Happy Fourth, NEW Product, and REVIEW: Blackmail by Bobby Motta & Peter McKinnon

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Even if you're not living in the U.S., it's still technically the 4th of July, so have a great day.:)

My newest book, "Cause & Effects: Vol. 3" is now available, as once again I've beaten the pre-release deadline and got all orders out the door early.

Early next week I will be releasing details on my next product and this one is going to be a doozy as I blow the lid off of a market most magicians won't even consider doing AND the profit potential per show is HUGE, so stay tuned!

On to this week's review: Blackmail by Bobby Motta & Peter McKinnon. It's available for $34.95 from Hocus Pocus.

EFFECT: Predict anything - no nailwriters, nothing to ditch! You show a black envelope (both sides if you want) and state you predicted something. The spectator names anything and the spectator can remove the card from the envelope, showing you did in fact predict their thoughts.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE: You receive a supply of envelopes, enough for well over 100 performances, as each envelope is good for a surprising number of performances. You also receive some card stock and a well-produced DVD.

QUALITY OF PROPS: Everything with Bobby's name attached to it is of the highest quality and this is no exception. While the principle has been around for decades, Bobby & Peter went to great lengths to have superior materials used for this release.

QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Bobby & Peter leave no stone unturned. I took notes while watching the DVD and here's what they cover:

- 2 live performances
- number of uses for each envelope
- envelope psychology (no "look, an ordinary envelope" here!)
- troubleshooting
- writing tips
- handling tips

Effects include:

- a lottery ticket presentation
- a perfect card prediction effect
- a spectator as mindreader stage type effect
- and more...

MY THOUGHTS: I had the opportunity to see Bobby perform this effect a few times during his stage show in Toronto last year. I was completely fried, as the principle, which he credits from Corinda's 13 Steps, was unknown to me at the time. Again, while this is based on an old principle, I personally hate putting together my own props, so for me this is heaven.

Also, like I mentioned, Bobby & Peter have gone the extra mile to make these gimmicks much more reliable than using stuff you'd get from your local store.

This is just so clean that I'm so amazed more people aren't using this. I use a nailwriter in a few different presentations but honestly, this is so much cleaner and quite frankly easier in terms of handling. I particularly like the fact that not only can you show both sides of the envelope (especially in a stage situation) but the spectator can remove the card from the envelope.

This is about as perfect as it gets in terms of mentalism.

I'm giving this a 10 out of 10 and Bobby Motta stands as the rare magic creator who puts out stuff that I love every time. Right now, this release is on the short list of releases that can top my 'best of' list at the end of the year.