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Carter Beats the Devil

by Glen David Gold - £10.99  Hodder & Stoughton (2002)
paperback    ISBN 13: 9780340794999 | ISBN 10: 0340794992

They shook hands yet again, and Houdini settled into the cab. As it pulled away from the curb, Carter waved, and Houdini rolled the window down, yelling 'And remember - from now on, you're Carter the Great'.
 
Charles Carter, dubbed Carter the Great by Houdini himself, was born into privilege but became a magician out of need: only when dazzling an audience can he defeat his fear of loneliness. But in 1920s America the stakes are growing higher, as technology and the cinema challenge the allure of magic and Carter's stunts become increasingly audacious. Until the night President Harding takes part in Carter's act only to die two hours later, and Carter finds himself pursued not only by the Secret Service but by a host of others desperate for the terrible secret they believe Harding confided in him.
 
Seamlessly blending reality and fiction, Gold lays before us a glittering and romantic panorama of our modern world at a point of irrevocable change.

"Wholly original...Gold's real aim is to recapture the lost era of the great illusionists and escapologists... and his plot - garish, crude, infernally clever - is precisely honed to the task: it is a triumph of misdirection, a nest of boxes constantly springing fresh surprises."
(Peter Preston, Guardian)

"A fire-breathing, lion-taming celebration of the golden age of magic... Stupendous yet warm, wonderfully detailed and true to life, Gold conjures the mystery, romance and exuberence of a time before televised entertainment with a verve worthy of any virtuoso performer."
(Observer)

(Price & availability last checked: June 2018)

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