Carter Beats the Devil (Sceptre 21's) [Paperback]

With romance, magic and science as its central themes, Glen David Gold's impressive debut Carter Beats The Devil is an inspired delight, a dazzling combination of fact and fiction. Charles Carter is given his stage name "Carter the Great" by the legendary Harry Houdini and the jazz age of the early 1900s is clearly well researched, yet the romance and strong cast of characters must owe more to the imagination than to history.

The novel begins in 1923 with the most daring performance of Carter's life. Unfortunately, two hours into the performance, US President Harding is dead and the magician must flee the country, pursued by the Secret Service. This is only an instalment in Carter's amazing life though as we are guided from his childhood, where both the family servant and a circus freak bullied him, to his rise to stardom and his eventual performance in front of the president. Subsequently, the protagonist is crippled by loneliness, widowed and hunted down by those who believe him a murderer and yet he rises again and again to delight and fulfil the highest expectations of his audience. The strong narrative and storyline make for a compelling read. And Carter is such a magical character that you cannot fail to be touched by him--loving whom he does and hating his enemies.

This is an ambitious and compulsive novel and deserves all the praise that Carter himself received and more. If you like this, you may also be interested in reading Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay --Hannah Smith --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Here is a book - a first novel, no less - to blow you away. It seeks to stun and amaze and deceive and, always, to entertain...it works on every level'

(Guardian )

'An electrifying mystery tour from the turn of the 20th century to the end of the roaring twenties...[it] casts a spell that is sly, intoxicating, deceitful and enduring. Savour its every page'

(Independent )

'A quirky life story that transmutes into a John Buchan thriller...Engaging, comical and, yes, magical, this is a sure-fire contender for the debut novel of the year'

(Independent on Sunday )

'Casts a spell that is sly, intoxicating, deceitful and enduring.
Savour its every page'

'Engaging, comical and, yes, magical, this is a sure-fire contender for the debut novel of the year' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'[A] remarkable novel' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

‘Carter Beats the Devil is a big, mischievous, intelligent read – nice to see a bit of magic in fiction again’ --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'Engaging, comical and, yes, magical, this is a sure-fire contender for the debut novel of the year.' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

‘An extraordinary story ... a daredevil feat of writing that will remind you how much fun reading can be' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'Mesmerising ... the plot turns a dazzling array of somersaults ... Savour its every page' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'An enormously assured first novel' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'This pacy book rips along to a marvellous and truly unexpected denouement' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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 to discover 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.

Glen David Gold was born in Hollywood and raised in San Francisco where he began his life-long love of the strange and dazzling aspects of history. CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL is his first novel.