Carter Beats the Devil; A Novel

New York: Hyperion, 2001. First paperback Edition [station] First printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Very good. [10], 483, [3] pages. Illustrations. Autogratphed copy sticker on front cover. Signed by author on the title page. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Glen David Gold (born 1964) is an American author, known as the writer of Carter Beats the Devil and Sunnyside. Gold received his BA from Wesleyan University and his MFA in creative writing at the University of California at Irvine. Carter Beats the Devil is a fictionalized biography of Charles Joseph Carter (1874-1936), an American illusionist performing from c. 1900 to 1936. He writes in a narrative style, and the book was hailed as a very respectable venture into historical fiction. It weas a New York Times Notable Book. His second novel, Sunnyside, was published in 2009. Short stories of his-including "The Tears of Squonk"-have appeared in a number of issues of McSweeney's. Carter Beats The Devil is a historical mystery thriller centred on the American stage magician Charles Joseph Carter (1874-1936). The 1920s was a golden age for stage magic and Carter is an American stage magician at the height of his fame. At the climax of his latest touring stage show, Carter invites President Warren G. Harding to take part in his act. In front of an amazed audience, Carter proceeds to chop the president into pieces, cut off his head, and feed him to a lion, before restoring him to health. Two hours later the president is dead, and Carter finds himself the center of unwelcome attention. The title comes from Carter's evening stage show, the third act was called "Carter Beats The Devil" and features Carter in a magician's duel with an assistant made up as the Devil. The major theme of Carter Beats The Devil is one of seemingly impossible escapes. This theme runs from Carter's first glimpse of magic as a child when he is imprisoned in the cellar of his parents' house to the final, most impossible, death defying escape of all. Another theme is the way different things inspire wonder. Another theme is that of achievements being made in secret. Carter's greatest trick is performed to the knowledge of only a few close people.