Sleight of Hand

50 Reasons #5

by Nick Alexander

Fifth volume in the best-selling 50 Reasons series. When an old friend's mother dies, Mark hopes that attending the funeral will enable him to decide where his future lies.

But no sooner does Mark set foot in England than bonds of love and obligation from the past begin to envelop him with such force that he wonders not only if his relationship will survive, but if he will ever be able be break free again...

Insightful, poignant, pierced by Nick Alexander's trademark wry humour and forensic eye for detail, Sleight of Hand weaves universal themes of honesty and happiness, desire and obligation, love and lust into a rich tapestry of modern life.

Genres: Gay

403 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

My novels:

A Little Bit of Sunshine (2026)

Where Do We Go From Here (2025)

The Imperfection of Us (2023)

Perfectly Ordinary People (2022)

From Something Old (2021)

The Road to Zoe (2020)

You Then, Me Now (2019)

Things We Never Said (2017)

The Bottle of Tears (2016) (also published as Let the Light Shine).

The Other Son (2015)

The Photographer's Wife (2014)

Two novels featuring Hannah:
- The Half-Life of Hannah.
- Other Halves (Dec 2013)

Two novels featuring CC:
- The Case Of The Missing Boyfriend
- The French House (May 2013)

The Fifty Reasons Series, following the life of lovelorn Mark
- 50 Reasons to Say Goodbye
- Sottopassaggio
- Good Thing, Bad Thing
- Better Than Easy
- Sleight Of Hand

And the standalone novel
- 13:55 Eastern Standard Time

The Case Of The Missing Boyfriend, The French House, and The Half-Life of Hannah have all been huge kindle hits, reaching number #1 in Amazon's kindle chart.

I live in the southern French Alps with three mogs (Mangui, Pastel & Pedro) and a very special ferret.

Reviews

[Dave1962uk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have come to the end of the five book adventures of Mark. I loved every book and how Mark developed. At first I did not like him by book five I loved him. I can't see anyway that Mr Alexander can write another sequel in this series which leaves me feeling sad.
I am looking forward to one day in the future when I can pick up book one "50 Reasons to Say Goodbye" again and start reading the whole series again.

Thank you Mr Alexander for hours of great reading.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last in the fify reasons series and I don't want to give any spoilers. I will say that I enjoyed it very much and that it gives one of the most satisfying endings I have read in a long time (Think Six feet under style). I hope that Nick begins a new series soon.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it. I read all five books this past week, and fell in love with Mark and following his life adventures. Today, I took several hours to read the last of the book, which should have taken me half an hour, simply because I wasn't ready for it to end. I knew the series would be over when I finished that 5th book, so I kept finding other things to get up and do, putting off the inevitable.
One thing I loved about the series...although I kept reading to see if Mark would ever find 'the one', it wasn't so much a romance. It didn't follow the typical romance formula. When something bad happened, it might not get fixed in the end. Characters couldn't always be taken at face value. They were not stereotypical in any way, and were always interesting.
Nick, I can't wait to read The Case of the Missing Boyfriend, and anything else you publish!

[D.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really found this one of those dont want to get to the end but have to find out what happened books... and I wasnt disappointed for a second... as with the whole series I laughed and cried along with Mark and his friends and was sorry to say goodbye to them.... but satisfied with the ending Nick Alexander chose for the characters I had quickly come to love

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really liked this book. This is the second book that I have read by this author and it was both entertaining and poignant at times. Nick Alexander is very good at examining and describing the relationship between people and their failings. I look forward to reading more of his work.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this wonderful book and wonderful series. I would recommend the 50 Reasons series to anyone who enjoys rich, complex and deep characters. The ending was surprising but felt right. I look forward to future books by Alexander.

[Anwen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing series, it just keeps getting better and better. I'd almost advise skipping the first one, then read the rest in order. They get so much deeper as you go along. Well worth reading.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark is living an almost idyllic life in Colombia with Ricardo when circumstances throw him back into the lives of Jenny and Sarah in a big way, and to some extent Tom's. Separated from Ricardo, he doubts if their seemingly perfect relationship can last. He also has to rebuild bridges with Jenny and put up with Tom's hostility. Feeling like his life is not his own, Mark must decide if the happiness he's craved for so long is realistic, unattainable, or accept that it involves some blissful ignorance. The fifth and final book in the series, this one felt more poignant and involving, partly having got to know the characters and partly due to the nature of the story around Jenny. We get some chapters from the perspective of Jenny and Ricardo this time, and we get an idea of how it all turns out for the characters in the longrun.

[scott flint · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series

Loved this series of books, Mark on a journey through life like we all do, funny, witty, real emotion. Makes me think of my own life and how choice, people, towns, cities, jobs come and go. But the people we need in our lives remain throughout.

[georgina sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last!

Ploughed through all five books and glad that this one finished happily. Sorry to be a spoiler! Nick writes really easily and the books are fun.

[Karen Team-orange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Clever ending. By the end of the fourth book Mark was irritating me and I wasn’t sure I’d actually read this one. Glad I did.

[Christopher Winterburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved all five books. My only regret of reading them is that the story has come to an end. I think I'd like Mark as a friend. His life has been so full of ups and downs. He's lived in interesting places and met some very interesting people and found himself in some bizarre situations.

While I want Mark as a friend, it's Tom who I think I'm most strongly attracted to. Although deceptive, he's the more honest person as in that he doesn't place the same expectations on himself as Mark does on himself. Plus I think I'm more in tune with Tom's humour and his sexuality.

My favourite characters therefore are, Mark, Tom, Jenny (I want as my FagHag) and of course Paloma the cat.

A few things haven't been answered but I can't say no more on that because there'd be spoilers involved.

I recommend that gay or straight, you read this series of books and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of secrets and lies continues in this fifth part of the Fifty Reasons series. The life of self-obsessed Mark continues its meander through relationships.

Nick Alexander's writing style is pedestrian but the story is plausible. Ultimately you want to find out what happens to the characters, even if the leading man is not particularly likeable. Altruism is an important human trait and I began to wonder of Nick Alexander had ever heard of it. By the end of the story there are glimpses, but otherwise everyone is driven by his or her own desires and little else.

The hurried ending, though, might bring a tear to the eye.

[Lance Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different book to the first in the series, and (forgiving some chronology funding) much more layered with plenty of tension.

As with other books in the series, some of the decisions made by characters struck me as cold (amoral?) - and this seemed common to all major gay characters - but then everyone is different.

Definitely worth a read.

[Kevin Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, powerful stuff.
This is a beautifully written book that is charged with emotion and human understanding. I'm so glad I read the set.
I'm not saying anymore because I don't want to give anything away.

[Ruth Johnstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this series of books and am sad that it is ended, I shall miss Mark and Jenny, but was happy with the way it ended.