Reviewed by: Eric Rose

Jim Pace is a working magician with a strong real-world repertoire. He’s authored The Restaurant Worker’s Handbook, Jim Pace’s A Material and is featured in Jerry MacGregor’s Real World Magic. He’s also created a great deal of magic for the magic marketplace. Most memorably, Jim Pace invented The Web – still the best offering to date for magicians who want spectators to foul their pants over a packet trick.

Jim Pace’s Hot Leads allows a magician to make an impression with their business card. Now, a lot of tricks and gimmicks have been created to make handing out your business card a memorable event. Books have been written on the topic. Pace, however, has taken the idea up a notch by allowing you to hand out a burning business card. On fire. Flaming. Jim Pace apparently has this thing for fire. He invented Inviso-Torch and several flash fire effects. Hot Leads is his latest fire offering and it does make an impression. You open a pleasant leather business card wallet and as you remove your business card the business card bursts into flames! You shake the card a couple times to put out the fire and hand the card to your mark. Your hand and the card are clean – no gaffs or big clunky faux-flesh colored igniters. The wallet (and a little lighter fluid) does all the work for you.

The good news about this trick? It does exactly what it’s supposed to. It gets people’s attention. The flames on the card are huge and look ominous. It makes me think of that fire starter chick from the movie Hellboy. You can play it just about any way you want – be surprised, nonchalant, or my favorite, a throw-away. Just shake out the flames, hand them the card and ask, “May I have one of yours?” as if nothing had happened.

The downside? Well, it is fire, and fire has the ability to hurt you, hurt spectators, and burn down poorly lit Rhode Island nightclubs as well as cities like Chicago and San Francisco. This is not for kids. Let me repeat, just in case you missed that.

THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS! THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS! THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS! Other concerns you should know about: The igniter makes a bit of noise when you light it. Pace doesn’t mind it, but I found that you can disguise the sound by slightly riffling or snapping the end of the business cards as you light the igniter. The card smells a little lighter fluidy. Mr. Pace claims that you can reduce the odor by mixing in a wee bit of cologne. I have not tried that. You may also check different types of lighter fluid to find one that has less odor. Some smell worse than others (just ask Ed about the nasty cheap lighter fluid he bought one time if you don’t believe me.)

All in all, this trick looks great, but like other fire tricks, it isn’t for everyone. [THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS!] However, for those individuals experienced with fire or willing to take responsibility for their own actions, thereby absolving all magic shops and magic reviewers from liability, it’s a nice effect. Check this one out.