Given that the central char­acter of this book is a stage magician, it’s probably not sur­prising that the reviewers quoted on the jacket, in seeking to praise the book, have bor­rowed so many phrases from the world of illusion and pres­ti­di­git­ation. It’s cer­tainly an elegant read, full of charm, mis­dir­ection and the occa­sional pyrotechnic.

I was sur­prised that this book seemed to have been so well received when it was pub­lished in 2001. Not because it isn’t good, but because it seems in many ways unfash­ionable. Gold doesn’t come across as a showy writer, but his precise, effortless descrip­tions of action and motive are always eco­nomical and often beau­tiful. And he’s bril­liant at con­structing scenes, par­tic­u­larly in the second half, giving the book all the qual­ities of a great thriller.

Gold’s finest achievement, though, is his hero, Charles Carter: based on a real magician, but brought to life with all the char­acter and com­plexity that fiction can supply.