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    The Ninja's Illusion
    The Ninja's Illusion
    The Ninja's Illusion
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Ninja's Illusion

    Written by Gigi Pandian

    Narrated by Allyson Ryan

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A fabled illusion performed by a stage magician who claims to possess real supernatural powers. A treasure from the colonial era in India when international supremacies vied for power. A phantom trading ship lost over 200 years ago. And a ninja whose murderous intentions in present-day Japan connect the deeds of a long-dead trader who was much more than he seemed . . .

    When Jaya travels from San Francisco to Japan with her stage magician best friend Sanjay-a.k.a. The Hindi Houdini-for his Japanese debut, she jumps at the chance to pursue her own research that could solve a tantalizing centuries-old mystery.

    With the colorful autumn leaves of historic Kyoto falling around her, Jaya soon loses sight of what's real and what's a deception. A mysterious ninja attempts sabotage on Sanjay's trick, along with Japan's most controversial magician, Akira. Ancient folklore blurs the lines between illusion and reality when a magician's assistant appears to be a kitsune, a mythical fox spirit. As tricks escalate to murder, Jaya and her friends must unravel secrets hidden in the ancient capital of Japan, before one of their own becomes the next victim.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateOct 3, 2017
    ISBN9781515983743
    The Ninja's Illusion
    Author

    Gigi Pandian

    GIGI PANDIAN is the USA Today bestselling and multiple-award-winning author of the Secret Staircase mysteries, inspired by elements from her own family background. She is also the author of the Accidental Alchemist mysteries, the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, and more than a dozen locked-room mystery short stories. Pandian has won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Derringer awards, and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. A breast cancer survivor and accidental almost-vegan who adores cooking, she lives with her husband in Northern California.

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    Reviews for The Ninja's Illusion

    4/5

    35 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Man this title kinda sound like genjutsu that's why I started listening this and this is turned out really good....
    • 3/5
      Meh.  This one took a long time to catch my interest, but that was probably equal parts slow start and my complete disinterest in the character of Jaya's best friend Sanjay, the Hindi Houdini.  I love watching magic, but turn apathetic when faced with reading about it, and Sanjay has always stuck me as an immature egoist.  Jaya's sudden angst about a possible romantic entanglement with him was another strike against the story's tart; the amount of eye-rolling going on severely impacted my reading progress. But the story does get better once, frankly, someone dies, and further improves soon thereafter when Jaya gets over the silly romantic I-have-to-find-myself nonsense.  This is about the time she starts paying more attention the history involved in the mystery and makes the connection that was insanely obvious to the reader from the start. So the story improves and by the end definitely doesn't suck, but it's definitely not one of the series' better books.
    • 5/5
      The Ninja Illusion by Gigi Pandian is a 2017 Henery Press publication.I love this series a little bit more with each new chapter!This fifth installment in the Jaya Jones series is set in Japan, where Jaya’s best friend, Sanjay is set to perform a controversial trick with the famed illusionist, Akira, which is rumored to involve real magic. Jaya is planning on joining Sanjay, but he contacts her, frantically ordering her not to come. But, Jaya is not swayed by his pleas- she’s worried about him and nothing will stop her from flying to Japan… besides, she has her own agenda- an ancient mystery she’s dying to investigate! This series is highly underestimated, in my opinion. This is one of the most multi-layered cozy series I have ever encountered. This installment was especially rich as Pandian manages to thread together multiple strings, which a several mind-bending twists that kept me on my toes and glued to the pages. Japan was a great setting, the pacing, as usual, was very brisk, and there is plenty of action, adventure, and suspense- as well as some romance and personal drama, which is well-balanced within the story. I’m looking forward to Jones’ next big adventure!! 5 stars
    • 5/5
      When Jaya Jones, a history professor at a San Francisco university, has a break Thanksgiving week, she intends to travel to Japan to see her best friend, Sanjay, known as the Hindi Houdini, perform his magic. But before leaving, she receives a cryptic call from him telling her not to come. Jaya, who also is a well-known treasure hunter who finds artifacts and turns them over to the countries where they belong, is meeting with Professor Nakamura as well, refuses to stay and goes anyway. Once she reaches Japan, Sanjay refuses to tell her anything except that 'it's complicated.' When she meets the magician he'll be working with, Akira, she finds the man rude and arrogant. His assistant, Yako (whose real name is Yoko), is supposedly a kitsune, a fox who can take human form. While Jaya doesn't believe it, she still wants to know what is really happening. Yet with the appearance of Sanjay's mentor Sébastien, a retired French magician who still creates mechanical wonders for others, it only complicates things. Once Jaya learns that tricks have been sabotaged and a mysterious ninja is following them, she wants Sanjay to stop. When he refuses, and Akira is murdered, Sanjay still intends to continue, making Jaya worried for him.But then another magician enters the scene, even more attacks are occurring, and Jaya begins to discover that her own research regarding helping Professor Nakamura might have something to do with what's going on with Sanjay's rope trick. It also might have deadly consequences for one of them, if she doesn't find the truth, and soon...This is the fifth book in the series, and I have to say I've loved every one of them. I also have to say that unfortunately, I've read the sixth one first, so this is a bit of a 'backtrack' for me, which I usually don't do; but this is how much I love this series. (To clarify, if I miss a book, I usually won't go back and read the previous one, but continue on.)At any rate, the mystery is top-notch, blending Jaya's research with Sanjay's magic, and it works. We are drawn into the tale easily, and the descriptions of the area around Jaya is rich and colorful. It makes one want to visit one of the temples, or at the very least, spend time in Kyoto itself. As a bonus, we get to see Jaya as she is at her most confused regarding her personal life, and deciding what she really wants; giving us more insight as to the type of person she is.There is plenty of suspense and enlightenment of Japanese history regarding the treatment of foreigners in ancient times. For myself, I found it fascinating; but I usually do with with Ms. Pandian's books. She is a writer who does her research well, and every time I choose one of her books I know that not only will I be entertained, but learn something new.When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it is a bit of a surprise, but there are clues leading up to it and we learn the identity the same time as Jaya; yet the author gives us enough of a tight climax that makes it all worthwhile. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      This is a new series for me and it just wasn’t my type of book. I feel for my liking that there was too much going on. To be completely fair maybe I should have started with the first book in t series.
    • 4/5
      The Ninja's Illusion is the 5th book in the Jaya Jones series and this is a series that I really enjoy. It is a cozy, but with adventure and history thrown in. Jaya is a professor of history, but has a reputation for finding treasure. In this story, Jaya travels to Japan where here best friend Sanjay a.k.a. The Hindi Houdini is working with the controversial magician, Akira who is planning on ding the Indian Rope Trick. It is one of those tricks that is talked about, but noone has ever seen it performed. Sanjay wants Jaya to stay home, but that makes her more eager to travel to Japan. As well she has agreed to help Professor Nakamura with some research into a Dutch Trading Ship and its captain. When Jaya and Sanjay meet up at a temple in Japan and someone dressed as a Ninja tries to harm them, they become very concerned. More questionable occurrences happen as well as a dead body turning up. Can Jaya find the treasure of the Dutchman? Will Sanjay perform The Indian Rope Trick?

