"The Rosini Secret" booklet by Docc Hilford
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

"The Rosini Secret", a booklet by Docc Hilford, takes an old idea, throws some very clever thinking at it, and in the end creates a fascinating and lives up the hype of being "the ultimate in close-up billet reading" if you're not too much of a purist.

This is one time the description won't do this one justice and, since we're being honest here, seems nonsensical. The spectator writes down a question on a piece of paper, folding it. The performer brings out a deck of cards in their case and uses it to display the folded paper. The paper is returned to spectator and the cards removed from the box and shuffled by the spectator who removed five cards. The deck is returned to the box and put away. The paper is burned and the performer, through an interpretation of the five cards, reveals the spectator's question.

If that routine seems disjointed and weird to you, chalk it up to my trying to be cagey and not tip off everything in the process of writing this review. In reality, the routine is straightforward in handling and the presentation makes everything as logical as you could ask for. But then, I don't know why I'm going out of my way to be so cryptic with things: Hilford himself tell how this works in his own ad copy:

A special card box switches the paper.

Oh, but if only all our secrets were so damn simple.

In reality, that's not the secret here. Sure, it's the mechanism that accomplishes the work, but the real work is the handling and psychological bits that make this work so well. For my money, it's the way Hilford has arranged this so that reseting things is quick and easy, making this perfect for strolling work. That's huge for folks like me and really makes this something special.

Okay, let's get to details.

First, the card box is gimmicked and you do this yourself. If you've read much of my writings, you know how dangerous this can be for me. I had the box in "The Rosini Secret" made in a couple of minutes without no problems whatsoever. You will have no problems putting this one together. As an aside for those in the know, think "really simple Angel Case" and you've got the right idea.

Second, this is a gutsy piece of work when it's read, but nowhere near as bold as it appears in print. This is really one where you have to take it out for a spin to appreciate the beauty of it.

Third, Hilford kept the strolling pro in mind for this one. The deck is perfectly ordinary and can be used for other things. The box is the only thing gimmicked here and otherwise functions as a card box should. You're a bit dirty with it -- you'll need to be careful about handling it -- but this is not a routine where you'll find yourself pocket-heavy.

All in all, if you're looking for a way to do readings in the usually-difficult venue of strolling and walk-around, then by all means do yourself a favor and pick up "The Rosini Secret"; you won't regret it: this is Hilford's best work to date.

Now, I should by all rights ends the review there, but I've got to address some things just for the sake of completeness and my own sanity.

Hilford begins this booklet by telling how his grandparents had been blown away by Paul Rosini and his strolling billet routine that used a deck of cards. Hilford decided to find the method Rosini used that made this such a reputation-maker in the eyes of his grandparents and "The Rosini Secret" was born. Of course, no one is in a position to say that this was the method Rosini used or not, but it's a fine idea regardless. The basic idea was described by Audley Walsh in his routine, "Your Fortune, Miss!" that appeared in Anneman's booklet, "Full Deck of Impromptu Tricks". This routine even uses five cards, just as Hilford writes and as his grandparents remembered. However, it also involved ducking and dodging (my way of looking down my nose at effects that require the performer to turn his back to accomplish the dirty work). Hilford's method does away with that and, in the end, improved of the Walsh routine immensely.

Of course I said all of that just to head off anyone thinking that this is simply a repackaging of an old idea. It's a re-tooling, really, and it's a great one.

So there you have it: pretty much all that can be said for "The Rosini Secret". I said it before and I'll say it again, if you're looking for a way to do close-up billet readings without the usual baggage, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. You won't regret it.

"The Rosini Secret" booklet by Docc Hilford
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

Material: 10
It's Audley Walsh on steroids, as complete an exposition as you can ask for on doing a marvelous reading pretty much any time and anywhere: all you need is Hilford's thinking and the gimmicked card box (something delightfully easy to make). All in all, this is excellent work.

Quality: 5
It's Hilford, which means there are some pretty low production values at work here. Overall, though, there's nothing to keep you from learning the material and getting the most from it.

Illustrations: 5
There are a few black-and-white photos that help you learn things when the going gets a little confusing.

Presentation: 10
This is gutsy, sure, but it's also clean in appearance and completely baffling. That makes this one a keeper.

Shane