A mystery comedy series by Steve Hockensmith. Alanis MacLahlan, the estranged daughter of a Con Artist, finds out that her mother's died and left her a magic shop in Arizona. Alanis moves into town, setting up in the shop, its teenaged assistant Clarice, and an investigation into her mother's murder (and a couple other mysterious deaths in the two sequels) while uncovering interesting, and surprising truths about her family, and coming to wonder whether she might really be able to read tarot cards.
The series consists of three books:
1. The White Magic Five and Dime
2. Fool Me Once
3. Give the Devil His Due
Tropes:
- Abusive Parent: Alanis received no formal education, improper care, little affection, and was used as an accomplice in various cons, including a Honey Trap and one which almost got them killed by The Mafia.
- The Beard: After meeting Clarice's boyfriend, Alanis figures out that he's gay and she's serving as his beard for his parents sake. Turns out that she's a lesbian, and he's also serving as her beard.
- Betty and Veronica: In the later books, Alanis has two love interests. Respectable local gym teacher Victor is the Betty (although the is a bit overprotective of his mother) and G.W., another con artist, is the Veronica.
- In the first book, there was local Fair Cop Bill Riggs as the Betty Victor in his Hot-Blooded stage as the Veronica, with a Betty and Veronica Switch when Victor showed some depths and Riggs turned out to be the killer.
- Big Sister Instinct: Alanis to Clarice, when she finds out their related.
- Characterization Marches On: In the first book, Alanis considers, Eugene, her mothers lawyer to be reliable but potentially crooked while in the sequels she finds him almost painfully honest.
- The Clan: The Grandi's, who own several rival psychic parlors and try to force Alanis out.
- Domestic Abuse: One of Alanis's first clients, Marsha Riggs, is being beaten by her husband Bill. Alanis helps her out of the marriage, and in the next book, Bill is the murder victim.
- Funny Foreigner: Pichler, the German tycoon and art collector from the third book has a funny accent, and a bit of an outrageous personality.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The dying, incarcerated mobster who nearly killed Biddle, and whose daughter and henchmen appear in the third book.
- Hanging Judge: The local criminal court judge is described as the hardest of hardasses and doesn't seem to have any concept of bail.
- Honey Trap: Alanis's mother used her own daughter as this, causing one of the final steps to their estrangement. She also had Clarice do some online softcore porn.
- I Have No Son!: Alanis and her mother hadn't spoken in years, and her mother had never told anyone besides her lawyer that Alanis even existed, not even her younger daughter.
- Immediate Sequel: The third book begins immediately where the second one ended, with Biddle walking into the shop.
- Intrepid Reporter: One appears in the third book, But is actually the killer, impersonating that reporter, whose out of town.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Clarice is Alanis's half sister, with their mother having hidden the relationship to appear younger to her clients, and avoid alienating the local racists.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The tarot cards do seem to be pretty accurate at reading a situation, and just right for what Alanis needs to find out, or convince someone at a certain time. At first she subscribes this to simply being able to describe so many interpretations for any given card, but after a while, she starts to wonder.
- Millionaire Playboy: Pichler in the third book, although with more focus on his crazy hobbies and celebrity hobnobbing than any potential womanizing.
- Official Couple: Clarice and her girlfriend Ceecee.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Biddle was apparently shot by some mobsters they conned in a flashback in the first book but at the end of the second book its revealed that he survived and he reappears at the shop.
