Book info

• Title As If By Magic
• Author Kerry Wilkinson
• Year 2012
• Genre Mystery

After finding an abandoned package at Manchester's Piccadilly Station, Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has two choices. One option leads to the entire north west transport network grinding to a halt - and more importantly Jessica missing her train - the other involves her opening the box. For Jessica, the choice is clear - but what's in the box, who left it, and how will it affect her weekend away?

Thoughts

A short novella in the Jessica Daniel series, this story brings back the side character who has appeared only occasionally in the main novels - Hugo the magician. I feel like the author enjoys this character far more than I do, but with that aside, it is always interesting to see how the aspects of magic relate to crime - ie. deception, distraction, and all that goes with the art of sleight of hand.

I did feel like this story suffered from being crammed into the shorter book, but it’s always fun to revisit the world of Jessica and follow her as she hot-headedly tries to keep Manchester crime-free. A good read, but I do prefer the longer books with more time to explore the characters and the details.

Rating: 3 / 5