The Magician's Tale [Hardcover]

David Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 1997

After Tim Lovsey, a handsome male prostitute, is found brutally killed and police choose not to pursue the matter, Kay Farrow decides to look into the case herself, and her own life is at risk as she becomes more deeply involved in the underground world of San Francisco's illicit sex trade."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Inside this beautifully designed (by Deborah Kerner) package of shaded pages and unusual fonts is a gorgeously written thriller about perception and perversity in a city famous for its unusual takes on both. Photographer Kay Farrow prowls the streets of San Francisco by night, because she's an achromat: she suffers from total color blindness, a much more serious (and much rarer) condition than the red-green variety. But Kay's affliction has also enhanced her artistic talent: she takes terrific black and white pictures that bounce off gallery walls and into books. The murder and mutilation of a young male street hustler she has become close to while shooting for a new book changes Kay's nocturnal roamings into a search for truth and justice. And the extraordinarily gifted David Hunt (who under his real name, William Bayer, wrote those Janek novels--Switch, Wallflower, Mirror Maze--which became TV movies starring Richard Crenna) fills his wonderful book with details of everything from magic and martial arts to bread-making.

From Library Journal

Kay Farrow is a photographer canvassing the seedy underworld of San Francisco. Colorblind, she shoots only in black and white, but her keen, talented eye makes her work unique. When one of Kay's subjects, a young male prostitute named Tim Lovsey, is murdered, police indifference and a unique ability to capture what others cannot see compels her to pursue the investigation herself. As she digs deeper, Kay discovers similarities to an earlier unsolved murder case in which her father, a former policeman, was involved. Hunt (the pen name of a novelist living on San Francisco's Russian Hill) provides a gritty account of the city's darker side but fails to develop an original plot. The writing is also poor. Not recommended.?John Noel, Tennessee Technical Univ. Lib., Cookeville
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (June 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399142606
• ISBN-13: 978-0399142604
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #484,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book of the decade, March 29, 2001

By 

Steve Durtschi (Grass Valley, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magician's Tale (Paperback)

Georgeous, fog-enshrouded prose, well-paced, homo-erotic, sensuous and colorful (in a monochromatic way). I just loved this book, turned about ten of my book-reading friends on to it, and never got a complaint. The author is so familiar with the bay area that I feel like I am there, in the text. Give this book a chance: it is stark, raw and nasty, and tells a tale that is so convoluted and poignant that I defy anyone to put it down after the first 100 pages.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An imaginative story, skillfully told., July 8, 2004

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Magician's Tale (Hardcover)

The Magician's Tale is a very well constructed murder mystery that does not disappoint. The captivating plot unfolds in such a way that I'm sure most readers will have trouble putting the book down. I know I did.
But this novel has a number of great things going for it besides its very strong plot. Photojournalist Kay Farrow is the protagonist and narrator. Her character is extremely well fleshed out and quite believable. And her voice is a remarkably convincing one. So much so, it's hard to believe The Magician's Tale is the work of a male author.
Another very positive aspect is the attention to detail. Be it the ins and outs of the photographer's craft or the sights and sounds of San Francisco, an abundance of nicely detailed description is provided.
There is a fair amount of sexual content, much of it on the kinky side. However, since it is presented in an inoffensive, nonexploitative manner, it serves to enhance rather than detract from the overall storyline.

Written with imagination and skill, The Magician's Tale is a fascinating, page turner of a novel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting......, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magician's Tale (Hardcover)

I have led a bookgroup about Robert Ludlum online for some time. I read authors works until completion. I've read DeMille, Forsyth, Sanders, Follet, O'Shaughnessy, Gruenfeld and am completing Cornwall.

I've lived in the South Bay for 15 years. I'm a Mom, and a RE Developer. I also hang out in bars w/ my friends in Los Gatos. I'm originally from NY/NJ with a stint in Boulder, CO.

I adore "the city" (San Francisco). I have lingered in all parts of the city, from the "Haight" to the "Castro" to the "Wharf" to "North Beach" and to "SOMA".

My gay friend Daryl has slepped me thru the Polk area as well.

I've mingled with financiers, as well as hustlers.

There is absolutely no comparision to Hunt's vision of the City. He brings an "other-worldly-ness to San Francisco. Wrapped in fog and mystery, like a skillful lover bringing you to the edge of desire...showing you worlds unseen, David Hunt has crafted a beautiful book.

As a "mystery" I was drawn in enough to stay up all night to read it. Clearly his work in this genre compares to other writers, some mentioned above.

I made my friend Daryl read it. A Masters Degree from Berkeley,...no slouch he. After argueing over the "precise authenticity" of the gay world, he agreed that it was a "haunting" read....maybe even prose.

I would reccomend this book not only to "mystery" readers, but perhaps venture to place it into to the "Travel" area. My "East Coast" friends loved the book, moreso for this vision of the city. "Wow!, is it really like that?"

Dark, beautiful, surrounded by the sound of the sea, encased in fog.....Hunt's monochromatic pictue of San Francisco is a compelling and haunting read!