Dagger Magic (Book 4) [Hardcover]

Katherine Kurtz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1995

The latest adventure in the best-selling saga featuring Scottish nobleman Sir Adam Sinclair tells how Sinclair's American mother, a young doctor during World War II, used her magical gifts against the Nazis.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-Lovers of romance, fantasy, and continuing sagas will have a delightful vacation with this stand-alone fourth novel in the series. Peregrine Lovat interrupts his honeymoon to join Sir Adam Sinclair and Detective Chief Inspector Noel McLeod as they search for the ancient, evil Dagger Cult in an attempt to save the world from a new Nazi menace. The pace never slackens as seemingly disparate threads are woven together in this page-turning adventure.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

An evil cult is looking to revive Nazi Germany sentiments, while supernatural forces are creating murder and mayhem in the process. Enter the Adept, who can thwart the rise of evil in the country through his secret Hunt brotherhood. And enter a host of characters who become entangled in a series of confrontations and struggles. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Ace Books (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441001491
• ISBN-13: 978-0441001491
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,261,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Quaint Ol' Occult Detective Returns, April 7, 2005

By 

J. H. Minde "Everything I need is right here" (Boca Raton, Florida and Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Adept 4: Dagger Magic (Paperback)

At first blush DAGGER MAGIC seems to have all the elements that make up a really well told thriller. The fourth book in THE ADEPT series concerns the discovery of sacred oriental black magic texts on board a derelict Nazi submarine, and an evil Tibetan monk who turns out to be an Ubermensch hiding incognito.

Ludlum, Follett and Forsyth could do no better in creating mesmerizing plot elements. Added to this, DAGGER MAGIC has a wonderful subplot about a character's past life incarnation that is impinging disastrously on the present day. Kurtz and Turner Harris' writing is detailed and gives the reader a fine sense of place.

So why only two stars?

Essentially because although DAGGER MAGIC is a quality work it's becoming very evident that THE ADEPT is getting tired. After taking a hiatus from the Lodge of the Lynx in THE TEMPLAR TREASURE, Kurtz and Turner Harris have yoked this novel to the further adventures of Lynx-Master Francis Raeburn. Somehow, you know you've read it before. It's obvious from the outset that Raeburn is going to manage to elude Sir Adam Sinclair's Hunting Lodge yet again, leading us into Book Five.

Frankly, Raeburn isn't that interesting or that evil. Kurtz and Turner Harris haven't given the character any depth or complexity. He may be the Master of a Black Lodge but he's far too au courant to make you cheer for his downfall. Raeburn is a caricature of a nasty politician or a bad boss, not a picture of a man dedicated to all forms of wickedness. He seems to have no particular vices other than a yen for personal power, and so what? In short, Aleister Crowley he ain't.

What the esteemed Lynx-Master should be doing is seducing schoolgirls, smoking opium, and funding assassination squads, not examining ancient grimoires with a magnifying glass. What a dangerous pastime for a man to cultivate. The worst thing I can say about Raeburn is that he's rude and treats the servants like coolies. Hardly a fit heir for all the evils of the world.

By making their primary bad guy such a milquetoast, Kurtz and Turner Harris have practically guaranteed that the epic battle between good and evil that is the backbone of this series degenerates into a proxy fight between the impeccably tailored Sir Adam and the equally impeccably tailored Raeburn.

I'd like to like this book. The earlier volumes all have a quirky charm which is not missing here, but this book probably would be much better if the authors had put less effort into moving their continuing plotline along and more into good plain storytelling. As it is, despite it's strengths, DAGGER MAGIC doesn't stick with you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good, quick read, October 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Adept 4: Dagger Magic (Paperback)

"Dagger" is an above average modern-fantasy/occult novel that you can polish off in a few hours. It's a bit like an old episode of "Columbo" -- you already know whodunnit, watching the good guys unravel the bad guys' plans is where the fun is. The dialog is a little hokey (Peregrine's new wife tells him that their lives are "inextricably entwined" -- I'm almost 30 years old and have never said the word "inextricably" out loud). Also, "Dagger" would flow a little better if the author didn't stop to describe what kind of car everyone drives or the accent (or lack thereof) of the head bad guy. These are minor quibbles, though, and shouldn't stop you from reading it, especially if enjoyed the first three books in this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fair read, but not Kurtz's best., August 11, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Okemos, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adept 4: Dagger Magic (Paperback)

The "Adept" series is one of fantasy's more unusual ones, and Dagger Magic fits right in. A rusty Nazi submarine full of Tibetian magic? A police inspector who happens to also be a medium? Fantasy indeed! Aside from a tendency to get really bogged down by fashion detail (I ended up knowing more about Sir Adam Sinclair's wardrobe than I ever wanted to) the story develops fairly well. The heros are likeable, and the villians vile. They would both benefit from more ambiguity, as they come off a bit one-dimensional. Overall, a pleasant, leisurely read