Charles Carter was a real person and this historical story about him set in the time of vaudeville and swirling around President Warren G. Harding is nothing short of a fun (if a bit long) read.

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One of my two favorite books of all time! (The other being "A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving.) I loved the characters so much that I was sad when the book ended. It is a thrilling read, very fun, good sense of humor. Astonishing that it's based in fact.

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Wonderful, fun book!!

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Fantastic journey to and through magic. A must read.

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One of my favorite novels in recent years. This is the story of a magician (Carter)in late nineteenth/early twentieth century San Francisco. The plot flashes between the present, where Carter is suspected of having killed Warren Harding, and past events in Carter's life. Gold creates a really vivd sense of time and place, the characters are interesting, and it's just a very fun book with an engaging mystery.

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Terrific book! This novel caught my interest immediately and kept me riveted. Excellent character development, spot-on historical detail, fascinating explanation of vaudeville magic shows, plus the inventor of television! Great ending, too. My highest recommendation.

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Excellent read. I highly recommend this book.

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Fast paced, well researched, illuminating insight into the world of magic in it's heyday in the 20's.

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