Magic Tricks

You line up a bunch of people. Have them select one to be the murderer and have everyone decide to be either a truth-teller or liar. With a few simple questions, you can figure out who is the murderer and who is lying. Of course, this is the old Banachek Ring of Truth premise in different clothing. (Some may even recognize Atlas Brookings's Imbalance, but trust me, this is a lot easier to understand.)

In the past couple of years, we have seen an influx of these type of effects such as MANOEDA, Tequila Hustler, Rock Paper Lies, V, Strange Oblique, and others. And once you see how one works, it's just a matter of understanding the "process" in figuring out the others. If you like these--and I certainly do--then you'll love Andante Murder Mystery. If this kind of stuff gives you a headache, then stay away. I will say this, like a few of these methods, this one has the flaw where certain responses are ipso facto mutually inconsistent, and a really sharp observer--probably one with a degree in philosophy--while perhaps not knowing exactly how it works, will see the overall picture behind the effect. (Tequila Hustler and V are both good at hiding the process.) It's not fatal, and a good performance will camouflage it, but it is there. The ebook gives some helpful performance tips.

At first blush, the ebook, like this creator's other effects such as Zodino, is exhausting in its detail. But if you take a deep breath and first concentrate on the bold-faced principles, the colorful diagrams will make sense. And if you are familiar with Tequila Hustler or another similar effect, figuring it out will really take no time at all.

You'll know whether you want this or not. If you do, you'll use it because it's smart and well worth the cost. It will undoubtedly be great to use in a room full of strangers or for a stage performance.