Oklahoman review: 'Bluff' blends card tricks and cardsharps into one great mystery

"Bluff" by Michael Kardos (Mysterious Press, 288 pages, in stores April 3)

"Bluff" takes readers into the world of stage and up-close magic, but the stakes are much higher than glitz and glamour and a satisfied audience.

Magician Natalie Webb had everything going for her. An accomplished magician at a young age, she won a coveted major competition at 18. At that time she had an ill-advised fling with a world-class magician (who happened to be married, a fact everyone but Natalie knew). When she discovered the truth about the cad, her reaction effectively stymied her career, and she now finds herself slogging through the birthday-parties-and-corporate-events circuit, barely able to make ends meet.

To supplement her income Natalie writes an occasional freelance article about magic and comes up with an idea that she hopes will gain her some traction — an article detailing the intersection of the skills used by both card magicians and card cheats.

She's put in touch with a secretive fellow named Ace who's supposed to be a stellar cheat. She accompanies him to a poker game to see him in action; his level of skill, however, turns out to be laughable, but the night isn't a total waste.

There is an exceptional cheat at the table, a woman going by the name "Ellen" who, despite her "beginner's luck" ploy, clearly has the skills that Ace so sorely lacks. Ellen wins the pot and after the game Natalie tries to engage her in conversation. Here's a player who could really make her article come alive! Ellen isn't interested, however, and is rather dismissive.

Undeterred, Natalie manages to track her down and plead her case. Ellen relents, to an extent. First, she wants proof that Natalie has her own considerable skills, and then she says she might be willing to agree to the article if Natalie helps her out with something in return, a favor for a favor.

Ellen wants to recruit Natalie for a high-stakes poker game in which they would be "guaranteed" a major payout if they combined their skills. The tables are now turned and it's Natalie's turn to be reluctant. She doesn't like to think of herself as someone who would cheat at cards but a proposal like that can have a way of eating away the resolve of someone who has skills but not a lot of prospects. Eventually Natalie agrees, and it does indeed change her life, though she may end up wishing it hadn't.

Kardos includes a little bit of everything in this adventurous story — humor, interpersonal relationships, concepts of personal honor and, because this is a novel predicated on magic, one heck of a Vegas-worthy misdirection. Buy a ticket and let the magic begin.

— James Basile, For The Oklahoman