The White Magic Five and Dime (A Tarot Mystery, 1)

The Good:

~Though this book didn’t have what I typically consider a cozy feel it more than made up for that with it’s wonderful quirkiness.
~I loved Alanis and her sarcastic personality. We get to know her little by little throughout the story and by the middle of the book I was completely in love with her character.
~It’s no secret that paranormal cozies are one of my favorite genres and this one delivers without being too out there. Is there really something to the Tarot? Or is at all about the readers ability to read not the cards but rather the customer? I’ll let you decide, but either way…it makes for a great addition to the story.
~Well written and incredibly entertaining, this one captured me from the first page and I was hooked until the end.
~The interactions between Logan and Alanis were priceless.
~It’s also no secret that I love “woowoo,” the Tarot card elements of this story fascinated me and have renewed my interest to break out the deck I bought years ago and learn.
~Lots of clues were sprinkled throughout. You may or may not guess who done it…but regardless you’ll be entertained until the end.

The Not So Good:

~I wish that we had gotten to know a bit more about the town and it’s residents. Unlike most cozies, the town wasn’t really a “character” in this one…I suspect though that in future books in this series we’ll learn more about Berdache and the town folk.

Final Thoughts:

This book was very simply so much fun. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Note: Review copy rcvd from Publisher, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Started but did not finish. I just couldn't get into the story. It was depressing.

I read as far as page 95 and just turned to the last chapter and read the conclusion. I love psychic and paranormal mysteries but there was an imbalance between the inner dialogue of Alanis, the conversations of the characters, and the tarot commentaries. I lost interest when the suspense of the mystery was overshadowed by the trying-too-hard humor overlay. I didn't develop any empathy/sympathy for Alanis despite her pathetic childhood. But I did learn a bit about cons and con games and that was a positive for me!

This was a really badly concocted story. It was totally implausible, with no likable characters. Just plain awful.

I read this for a book club. If you're looking for weak, unbelievable characters and a slow, lackluster plot, look no further! Snarkiness aside, I found little to enjoy about this book. Some of the main character's quips made me chuckle, but that's about the only truly positive thing I have to say about this book. I sort of wish I could get back the hours I spent reading it...

Could not get into it. The characters weren't interesting enough to hold my interest.

After you've read mysteries for a while, you start to see exactly where the book you're reading is going. And that's one reason "The White Magic Five & Dime" was an unexpected pleasure: the plot and characters were, well, unexpected. The mystery will carry you along, the characters will charm. Most of all, the humor is first-rate -- not one-liners, but humor that comes naturally from the situations and characters. An excellent series debut.

'The White Magic Five & Dime' captured and held my attention from the first chapter to the last. It's an absorbing, character-driven, and rather clever mystery. It's also surprisingly funny, employing a cynical, sometimes dark form of snark delivered by the main character/narrator, Alanis McLachlan: ". . . I took it Detective Logan was a popular man. Given his looks, I wasn't surprised. He was like a taller, younger George Clooney, only not so homely."

Alanis' narrative voice is perfect; it never wavers off-pitch, even on the relatively rare occasions when she drops the sarcasm and cynicism for a few moments. In fact, one of the joys of the book is the moments when she allows herself to be soft, to be caring. It's not something that comes easily to her, and as she reveals her backstory to you through flashbacks, you'll come to understand why.

The plot appears straightforward: estranged daughter seeks justice for murdered mother. But there is much more going on, and several twists that I did not see coming. I did, however, spot the murderer fairly quickly -- although to be fair, there were a number of other possibilities and I kept an open mind until nearly the end.

The tarot plays an integral part in the plot, and the descriptions and interpretations of various tarot cards, taken from a (fictitious) book by "Miss Chance", are often hysterical and occasionally thought-provoking. Don't worry if you're not familiar with the tarot deck; almost all the important cards appear as illustrations somewhere, although in my Kindle version they're not always connected with the relevant text. Pay attention to the cards and descriptions; they can serve as hints of what's to come.

Overall, I don't know that I would class 'The White Magic Five & Dime' as a cozy mystery. Alanis's background, the fact that it's her mother's murder she's investigating, and the rather shady milieu she finds herself working in all make the book lean more toward "regular" mystery with a comic but not facetious bent. Cozy or not, it's sometimes insightful, cleverly plotted, and always entertaining.

Goodreads notes that the book is the first in the Tarot Mystery series. I'm curious as to how a sequel will work. There's plenty of scope for one, given the denouement and wrap-up, but on the other hand, much of the strength of 'The White Magic Five & Dime' is in the character of Alanis and the slow revelation of her past. A good quarter or third of the book is spent in flashbacks. It's hard to tell whether the next one, assuming it focuses more on the mystery now that Alanis' past is known, will have the same appeal. Regardless, book two is going on my TBR list as soon as it's announced. And that's despite the fact that this is decidedly not my usual sort of mystery. Kudos to Hockensmith and Falco for grabbing and keeping my interest outside of my usual comfort zone.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
REVIEW FIRST PUBLISHED on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog.

This is such a fantastic story. I bought a copy for myself, and after I inhaled this book I bought a copy for my daughter. The protagonist is damaged and hilarious. The mystery is offbeat, and the writing was crisp yet evocative and descriptive. Steve Hockensmith has a distinctive authorial voice that pulled me deeply into the story, and it was hard to go back to the real world afterward. His previous novel, Holmes on the Range, was just wonderful, too, but very different than this one.

The White Magic Five and Dime is a welcome addition to the genre of snark and dark, I mean contemporary urban fantasy, (or paranormal mystery). While completely original, Alanis McLachlan, daughter of con woman Athena Passalis, reminds me of Rob Thurman's Trixa, a character I haven't seen enough of--a particular mix of dark with heart--so Alanis is very welcome to fill the void. Dark and funny, like an early Tarantino movie with less blood, The White Magic Five and Dime delivers in spades--or swords and cups, mostly, with some great advice on Tarot reading.