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A DEADLY GAME OF MAGIC
First published 1983 · 228 pages
A delightfully eerie, locked-room thriller where every shadow hides a trick and survival depends on seeing through the illusion.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage teen thriller feels like stepping into a shadowy, funhouse mirror maze where the stakes are terrifyingly real. The narrative moves at a brisk, breathless clip, trapping you alongside its young protagonists in a claustrophobic setting where nothing is as it seems. The prose is straightforward and urgent, stripping away unnecessary exposition to focus entirely on the mounting dread and the theatrical, cat-and-mouse tension of the trap. It captures that specific, nostalgic flavor of 1980s YA suspense—earnest, slightly melodramatic, and undeniably gripping. It is a perfect, bite-sized read for anyone who loves the eerie atmosphere of a locked-room mystery and the adrenaline spike of a magic trick gone horribly wrong.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- eerie
- tense
- shadowy
- Tone
- urgent
- suspenseful
- earnest
- theatrical
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- illusion versus reality · survival under pressure · teenage vulnerability · the trap of isolation
- The writing
- Direct, fast-paced, and heavily reliant on dialogue and sensory details to heighten the immediate sense of danger.
- The arc
- Moves from casual teenage camaraderie into a disorienting nightmare of paranoia, culminating in a desperate fight for survival.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave the nostalgic, fast-paced thrills of vintage 80s and 90s teen suspense novels.
Content notes
- murder
- claustrophobia
- psychological manipulation
- teen peril
About the book
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.
Description from Open Library.
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