Tough to rate this one. I was annoyed with Molly for most of the book, but then I loved how the ending turned out so I guess it's worth reading. I'm looking forward to the wedding in the next book!

Dnf

Liked this better than the last

Liked the mystery half of the plot of this mystery. However, I felt like the struggle between being an independent woman and settling down and getting married debate was a little too intrusive to the rest of the plot in this one--in fact, that plot line throughout the entire series is starting to become an annoying re-run that wears on me.

Another cute adventure of Molly with one of the greatest illusionists Houdini!
I wouldn't say "The Last Illusion" was a top-rated read but it was certainly an interesting story and I especially loved all the historical facts about Houdini.

By far, my least favorite of the series so far. The mystery was really underwhelming and outrageously unrealistic, for one thing. It lacked consistency and focus. Molly literally spent the whole book running around like a chicken with her head cut off, clumsily stumbling on answers. I also don’t like books about entertainers, especially magicians. Blech. But my main gripe was with the dynamic between Molly and Daniel. I lost count of how many times he said something high handed and she basically blew raspberries at him. Why do these people want to get married? I’ve seen a lot of reviews ripping Daniel, but Molly is no better. She’s terribly immature and silly in this book.

Summary: The ninth book in the Molly Murphy, Lady Detective series. Molly is an Irish immigrant in NYC circa 1903. She is engaged to policeman Daniel Sullivan and in this installment is investigating mysterious happenings surrounding the magician Harry Houdini.

Why I Read: I've read many of the previous Molly books and I had not even realized there was a new book so I was very excited.

My Thoughts: While it was mostly enjoyable, I had a few problems. First I'm very angry at Daniel for his "maleness." He keeps insisting that Molly will give up her detective agency when they get married; but then the series will be over! :-( I don't want that to happen. Then, and I realize this is a minor problem, there were multiple times when it was said that theater people sleep late. I don't know why that had to be repeated so much!

I also figured out some aspects of the mystery although not quite everything. I liked the way everything intertwined and the new character Wilkie (I can't explaining why without spoilers). I liked the Houdinis as portrayed by Bowen; obviously it's difficult to discern how accurate the personalities are of historical figures but I hope these are somewhat true.

Overall: 4 out of 5. I was disappointed but it was still good.

Cover: I do like the cover: the colors, getting to see Molly as flesh and blood.

Molly Murphy comes face to face with Houdini in this installment, an improvement over the previous one. But Daniel seems to be here to stay, which is downright depressing.

A strong return to emphasis on historical fiction over convoluted mystery puts the series back on track.