The Magician's Tale

by David Hunt and David Hunt

Book Overview

Inside this beautifully designed (by Deborah Kerner) package of shaded pages and unusual fonts is a gorgeously written thriller about perception and perversity in a city famous for its unusual takes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399142606
• ISBN13: 9780399142604
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 406 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

An imaginative story, skillfully told.

The Magician's Tale is a very well constructed murder mystery that does not disappoint. The captivating plot unfolds in such a way that I'm sure most readers will have trouble putting the book down. I know I did. But this novel has a number of great things going for it besides its very strong plot. Photojournalist Kay Farrow is the protagonist and narrator. Her character is extremely well fleshed out and quite believable. And her voice is a remarkably convincing one. So much so, it's hard to believe The Magician's Tale is the work of a male author.Another very positive aspect is the attention to detail. Be it the ins and outs of the photographer's craft or the sights and sounds of San Francisco, an abundance of nicely detailed description is provided.There is a fair amount of sexual content, much of it on the kinky side. However, since it is presented in an inoffensive, nonexploitative manner, it serves to enhance rather than detract from the overall storyline.Written with imagination and skill, The Magician's Tale is a fascinating, page turner of a novel.

Great idea, even better execution

Many times you see novels with original or highly creative storylines and then are disappointed upon discovering that the idea is as far as the author gets. THE MAGICIAN'S TALE did not fall into that trap.The story of the female color-blind photographer is just as interesting as the idea of such a combination. The author seems to excel in both characterization and setting - you could almost feel the San Francisco fog. I really enjoy books in which the main character "somehow" becomes involved in a crime and solves the mystery her/himself. I also admit that I like the female detective genre simply because of both the limitations and the opportunities denied or offorded a female detective.This is a great read from a relatively new author. Her's hoping for many more.

My favorite book of the decade

Georgeous, fog-enshrouded prose, well-paced, homo-erotic, sensuous and colorful (in a monochromatic way). I just loved this book, turned about ten of my book-reading friends on to it, and never got a complaint. The author is so familiar with the bay area that I feel like I am there, in the text. Give this book a chance: it is stark, raw and nasty, and tells a tale that is so convoluted and poignant that I defy anyone to put it down after the first 100 pages.

hauntingly imaginative

As I was reading through the list of books on this site, I came across this book that I read quite a long time ago, (2 years at the least). I remember being scared to death to sleep with the lights off, and thinking that Kay was just a wonderful antagonist.Hats off to Hunt! Isn't he suppossed to have a new book out? Does anyone have any info on this new sequel book? All that I can say is that this book kept me guessing from beginning to end and it was one of those CAN'T PUT IT DOWN EVEN TO GO TO THE BATHROOM! You need to read this book! (With the lights on, of course)!

Haunting......

I have led a bookgroup about Robert Ludlum online for some time. I read authors works until completion. I've read DeMille, Forsyth, Sanders, Follet, O'Shaughnessy, Gruenfeld and am completing Cornwall.I've lived in the South Bay for 15 years. I'm a Mom, and a RE Developer. I also hang out in bars w/ my friends in Los Gatos. I'm originally from NY/NJ with a stint in Boulder, CO.I adore "the city" (San Francisco). I have lingered in all parts of the city, from the "Haight" to the "Castro" to the "Wharf" to "North Beach" and to "SOMA". My gay friend Daryl has slepped me thru the Polk area as well.I've mingled with financiers, as well as hustlers. There is absolutely no comparision to Hunt's vision of the City. He brings an "other-worldly-ness to San Francisco. Wrapped in fog and mystery, like a skillful lover bringing you to the edge of desire...showing you worlds unseen, David Hunt has crafted a beautiful book.As a "mystery" I was drawn in enough to stay up all night to read it. Clearly his work in this genre compares to other writers, some mentioned above.I made my friend Daryl read it. A Masters Degree from Berkeley,...no slouch he. After argueing over the "precise authenticity" of the gay world, he agreed that it was a "haunting" read....maybe even prose.I would reccomend this book not only to "mystery" readers, but perhaps venture to place it into to the "Travel" area. My "East Coast" friends loved the book, moreso for this vision of the city. "Wow!, is it really like that?" Dark, beautiful, surrounded by the sound of the sea, encased in fog.....Hunt's monochromatic pictue of San Francisco is a compelling and haunting read!