A Deadly Game of Magic

by Joan Lowery Nixon

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Lisa and her three friends find themselves unwilling players in a cat-and-mouse game with a murderous magician whose identity and motivation baffle them.

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Member Reviews

8 reviews
I was on the edge of my seat with this one. Such a good job was done with making it unpredictable and just the right amount of scary as well. But I think there was too much going on in this story. A sudden romantic relationships, teens realizing they shouldn't have to be what their parents want them to be, plus the main story seemed like way too much to pack into just over 200 pages. Maybe this would have wored better if there had been some kind of earlier indication of what would blossom between Lisa and Julian. Also, I felt like it took way too long for the story to really pick up and get interesting. The kids spent so much time in the beginning speculating about there being something wrong in the house that if they had been any show more normal teenagers I feel like they would have had the common sense to get out of there sooner. Who honestly decides to hang around a stranger's house, rather than trying to persuade the woman who found them to at least take one of them to make a phone call. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the story, when it did finally get interesting. show less
½
On their way back from a competition four teens find themselves stranded at a stranger's house due to car trouble. The man who let them in to call a mechanic tells them to lock up when they leave as he and his wife are headed out to a party. You immediately get the feeling that something is not quite right here. From this point on things really start getting suspenseful. You wonder, are they alone in the house? this was a great read. However, due to a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book, I only gave this book a rating of 4 out of 5.
This is my favorite book from the author. It was so suspenseful. I literally could not put it down. I started reading in the afternoon and kept on reading until after the came up and I forced myself to put the book down once my eyes couldn't focus anymore. Once I awoke, the first thing I did was grab the book and finished reading it before I got out of bed. If you love YA mysteries, check this one out!
Classic dark and stormy night + stranded teenagers + madman+ creepy house tale!4 teenagers (2 boys, 2 girls) are driving home from a debate final when their car breaks down. At a nearby house, a man lets them in & then leaves with his “wife” for a party. Things are not as they seem as a neighbor comes and tells them that an old lady (who was once married to a magician) lives there. The power goes out. The RACV man comes, looks in a room and faints and they know they are not alone!
Out of all of the Joan Lowery Nixon books I own, this one is probably the only one I will keep when I finally let go of her books. It was my favorite. I loved the suspense and the story about the four kids. I also likes how she got relationships in there.
I couldnt put this book down right when i started reading it. its spooky and very suspencful. itll keep u reading for hours.

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Author Information

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149+ Works 11,607 Members
Joan Lowery Nixon was born in Los Angeles, California. She attended the University of Southern California where she received a B.A. in journalism and later an education certificate from California State. She has written over 100 mystery books for young adults. She is known for her Orphan Train Adventure Series and other titles including A Family show more Apart, The Seance and Other Side of the Dark. Her works have earned her the honor of being the only writer to win four Edgar Allen Poe awards and in addition, two Spurs from Western Writers of America. She was a past President of the Mystery Writers of America. She died from complications of pancreatic cancer on June 28, 2003, in Houston, Texas. She was 76. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
A Deadly Game of Magic
Original publication date
1983
People/Characters
Lisa; Bo Baxter; Teena Wilson; Julian Hamilton IV; Mrs. Gracie Ella Porter; Chamberlain the Great (Harry Polowski)
Dedication
To my sister,

Patricia Lowery Collins,

with love
First words
A spring rain slithered over the car windows in a blinding liquid sheet.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Where is the big one?"

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Teen, Horror, Young Adult
DDC/MDS
813Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English
LCC
PZ7 .N65 .DLanguage and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresJuvenile belles lettres
BISAC

Statistics

Members
279
Popularity
114,925
Reviews
8
Rating
½ (3.66)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
11