Sleight of Hand

Sleight of Hand is volume one of Widdershins. It introduces reoccurring main characters Sidney Malik and Harry Barber, and tells the story of their first adventure together. It is the start of the Deadly Sins arc that covers the first 7 books, with Greed as the sin of this book.

Blurb
For failed wizard Sidney Malik, it’s been a rather trying day.

Threatened with eviction, expelled from University, arrested, and accidentally crowned the King of Thieves, he’ll need more than a few magic tricks to get himself out of this.

Luckily for him, he’s attracted the attention of chain-smoking bounty hunter Harriet Barber, who’ll either save him or get him into even deeper trouble, perhaps both.

Plot Summary
We’re introduced to former student wizard Sidney Malik as he attempts to write to his parents to let them know he was expelled from the University of Widdershins six months ago, but chickens out at the last moment. Facing eviction from his flat, he hits the streets of Widdershins job-searching, but is pickpocketed by the King of Thieves Thomas Macavity. Unknown to them both, Sid accidentally steals the Mark of Thieves from him. Harriet Barber, with the help of her magic-detecting dog Gren, had been tailing Macavity, but switches to following Sid instead.

That evening, she holds him at gunpoint and demands the Mark of Thieves. Sid is alarmed to find out he’s stolen it and promises it wasn’t on purpose, but is unable to remove the bracelet. Harry pretends to be a policewoman and “arrests” him (more of a kidnapping really.) On their way back to the office, one of Macavity’s goons chases them and they cut through The Royal Theatre. Macavity attempts to kill them to retrieve the mark, but they escape unscathed.

At Harry’s office, her distraught sister Florence de Montfort is waiting for them both. She reveals Harry is a bounty hunter, not a policewoman, and immediately starts shipping Sid and Harry. Sid detects the Mark is imbued with Greed. They work out the Mark is a treasure map and use the code Harry’s grandad, famous bounty hunter Henry Barber, discovered years ago to find the location in Scotland. Sid is keen to join Harry on the adventure, but she feels he’ll just slow her down on a difficult journey. Florrie offers to pay for the new high speed train that would take them their quickly, on the condition that Sid go with Harry.

Tailed by Macavity and his goons, Sid and Harry get the train up to Scotland. They’re cornered in the carriage by Macavity’s goons, but Sid distracts them with magic tricks until Harry can knock them out. They then trick Macavity into getting off the train at Durham, and make it to the cave in Scotland. Sid attempts to ask Harry out, but she quickly shuts him down.

Once they find Greed’s cave, Sid accidentally summons Greed. It offers him the treasure or for him to return the treasure and mark for it to destroy. Harry encourages Sid to return the mark and treasure, but is held at knifepoint by Macavity. Sid takes the statue to give to Macavity in exchange for Harry’s life, and is cursed to die as the sun sets. Macavity and his goons tie Sid and Harry up to drown in the rising tide and leave. At the last moment, Harry realises Sid has accidentally stolen the key to the handcuffs and they escape. Back on the beach, Sid summons Greed again and Harry makes a bargain: she’ll return the statue and mark within a week or it can kill them both. At Edinburgh station, then sneak onto a freight train bound for Widdershins to get back sooner, which is already occupied by Jack O’Malley and Heinrich Wolfe.

The next day, they arrive back in Widdershins and collect Gren from Florrie. Harry comes up with a plan to recover the treasure with Sid’s help. Sid uses his stage magician costume to create a King of Thieves outfit and interrupts a meeting of thieves at Macavity’s hideout. He challenges Macavity to a duel while Harry riles up the crowd and steals back the treasure during the distraction. They swap, so Harry duels Macavity and Sid summons Greed to return the mark and lift the curse. The police show up to arrest the gang and Harry pays Sid his share of the reward money. They part ways, for now.

Characters

 * Sidney Malik
 * Harriet Barber
 * Thomas Macavity
 * Gren
 * Florence de Montfort
 * Greed

Cameos

 * Heinrich Wolfe
 * Jack O'Malley

Locations

 * The Royal Theatre
 * H. Barber Office
 * Greed's Cave
 * Macavity's Hideout

Website
One page of development sketches for the upcoming volume, No Rest for the Wicked.

Book
2 pages of development sketches for Sid, Harry, and Gren, and 2 pages of sketches of Sid doing magic tricks.

Release
Sleight of Hand was mostly released on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. It ran from October 24th 2011 to February 29th 2012.

There was not a Kickstarter campaign for Sleight of Hand, though physical books were printed before the Kickstarter for No Rest for the Wicked.

Easter Eggs

 * Swift's Apothecary and Eliza Swift are seen near Harry's office.
 * Macavity's newspaper contains an ad for a phasmia-psychology service, here referred to as psychomagi. Phasmia-psychology is introduced in Hangman's Knot (Book 8).
 * An ad is seen for Tim Chiang's upcoming Chung Soo act.
 * There is also a poster saying 'VOTE' on the side of the same building, referencing the ongoing mayoral election campaigns that are a focus in No Rest. The poster possibly shows a lamp, so it might be a campaign poster for Fairbairn.