Mark kindly sent me a review copy of his new manuscript, Whisper Wallet. Thank you, Mark. What follows is my opinion, including what I see as the pros and cons of this release.

What you receive:

Two downloads: 1) A 27 page PDF document, well-written with clear instructions on how to make the wallet, along with presentation and routine ideas, and 2) a video file showing the peek in action.

What the wallet looks like:

As you can see from the photo and video Mark has provided at the links below, this is a minimalist, slim design wallet. It does not fold, and has two credit card slots on the front, and one credit card slot on the back.

https://i.imgur.com/oFej8VY.jpeg

https://vimeo.com/1193745118?fl=ip&fe=ec

Pros:

The wallet is made of leather, has a design and look that is about as minimal as it gets, allows either a folded or unfolded billet to be inserted in between two credit cards on the front, and, there is no need to go back to the wallet to remove something in order to get a full peek. The peek is obtained in the action of casually turning the wallet over to show both sides.

I am not aware of any other non-folding minimalist, slim design peek wallet where a full peek can be obtained using either a billet folded in half or an unfolded billet, and I believe this to be the major advantage of the Whisper Wallet. There are other wallets that allow a full peek of a folded billet, but these are folding wallets (bi-fold) such as Blind Man's Wallet or the Viper Wallet.

When I saw the video of the peek in action, I immediately said to myself, "I want one of these"! It is indeed a very clever design.

The detailed, photo-illustrated instructions provided are excellent.

Cons:

In my opinion, here are what I see as the main cons or disadvantages of the Whisper Wallet. The big one is, you have to build the wallet from scratch. Not buy a wallet and modify it. You actually have to build the wallet from raw materials. The manuscript provides links and suggestions for where to buy the materials, including leather, sheet metal, contact cement, etc. You will also need access to leather crafting tools, and a photo is shown of the tools Mark used to make his Whisper Wallet.

The wallet itself is not one you would use as your everyday wallet as there is only one pocket available to hold a bank card for actual use. The other pockets are gaffed and part of the secret method.

Summary:

I would love to own a Whisper Wallet. Unfortunately, my DIY skills are basic at best. Even with the excellent, detailed instructions provided in the manuscript, I would not attempt to make this wallet. I just do not have the skills. On the other hand, if you are an intermediate or advanced DIY craftsman, love to build things, and have the tools to do so, this may be for you.

As I suggested to Mark, it would be great if he works with one of the magic companies (or sells the rights, as he did with the SpyCat) so the wallet can be manufactured and purchased ready to use. If the complete wallet were available ready to use out of the box, I would immediately buy two

Over-all, I really like the look and design of the Whisper Wallet. It's clear Mark put in an enormous amount of time developing and prototyping this, and it is a very clever design, unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Well done, Mark.

Here is a link to the thread on L & G with ordering instructions:

https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view......orum=218

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Thank you for such a thoughtful and helpful review. Here's hoping a manufacturer will take this on to help those who do not have the necessary skills to make this.

Neil