Publisher Description

The Last Magician is about power and betrayal, sexual obsession and social ostracism. At its center is Lucy, a good girl and a whore, whose nights are spent in a kaleidoscope of identities as she dons the masks her customers demand. Charlie is a photographer, filmmaker, voyeur, and the last magician—monitoring Lucy, piecing together the splinters of evidence surrounding the death of a child and a murder that happened half a lifetime ago. A New York Times Notable Book. Reading group guide included.

Author Biography

Janette Turner Hospital received Australia's Patrick White Award for lifetime literary achievement, and is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of South Carolina. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

Review

"Evocative settings, characters we care deeply about, and language that is entrancingly lyrical." -- New York Times Book Review "One of the most powerful and innovative writers in the English language today." -- Times Literary Supplement "A highwire act...[that holds] us with attention riveted, breath held." -- Washington Post Book World "From tantalizing start to dizzying conclusion, the novel's pleasures...operate on a grand scale." -- Chicago Tribune

Review Text

Evocative settings, characters we care deeply about, and language that is entrancingly lyrical.

Review Quote

"One of the most powerful and innovative writers in the English language today."

Details