This has a lot going for it - really great characters, plenty of plot twists and turns, loads of suspense, and some very memorable scenes. I liked it very much despite it not being the type of thing I usually read (I usually prefer something a bit more sedate!). I think it's more suitable for a male readership really - especially the long descriptive passages about gadgets and weapons and vehicles which I found hard going. Overall though, a good read. Taking it to the York meetup tomorrow night.

Picked up at the York December Bookcrossers' Meetup.

I like to judge a book by its cover, and this had an attractive one!

I loved this. It was exciting, mysterious and magical right to the end. A very satisfying read. I said I'd take it along to Mel at the next Leeds Meetup.

I've been wanting to read this for a while so it was great to find that Maia had just finished it and had a copy to spare. I think this will be my next read when I've finished what i'm on at the moment.

I really enjoyed this and was surprised that it managed to keep me gripped right to the end as it is quite thick. I knew hardly anything about the golden age of magic so it was also really interesting and I was impressed with the amount of detail on the behind the scenes stuff that was included. I'll bring this back to the next Leeds meet.

Picked up at Leeds Meetup yesterday.

This book was great fun; rather a 'Boy's Own' kind of adventure, and quite different from my usual reading choices, but thoroughly enjoyable. It tells the story of Charles Carter, an American stage magician through the early part of the 20th century. It seems very well researched, based on the lives of theatrical performers of the time, and I liked the historical detail. Gold evokes the atmosphere and excitement of the theatre beautifully. The characters are engaging, and the twists and turns of the plot compelling. Both the story and the writing style are reminiscent of E.L Doctorow - I suppose Houdini's role in the book particularly brought to mind Doctorow's 'Ragtime', which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys 'Carter Beats the Devil'.
Good stuff!

Wow, what an excellent set of reviews from it's previous readers. Looking forward to digging into this one once I have finished with the medieval history tome I am currently wrestling with. :)

Review here.

really enjoyed the plot twists and turns.

RELEASE NOTES:

We all loved this book, let's see if we can get another reader for it next month... :)

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to find a new reader.

This is being released as part of my own challenge to release another 500 books by 28/09/10, my progress can be tracked on http://101ofawolf.blogspot.com/.

If you're a local we'd love to see you at the monthly Leeds Bookcrosser meet, we're a friendly group who like swapping books over a couple of drinks. Check us out on our homepage - http://bookcrossing.meetup.com/9/. :)