      The Ninja's Illusion is an entertaining book to read, just as the others in this series have been. Each of these books in the series can be read as stand alone stories, but once you read one, you will want to go back and read the rest. The story is intriguing with enough of a mystery to satisfy and cozy mystery lover and with enough adventure to intrigue a mystery/adventure lover. I love the dialogue between the characters. Whether it is Sanjay and Jaya, Jaya and her librarian friend Tamarind or even her brother, it is easy going and fun. The one thing that did bother me was the romance triangle that seemed to pop up midway through the story. Jaya and Lane have been taking some time apart, and suddenly, Jaya's best friend Sanjay, announces that he has feelings for her and kisses her. Not only was Jaya a bit uncomfortable with this, but as a reader, I was as well. I hope that storyline does not continue as I do not enjoy love triangles. I was happy to see Tamarind show up on Japan. She does a good job keeping Jaya on track and pointing her in directions that she does not always see on her own. This book has sabotage, murder, and suspicion. Even a body disappears, and suspicions surround a mysterious ninja that seems to be following Jaya and Sanjay. Add in a fox spirit and you have just enough spirituality and magic for a great ending. I recommend this book to lovers of mystery stories whether it be cozy or adventurous. I listened to this book and enjoyed the narration very much. It was easy to listen to, with a well paced reading.
    • 4/5
      I was hooked by the first line, (I'm better at finding lost treasures than a phone buried in the bottom of my bag.) Boy, can I relate to that, not that I’ve found any treasures but who know what lurks in the bottom of my bag. Jaya Jones is on her way to Japan during Thanksgiving break to accompany her best friend, Sanjay aka the Hindi Houdini while he will be performing the opening act in the highly impossible Indian Rope Trick that will also include the famous Japanese Magician, Akira. This would be a fantastic opportunity for Sanjay, but Jaya gets a video call from him telling her not to come to Japan then the call mysteriously drops. Of course, that doesn't stop her from flying off to Japan to see what's got Sanjay so spooked. She's also got a tentative meeting set up with a Japanese professor she had met during a history conference a few years ago to discuss European trade in Japan during its isolation period. When she lands in Japan she meets up with Sanjay who is not himself. Things are getting dangerous on the set where the magicians are to perform. They’ve experienced several accidents that look like someone is sabotaging their equipment. The two magicians can no longer trust each other and it looks like things are getting worse. Sanjay himself is about ready to catch the next flight back to San Francisco but it would not be a wise career move for him to do so. Meanwhile, he’s got to try to deal with the situation and stay safe. Jaya is going to stick this out with Sanjay, he needs her now more than ever. Jaya is also trying to come to terms regarding her longtime boyfriend Lane. She tried to speak to him before she left for Japan but it wasn’t the right time. They have some unresolved issues that really need to get taken care of. She even finds herself questioning just how deep are her feelings for Sanjay? The way Ms. Pandian described the rich Fall setting in Japan, I could almost close my eyes and visualize myself being there with all the distinct colors of leaves floating around me. The Japanese traditions plus their gracious culture made this an outstanding read. I was not only entertained by the mystery but I also learned some historical facts regarding Japan. I would like to think Henery Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this e-galley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
    • 5/5
      murder, mystery, myths-legends, Japanese lore, fakir lore, illusionists, history and culture, historical places events Meet Jaya Jones, history professor extraordinaire and several of her friends. Tamarind is a very brilliant and colorful college librarian, Sanjay is a wacky magician who failed law school only to become an accomplished magician with roots in India, now working with an egomaniac magician in Japan. Murder, a mysterious fakir magic trick no one can seem to replicate, and interpersonal issues make for a riveting read. There are lots of plot twists, and the misdirection is not only on the stage. Of course, there is the suspense, humor, snarkiness, action, and history insights that we love and expect. The publisher's blurb give clues, but can't begin to prepare you for the addictive nature of the book that seems to demand that it be read in one sitting!Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to receive this gift from the publisher!