Nearly a decade ago, iconic magician Violet Volk performed her greatest trick yet: vanishing mid-act. Though she hasn't been seen since, her hold on the public hasn't wavered. While Violet sought out the spotlight, her sister Sasha, ever the responsible one, took over their mother's salon and built a quiet life for her daughter, Quinn. But Sasha can never seem to escape her sister's orbit or her memories of their unresolved, tumultuous relationship. Sasha must finally confront the most painful truths about her sister, and herself, even at the risk of losing everything.
Margarita Montimore flexes her full creative prowess in her third novel ... Sasha is a more persuasive, complex character than Violet, though perhaps Violet's inscrutability is inevitable, given her occupation as a magician. However, for readers who strive to connect with every detail of a story, a reread may be helpful ... Humorous but not disproportionately so, suspenseful but not frightening and emotional but not tearful, Acts of Violet offers something for everyone. A quick read with irresistible charm, it's a comfort book in every sense of the word, blending mystery, science fiction and family drama to satisfy a craving you didn't quite know you had. In the end, you'll be left with the inkling that there might be some truth to magic after all.
Montimore astonishes readers with her authorial sleight of hand in the twisty, genre-defying family drama Acts of Violet ... The story has the feel of a crime thriller by way of The X-Files, though Montimore gives it a serious core with reflections on the lot of women in the entertainment industry. The interspersing of interviews and media pieces creates a broader sense of Violet's magnetic personality and the time period, an effect reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones & the Six. Montimore packs in dazzling tricks, but the complex and enduring relationships between the sisters brings the real magic.
