Dark Magic

March 19, 2012
Banal prose and a routine plot undermine this occult thriller from Swain (Midnight Rambler and three other Jack Carpenter crime novels). Behind Peter Warlock’s public face as a talented stage magician lurks the reality of a powerful psychic concealing his true powers from a world that would only exploit him. When Warlock, who can glimpse the future, foresees a mass murder of biblical proportions, he must choose between the risk of official attention if he acts and the certainly of a calamitous loss of life if he does not. Complicating matters is the identity of the killer—a deadly assassin dispatched to America by the malevolent Order of Astrum to kill Warlock and his circle of adepts. Warlock never rises above the cliché of a character in possession of powers that make him dangerously valuable to those who could control him, and his antagonists never manage to become more than mustache-twirling cardboard cutouts. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

April 1, 2012
An adequate thriller set in a world that includes demons, witches, warlocks and New Yorkers. Peter Warlock is not only a professional magician but a real warlock. One day, he foresees catastrophe in Manhattan's Times Square: People will suddenly drop dead in large numbers, but his vision cannot explain why. As with any good fictional disaster, it's going to happen soon, so he has a tight deadline. But exactly what will happen, and who will do it? Police are skeptical of Peter's warning, because they are ordinary humans. So he and his friends try hard to pinpoint the threat, and they manage to enlist key support from a cop. Meanwhile, a man ominously named Wolfe gives them a devil of a time. Peter's character is well developed, with a dark side that balances his fundamental decency and loyalty to his friends. Other characters have less dimension, with Wolfe simply being a bad dude employed by the evil Order of Astrum. A second villain has a motivation to kill that just makes no sense. But accept the premise that ghosts and other spirits exist, and you'll find a decent read. An ably told tale that will keep you entertained during a long plane ride or a few idle hours. But like some of Peter's friends who lose their memories, you may not long recall having read this book.

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April 15, 2012

Peter Warlock is a magician, but his stage magic serves as a terrific cover for very real psychic powers. When he foresees massive destruction coming to New York City in four days, he must act, even if it means his normal life may be over. But when an attempt is made on Peter's life during his performance, he discovers that this new threat from the Order of Astrum cult is linked to the deaths of his parents. As Peter delves into this mysterious group, he uncovers the truth about his parents' death and the darkness in his own heritage. The ultimate question is whether Peter can bargain with evil power and retain his goodness. VERDICT Swain (Tony Valentine series; The Night Monster; Midnight Rambler) has taken Batman's tortured backstory and blended it with the genealogical paranormal heritage of Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches to create a breathtaking dark fantasy with an intriguing story that will attract both urban fantasy and supernatural thriller fans.--Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, LLC, Atlanta

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Seven psychics with varied talents meet weekly in Manhattan to peer into the future, then anonymously alert authorities about pending trouble. But when magician Peter Warlock foresees a mysterious attack instantly killing thousands in Times Square just four days hence, immediate action is necessary. Soon Peter is in league with police and the FBI, hunting for the presumed instigator of the attack, Jeremy Wolfe, an agent of the ultrasecret Order of Astrum, in England. The problem deepens for Peter when he learns about a connection between his parents, who died when he was seven, and the order at the same time that he experiences a troubling change in his powers that threatens his relationship with the woman he loves. Former professional magician Swain, author of the Tony Valentine and Jack Carpenter series, is especially good with the illusions behind the magic that Peter performs for rapt fans. The novel smartly folds the spirit world and elements of the occult into sophisticated hacking and modern crime fighting to create compulsively readable, genre-spanning suspense fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)