Customer Reviews

The Magician's Wife

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The Magician's Wife is a mediocre rendition of some of Cain's classic novels such as The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity. Although it starts off slowly, it does build up a head of steam and if you ignore some of the unbelievable actions of the protagonist, the charismatic meat-magnate, Clay Lockwood, it is a hard book to put down. More or less the plot is a fellow (this time a successful executive) has an affair with a married woman and after much arm-twisting chooses to help her murder her husband for money. The magician's wife is clearly not someone worth murdering for and at the same time Clay carries on an affair with her mother, Grace, which is one of the absurd elements of this novel. Like a magician, Cain works out interesting plot twists around these incongruencies and somehow makes it a compelling read. Nonetheless he is not in great form, for a key scene where Clay scopes out the magician whom he is plotting to kill and sees him performing tricks for some kids in his neighborhood would by Cain's standards be rendered in grand fashion as the potential killer feels remorse and anguish in discovering that his victim is a regular and decent guy. Somehow in The Magician's Wife this scene is barely sketched out leaving out, so to speak, The Mark of Cain.

The plot to this latter day James M. Cain novel is similar to that of two of his early classics, Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. All three are tales of illicit love and murder. Except this time around, the raw, noirish feel of the earlier works is largely missing. In its place, unfortunately, is a "soap opera-like" tone wherein complexity of storyline replaces emotional truth.

As lovers, Clay Lockwood and Sally Alexis are not only ill-fated, they are completely mismatched. Sally is an unstable, selfish girl while Clay is a level headed businessman. Despite his realization that Sally's mother, not Sally, is his true soulmate, Clay inexplicably goes over to the dark side to do Sally's bidding. Needless to say, the result is disaster for all concerned.

The Magician's Wife has many passages that are skillfully written including a few which contain insightful takes on human behavior. But overall, this James M. Cain work is a very average read due to its rather contrived, noncredible storyline. A disappointing effort from an author capable of much better.

As another reviewer stated, sort of a blend of The Postman Always Rings Twice/Double Indemnity type story - hero immediately falls in love with and wants to marry murderous woman. Does her bidding, regrets it, ridiculous ending. I mean, do people really abandon their moral code that quickly and easily? I don't believe so, therefore the whole premise seemed outlandish.

This 'Magician's Wife' is not Moore's story set in France/Europe. It is, instead, a story of lust, adultery, and wish fulfillment set 1940's Virginia.

A master of American noir, Cain spins a suspense-filled that reminds you to be careful what you wish for.