an eccentric, wealthy woman in 1926. First she is in vaudeville, and second she wears "gentlemanly" clothing. She is definitely not the flapper irl of the roaring twenties!Houdini's opinion of a known spiritualist wasn't good. Houdini was certain he was a fraud. When a public illusion goes wrong, and Houdini's foe is charged with murder, Wren finds herself defending the man, as she must now work with the newly formed FBI to find the real killer!A charged, page turner, that will keep you up all night to read!Cambron, an established author, outdoes herself in this fast paced, who-done-it.I rate this book with Five Stars.I give it a big Thumbs Up.And I personally recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Master illusionist Harry Houdini has passed, and people think his former apprentice, Wren Lockhart, must hold the key to Houdini's well-kept secrets. However, Wren is harboring her own secrets concerning her past. When a public illusion by a rival performer goes horribly wrong, Wren gets caught up in a mystery that will threaten all that she hides, and her very life, in The Illusionist's Apprentice, a novel by author Kristy Cambron.The setting of the Jazz Age and the last legs of vaudeville, the intrigue, the tenseness of romance, and the waiting depths of emotion all pulled me to keep turning the pages, though not too fast. I wouldn't necessarily call this story slow, but the pace is certainly measured and heavy. The read is quite somber, morbidly dark in places. And the mystery involves one kind of occurrence I sigh at in books: when a villain eventually just spills all the beans, explaining their grand scheme to their victims or opponents in a detailed speech or two, before it's all over.Still, I'm glad I was patient with this story. It's ultimately redemptive, with some moving and beautiful aspects that I've come to expect from this author of one of my all-time favorite novels, The Butterfly and the Violin. I'm sure many other fans of historical fiction, especially ChristFic readers, will enjoy this intricately-woven tale.______________BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      The Illusionist’s Apprentice is the latest novel by Kristy Cambron. It is December 31, 1926 in Boston, Massachusetts. Agent Elliot Matthews and his partner, Agent Connor Finnegan are standing in Mount Auburn Cemetery waiting for Horace Stapleton to start his show. He is having a Defy Death in Public Ceremony. Stapleton is going to resurrect Victor Peale from the grave. Agents Matthews and Finnegan are there to observe. Matthews notices a woman wearing a bright red cape standing in the background. Matthews is intrigued by her appearance. The lady is clad in gentleman’s clothing. Matthews finds out that she is illusionist, Wren Lockhart. Wren worked with Harry Houdini before he passed away. Before Matthews can approach Wren, Stapleton’s show begins. The coffin is opened and a doctor confirms that the man inside is indeed deceased. Amberley Dover, a rich widow, joins in on the show. Victor Peale then rises from his coffin walks across the stage and collapses. Victor Peale is dead and Stapleton is under arrest. Stapleton refuses to talk and Matthews needs an illusionist help to unravel this case. Agent Matthews approaches Wren and asks for her assistance. Wren is reluctant to agree. She does not want anyone invading her privacy and discovering her secrets. Matthews, though, is determined and finally gets Wren to consent to assist the FBI. It is soon apparent that someone is out to eliminate Wren, and Matthews has his hands full keeping her safe. Why is this person out for Wren? For magic, mayhem and murder, read The Illusionist’s Apprentice.The Illusionist’s Apprentice sounded like such an intriguing book with illusions, magic, vaudeville, and a mystery. I found the pace to be catatonic. I had a difficult time reading this tome. Wren is a difficult character to like. She is extremely determined to keep her private life a secret (her reasoning is lacking). Wren is stubborn, determined, distant, and frustrating. The conversations between the Agent Matthews and Wren just kept going around in circles. They are exasperating to read (I was irritated). The author did a good job at capturing the time and place. I enjoyed the details provided on the illusions (what there was). I wanted more magic and illusions (escaping from handcuffs is an easy illusion to figure out). I was hoping Wren would be a more outgoing, gregarious character. Her costumes are outlandish, but they are just a disguise to keep people from looking deeper (like Agent Matthews). I give The Illusionist’s Apprentice 3 out of 5 stars (okay, but not for me). The mystery that the author created was very convoluted, but with an obvious solution (you have to piece together the clues and the solution will pop out at you). I think that most readers, though, will not guess the culprit’s identity. The “investigation” was lacking. Agent Matthews said he needed Wren’s help with the case, but I saw little examination of evidence. The story starts in the present and then it goes back in time. Every other chapter takes the reader back in time to another piece of Wren’s history. The reader is given another tidbit on Wren’s background. While the information is helpful on Wren, it makes it difficult to get into the story (at least for me). The romance between the characters (Wren and Matthews as well as Connor Finnegan and Amberley Dover) was very much in the foreground and the ending was inevitable.