The Last Customer: An Eli Marks Short Mystery

By John Gaspard

The request was a first for Eli Marks: “Can you help me make my tuba disappear?”

Magician (and magic shop owner) Eli Marks is confronted with this odd demand just before he is about to close up shop for the day.

Over the next few tense minutes, he finds a solution to that question which also, fortunately, puts him the positive side of what turns out to be a life-or-death situation.

★★★★★

Praise for the Eli Marks Mystery Series

“An intriguing cross between noir and cozy, with fascinating details about magic tricks and plenty of quirky characters. An easy, enjoyable read for mystery buffs seeking a bit of an escape from the usual crime fiction fare.” – Library Journal

“A finely-tuned, diabolical, sneaky, smart, stylish mix of magic and mayhem that plunges our hero Eli through a tangled web of danger and deceit that’ll keep you guessing.” – Steve Spill, Magician and Author of I Lie For Money

“With twists and turns, flurries of romance, and a cast of characters that seem to be the unholy spawn of The Maltese Falcon and The Third Man, The Miser’s Dream keeps the pages turning and the reader delighted from start to finish.” – Jeffrey Hatcher, Screenwriter, Mr. Holmes

“I loved this book. From beginning to end I was hooked. The story is fantastic and the cast leaves you wanting to know more. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.” – Bookschellves

“This is an instant classic, in a league with Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Arthur Conan Doyle.” – Rosebud Book Reviews

“Has as many tricks up its sleeve as its likeable magician-hero. As the body count rises, so does the reading pleasure.” – Dennis Palumbo, Author of the Daniel Rinaldi Mystery Series

“A wonderfully engaging, delightfully tricky bit of mystery. Fans of magic will delight in John Gaspard’s artful use of the world of magicians, onstage and offstage. It’s a great story and great fun!” – Jim Steinmeyer, Author of Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear

“A real winner of magical proportions. Filled with snappy, delightful dialogue and plenty of sleight-of-hand humor, Gaspard’s latest mystery in the Eli Marks series does not disappoint.” – Jessie Chandler, Author of the Shay O’Hanlon Series

“The author does a fantastic job juggling the separate plots and keeping readers’ minds thoroughly engaged...and the pure entertainment of the industry will leave all readers hoping that there will be a ‘number three’ very soon.” – Suspense Magazine

“The Ambitious Card is intelligently written and...entirely engrossing.” – Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“The deftly-plotted mystery is enriched by Eli’s relationships with his ex-wife, her new husband, his old-school stage magician Uncle Harry, and an interesting collection of people and places in and around St. Paul...This stylish novel is filled with interesting details, snappy dialogue, and appealing characters.” – More Than a Review

“This story is very well-written and fun to read. I would definitely read another Eli Marks Mystery.” – A Simple Taste for Reading

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Gaspard
• Release date: Jan 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005034252

John Gaspard

John is author of the Eli Marks mystery series as well as three other stand-alone novels, "The Greyhound of the Baskervilles," The Sword & Mr. Stone" and "The Ripperologists."He also writes the Como Lake Players mystery series, under the pen name Bobbie Raymond.In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, they've made more than the films.Those books ("Fast, Cheap and Under Control" and "Fast, Cheap and Written That Way") are available in eBook, Paperback and audiobook formats.John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several dogs, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.

Book preview

The Last Customer

BOOKS BY JOHN GASPARD

The Como Lake Players Mysteries

ACTING CAN BE MURDER

DYING TO AUDITION

---

The Eli Marks Mystery Series

THE AMBITIOUS CARD (#1)

THE BULLET CATCH (#2)

THE MISER’S DREAM (#3)

THE LINKING RINGS (#4)

THE FLOATING LIGHT BULB (#5)

THE ZOMBIE BALL (#6)

THE MAGIC SQUARE (#7)

THE SELF-WORKING TRICK (#8)

---

Stand-Alone Novels

THE SWORD & MR. STONE

A CHRISTMAS CARL

THE GREYHOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

THE RIPPEROLOGISTS

---

Filmmaking Books

FAST, CHEAP AND UNDER CONTROL

FAST, CHEAP AND WRITTEN THAT WAY

TELL THEM IT’S A DREAM SEQUENCE

WOMEN MAKE MOVIES

THE LAST CUSTOMER

AN ELI MARKS SHORT STORY

JOHN GASPARD

THE LAST CUSTOMER

An Eli Marks Mystery Short Story

First Edition | 2018

www.elimarksmysteries.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Copyright © 2018 by John Gaspard

This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE LAST CUSTOMER

Ithought he was going to be my last customer.

Which was a bit ironic,