*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy*

I hadn’t read the previous books of this series, but I don’t believe it’s completely necessary to read this one. That said, the first chapter alone was almost enough to completely turn me away.

The MASSIVE amount of exposition dumping in the first opening paragraphs and the way it was executed made me groan. I understand that for episodic type of books, it’s typical for some recap of the place, characters, and story thus far to get all readers up to speed.
However, the way it was written in this book was very poor- The characters talk like they don’t trust each other to remember basic information, so they have to say it out loud as if the information is brand new. They also all talk like they’re trying to describe everything to a third person.

The end monologue of the killer was almost a page long with no breaks. The end was abrupt and the only thing missing was canned laughter. l crawled my way to the finish line. Mysteries can be hit or miss for me, and this was a miss.

The Magician’s Deception by Carol Miller whisked me into cozy Halloween chills and a tarot-predicted murder, and I loved every twist. Hope and Summer’s party prep vibes went from festive to frantic when a Magician card reading actually spelled doom—and boom, someone ends up dead. The mix of sisterly banter, tarot mystique, and that cozy-creepy fall energy had me hooked from the start.

Even with a murder mystery wrapped in illusions, the vibe stayed charming and light enough to keep things playful. I did want more digging from the sisters (they’re cute, but I wanted them sleuthing), but the tarot theme and fun characters carried it. If you’re into light, Halloween-season cozies with a twist of murder and mysticism, The Magician’s Deception delivers the perfect spook-meets-sweet combo.

I was happy to see Summer and Hope again, and a little bit of Olivia which I wished was a little more. An old friend and some new ones arrives just in time for a murder at a bar all while trying to plan a Halloween party. This is a simple mystery series where the protagonists don’t do a lot of investigating, but the fun they do have makes up for the lack of pursuing answers. This is a simple, fun cozy mystery series, and this latest is a wonderful installment. Fans of the series will like this latest. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

#TheMagiciansDeception #NetGalley is the first book I've read by this author.
I found Summer and Hope to be likable characters, but this story seemed to be more Sci-Fi than cozy mystery.
The plot itself was good, but I just didn't enjoy it enough to read any more in the series.