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Who Killed The King By Kostya Kimlat Reviewed

Five props, written instructions, a very clever plot and $30 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect

Watch the demo to get the full effect. However, in a nutshell, it's a fun story about the design and artwork inherent in most standard decks of playing cards. It ends with a revelation of a selected card as further evidence/proof regarding the murder mystery story you're telling.

Method

You just need a card force, and you're good. The rest is 100% pure presentation and will live or die based on your personality. If you can force a card, you can do this effect. Totally easy and doable.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is accurate. No outrageous claims, just a clear description of what happens. The only issue I found was that the ad copy claimed that you get "10 custom printed jumbo cards." This is somewhat accurate. There are actually 5 physical cards. They are printed on both sides. So you end up with images of 4 kings, 4 queens (queens are on the back of the kinds) and the image of the "scattered card" on the back of the 6 of Spades.

So you're not actually getting 10 separate cards. You're getting 5 separate cards with the other five printed on the backs. For the handling of the routine, this is fine and will not impede your ability to perform, but I just want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting. Further, you don't even need to use the jumbo cards at all, especially if you're performing close up. You can just use a regular deck of Bicycle cards.

Product Quality

The jumbo cards are very well made and durable. They're some sort of plastic-ish cardboard. They're perfect for a parlor show. The instructions are a bit sparse and a little bit confusing. They're printed on two separate pieces of paper. On the one paper is the presentation with footnote numbers. On the other sheet is a list of instructions with the footnote numbers from the other page. The read through was a bit of back-and-forth between each sheet. It could have been a bit more organized. However, it's a short read, and the concept is so simple that it's not hard to figure stuff out.

Final Thoughts

I rarely mention other reviews in my own reviews. However, on occasion I do make exceptions. So here's one of those rare exceptions. In a review that I recently read, there was a negative comment about the "scatter" card force and how "transparent" it is. While I do agree with this, Kimlat says that you don't need to use it all. The other complaint I heard about this was that your paying for a presentation that you can see for free on the video demo. Well, that's sort of true.

You're also paying for the very well made cards. Further, this is a story/presentational idea that Kimlat came up with on his own by combining two different things he (and others) noticed about standard decks of cards. He also added a nice little piece contributed by Shawn Farquhar. So if you were to just take his presentation without paying for it, I think that's a bit dishonest unless you've been to his lecture and/or he gave you permission.

Bottom line: this is a solid routine with a method that's so easy and so clever that any one can do it. It's a top quality set of props that will last a while. If this fits your performance style, then you'll be very happy with your purchase.

Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.