Book Review: The Cheater's Game by C.J. Archer

 

Goodreads Summary: The arrival of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in London brings trouble. When the sharpshooter who beats Willie at poker is murdered, Matt and India investigate. Willie is convinced the victim cheated, but no one knows how until India discovers his secret - he was a paper magician.
When their list of suspects grows to include a member of the mysterious magic Collector's Club, they uncover a spy. But who is he working for? And what does his employer want?

As danger circles, secrets are revealed, and India struggles to keep her own secret hidden from Matt. But when her grandfather introduces her to a man who can change her life, India must decide if she wants her life to change at all.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.09 stars with over 4,800 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

Goodreads Challenge: 26/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #7 Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! As always, I hope everyone is doing well. I will jump right into the review of The Cheater's Game by C.J. Archer. This is the seventh book in the Glass and Steele series. I thought it'd be a good fit for #7 since it had shapes on the cards. Also, I wanted to read it, and it was the best place it fit since I've burned through my free spaces already.

Reviewing this series is becoming dangerously close to how I've been approaching the Penny Green series by Emily Organ. I enjoy the series so much, but it's long, and I never feel like I have anything new to add to the reviews. I will say with The Cheater's Game, I didn't want to put it down. I forced myself to go to bed around 2 am, and as soon as I got out of work picked it back up and finished it. 

With the series, I like the sarcasm and wit sprinkled into the story. The Cheater's Game was a fun mystery. I was surprised at how that part of the story concluded. C.J. Archer did a great job of making multiple people look like plausible suspects. The biggest reason I like these stories is the chemistry between India and Matt. All I can say without giving too many spoilers is FINALLY.

If you like murder mysteries and historical fiction, I highly recommend the series. I would definitely read it in order. The books are short and not overly complicated. They're good if you don't want a massive commitment with one book, even though it is a longer series. Also, if these things are important to you as a reader, the language is pretty clean and not graphic.