Dr. Jo Banks becomes embroiled with a mysterious printer named Max after he smashed his hand in a press, but her fascination with the man, a once famed magician whose wife has vanished, could cost her more than she had ever expected. - (Baker & Taylor)

Stumbling upon a mysterious printer named Max operating a printing press in a dilapidated barn, Dr. Jo Banks becomes embroiled with the unfriendly man after he smashes his hand in the press, but her increasing fascination with Max, a once famed magician whose wife has vanished, and his mentally disabled daughter could cost her more than she had ever expected. 10,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

Dr. Jo Banks is well settled in her rather unusual life as one of the few doctors in the New Jersey fields, her office in a motor inn run by a pair of friendly, elderly Jersey-ites. But New York City is where she grew up, and there are times when she thinks back to those days with her father. One day, as she is driving home from her rounds at the hospital in the nearby town, she hears a familiar sound coming from a barn. It is the hum of an out-of-date printing press, a brand her father used. On an impulse, Jo leaves her motorcycle in the road and walks down to the barn that houses the machine.
But the printer is hardly welcoming. While she is trying to talk to him, he catches his hand in the press, and Jo bursts into action. Although she removes the screws from the roller that is clamping the man's fingers and offers to drive him to the hospital, he refuses to go and insists that she treat him in his home.
The strange episode leads to Jo's calling daily to attend to the man's injury. She learns that he's living with his daughter - a grown woman who possesses the mind of a child - that they are from New York, and that his wife has mysteriously disappeared. The printer is roughly grateful for Jo's care, but he has much on his mind, and he will not leave his house. Jo begins to suspect that he is connected to a recent local murder. - (Blackwell North Amer)

Booklist Reviews

Dr. Jo Banks (Satan's Pony, 2004) is on her way home when she hears the sound of a printing press coming from an old barn. Peeking inside, she meets a cranky printer named Max, who proceeds to smash his hand in the press. Feeling responsible for the accident, Jo offers to take him to the hospital, but he refuses to go. Instead, he pulls a gun and forces Jo to operate on him in his house. She does so with the assistance of Max's disabled daughter, Lolly. Interested in knowing more about Max and Lolly, Jo learns that Max was once a famous magician, "Max the Amazing," and that Max's wife, his assistant in the act, has disappeared. Jo wants to help Max and Lolly but doing so puts her life in danger and her relationships with her lover and friends at risk. Along with the Banks series, Hathaway also writes the Doctor Andrew Fenimore novels. Both feature quirky, endearing amateur sleuths and will appeal to those who prefer their medical mysteries on the cozy side. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.