Audiobook Review: The Miser's Dream by John Gaspard

The Miser's Dream
Author: John Gaspard
Narrator: Jim Cunnigham
Series: Eli Marks Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Spoken Realms (July 3, 2018)
Length: 7 hours and 56 minutes

Description: A casual glance out his apartment window turns magician Eli Marks' life upside down. After spotting a dead body in the projection booth of the movie theater next door, Eli is pulled into the hunt for the killer. As he attempts to puzzle out a solution to this classic locked room mystery, he must deal with a crisis of a more personal nature: the appearance of a rival magician who threatens not only Eli's faith in himself as a performer, but his relationship with his girlfriend.

But the killer won't wait and starts taking homicidal steps to bring Eli's investigation to a quick and decisive end. Things get even worse when his magician rival offers his own plausible solution to the mystery. With all the oddball suspects gathered together, Eli must unveil the secrets to this movie-geek whodunit or find himself at the wrong end of the trick.

My Thoughts: Magician Eli Marks's next mystery begins when he looks out of his apartment window into the projection booth of the theater next door and sees the body of the projectionist Tyler James lying on the floor. After calling the police and finding a way into the theater, they are surprised to discover that James had been shot in the back twice and the gun was still inside the locked projection booth - locked from the inside. 

Eli is encouraged to look into the crime by the mysterious and sinister Mr. Lime. Eli soon learns that James had a sideline selling movie memorabilia and might have had the only remaining print of an early Lon Chaney film on offer. The film was missing when they broke into the room but an envelope with $75 thousand in cash was found. 

Mr. Lime gives Eli four names of eccentric Twin Cities millionaires who might have had an interest in and the money to buy the film. One of them is a famous mystery author, one the scion of a famous Twin Cities banking family, and the other two made their fortunes as internet entrepreneurs. But none of them stand out above any of the others as the potential murderer. 

Meanwhile while working on this mystery, Eli is also suffering from jealousy because a new magician has come to town who is everything Eli wishes he was. The new guy also seems to be moving in on Eli's girlfriend. 

This was an entertaining mystery with engaging characters and a wonderful, wintry Twin Cities setting. 

This one was an Audible Plus title for me. You can buy your copy here.