New Tricks

I figured it out early too, but it was a fun ride to see how it was going to end. Usually books have some off-the-wall minor character be the bad guy. This book was as good as the first and I am going to start Unleashed ASAP.

This book , "New Tricks",second in the series, was really a good urban mystery book. The first book is called, "Dog Days". The characters Mason,and his Ifrit,(a dog "familiar" of sorts),Lou, kept me in my seat till the last page. I call this book an urban fantasy, for it takes place in the city streets of San Francisco. Mason, a Jazz musician, is also a man with special magical powers who gets sucked up in helping his... Read Full Review

Picking up not long after "Dog Days" left off, "New Tricks" zooms along much like its predecessor, from one cleverly wacky scene to the next. Mason is an unusual yet likeable MC, rarely taking anything too seriously until it's too late. Then he is forced to use his subtle yet considerable talents to save himself and anyone else around in need of saving. You can't help but root for him, even when he does something stupid --... Read Full Review

Mason is a kind of anti- practitioner. He is reluctant at best, he would rather play jazz music and chill out. So when he gets another problem presented to him, he does so with reluctance. When other practicioners come up dead, he starts investigating. Old friends show up and soon he finds out all is not as it seems to be. Something is not adding up, black practioners come into the mix, and what is truth and who is causing... Read Full Review

New Tricks is just as good as Dog Days, the first in Levitt's series. Mason's character is a bit more developed and you get to know him better. The plot is another winner, and so are the characters. I particularly enjoy Levitt's conversational first person writing style. So many authors are caught in the mode of "old school" writing but Levitt proves that this more casual approach makes the story intimate and realistic. I... Read Full Review