Magic Hour is narrated in first person by its central character. His observations and movements are studded with brisk dialogue as he interviews various suspects and otherwise goes about his business.

Although his conversation lacks the snappy humor that some of Isaacs's heroines show, there are many references to movies, fast-food chains, and other features of popular culture.

In the love story, the two bedroom scenes are only slightly explicit, but they are framed in a setting of time and light that transforms raw passion into romance. The novel's tide comes from this same hour, also a cinematic term, the time just after dawn or before dusk when light can do amazing things.