Rating: 
Summary: Radio Reader
Review: I first heard this book read on Dick Estell's Radio Reader. I was entranced! I've since bought the book, and I enjoyed it even more reading it myself. A great story, with an interesting perspective on a period piece.
Rating:
Summary: A Trip Through History to Make You Smile
Review: This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip through two areas the author obviously loves: magic and the first decades of the last century. Mr. Gold weaves fact, history and real magical illusions through the novel. I wished there had been an accompanying chart of what was true and what was fiction.The story line is a good one as it traces the life in magic (and out) of Charles Carter. Either fortunately or unfortunately, I did not realize Carter was a real character until I read the notes at the end of the book. Thinking him fictitious, I found him very sympathetic as a main character in a novel. Knowing now he is real, I am more curious to know what was real and what was conjured about the magician. The novel reads smoothly and keps the reader's interest consistently throughout. I can not think of a topic/scene/time period in the book that I disliked.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, entertaining journey!
Review: It's been about a year since my first read of this book. Nevertheless, I remember this book as one of my favorites. Mr. Gold creates very believable characters in a time when cars and motorcycles were new and television was a mere idea. Gold also takes us deep within the world of magic--a fantastic tour for those even slightly interested. I could not stop turning pages and hesitated to put it down. This book is one of the rare books I've read that, when completed, I felt let-down--only because the ride/journey was over. THE BOOK DOES NOT DISAPPOINT--only the realization that you've turned the last page is a disappointment. It is indeed a journey you wish could go on forever. I find myself thinking back to this book occasionally with very fond memories. Five stars, without a doubt.
Rating:
Summary: The novel left me wonderfully touched
Review: First of all, physically this is an amazing piece of bookcraft. The design is wonderfully meaningful. The book is divided into the acts of Carter's acts, there are wonderful repro's of posters throughout. But that is not what this review is about, it is about the book itself. It has been a long time since I read a work that so touched me and was so vivid and emotional. The story is a wonderful epic, despite what another reviewer from Northridge, who thinks romance novels are important literature, has said. There is such an immense amount of historical fabric, when I had the chance to speak with the author, I asked him what was really fiction and what was historical. Actually the amount of history in the book is even more than I thought. He even knew more about that slice of regional history than he let on in the book. For example, he knew why Carter could walk his lion in the park. The was a law on the Mayor's desk prohibiting such behavior in public, but it was never signed. His description of magic effects is vivid and accurate, having involved some great people in the magic community. Glen is not a magician, but tells the story of Carter because it is so colorful, exotic and full of passion. In short, the author, a long professional writer but a new novelist, has put together a truly wonderful, magical adventure. It follows Carter from childhood to his later years, living his passion for magic and for finding his true love. I was better for having read it. I am looking for this to be a motion picture. It is one of the most prized books in my extensive library.
Rating:
Summary: no illusions or deception; "Carter" is a terrific novel
Review: Combining riveting storytelling, engrossing characterization and exquisite descriptive writing, "Carter Beats the Devil" is an extraordinary novel. Glen David Gold has transformed the life of Charles Carter, stage magician, into a compulsively readable account of one man's search for artistic and personal integrity. On the surface, "Carter" reads as a melodramatic account of the struggles and successes of a dedicated, quiet magician; drawing on the magician's need for "misdirection," Gold subtlely converts Carter's life into a symbolic representation of the American success quest, of decency combatting evil and of the possibilities of love overcoming existential loneliness. It is a tale of reconciliation of the impossible with the possible and the growing awareness that life's paths often intertwine the two without our being aware of which steps lead us in which direction. There is magic on every page, the delightful demonstration of the performer's craft, to be sure, but also the stunning talent of a writer who assuredly holds his readers' attention in his hands. "Carter" reminds one of "Ragtime" and "Dreamland;" historical figures have significant or cameo appearances. Such luminaries as President Harding, Philo Farnsworth and Harry Houdini involve themselves in the intricacies of the action. Gold also involves the Secret Service and introduces a particularly affecting agent, Jack Griffin, whose tortured conscience matches his selfless devotion to a public service whose highest-ranking officials reek with moral corruption. Even the craft of stage magic receives scrutiny. The villainous Mysterioso, whose tendency towards mendacity is matched only by his cynical vanity, also comes to represent any talented individual who has lost passion for the beauty of his/her abilities but manipulates those skills for personal gain. "Carter" is an intensely moral novel, and no character better represents the quest for moral certainty than its protagonist, Charles Carter. The author's characterization of Charles Carter is at once both sympathetic and critical. Gold's comprehensive research into Carter's life permits him to draw a character whose isolated childhood induced the study and practice of magic. A terrifying episode with the family's garderner provides the impetus for what becomes a life-long courtship with illusion, escape and misdirection. Detached from his family's wealth but unsure of his own direction, Carter works his way from the bottom up as he sharpens his craft. Assiduously respectful of the artistry of illusion, he develops a respect for the ethics of magic -- whose core tenets involve self-discipline, an honoring of the participants (including animals) in a show and a consuming desire to create original material. Charles Carter is such a fully-developed character that it becomes easy to see how he would not fit into today's glitzy, self-absorbed culture. Carter is simply too honorable, too self-deprecating to mesh with the "superstar" mentality of our current era. In honoring the magician's admonishment that no details can be shared about the third act, this reviewer will abstain from details about Charles Carter's personal life, the inner and external conflicts he must wage in order to gain a sense of harmony on and off the state, and the implications that he may have been involved with the death of a President. The colorful cover of "Carter Beats the Devil" should lure passersby to purchase this marvelous novel and enter a world where the impossible becomes the expected and illusion supplants reality. Once you enter the domain of Charles Carter, you will surely be enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: Magical, entertaining combination of highbrow and lowbrow
Review: My favorite novels, particularly historical novels, perfectly capture the era in which they are set not just in the character and setting but also in the style they are written. I like my Victorian novels epic and sooty, for example. "Carter Beats the Devil", based (VERY loosely) on the actual life and career of Charles Carter (NOT Houdini, as implied by some other reviewers), a turn-of-the century magician, perfectly brings to life the 1920s era. The elaborate, tricky, and slightly melodramatic plot leaves me wondering 'what next' like an old "Perils of Pauline" silent film (the ones with the dame tied to the railroad tracks). It has the slightly slapstick quality of those movies, too. Even the modest romantic interludes have a 20s sincerity to them. It's as thrilling as a summer blockbuster movie, circa 1927. Since the book had a reputation as a 'literary' novel, I was surprised how well it worked as sheer entertainment. This doesn't mean it lacks depth, though. Carter (the magician character) is not what you think he is, a mystery to be worked out. The same is true of many of the characters. The author gets you to think about the meaning of deception and honesty, escape and confinement, even the price and value of freedom.
It's even more interesting to read because Gold borrows techniques from magic itself to accomplish this; the author is quite adept at slight-of-hand and misdirection. You will not soon guess how it ends!
Rating:
Summary: Adventure and thoughtfulness mesh against exotic background
Review: If you liked "Kavalier and Clay" (and I don't know anyone who didn't), you'll love this. It's full of idiosyncratic and lovable characters, adventure, loyalty and magic beyond just sleight of hand. Carter, the incredibly talented but shy and brooding magician, is someone who will stick with you long after you read the book. Every turn in the book is intriguing, and you think it's can't-put-it-down until the climax... and then you realize it's can't-stop-thinking-about-it.
Rating: 
Summary: No originality
Review: The two stars are for the gorgeous cover . . . and I would give 5 stars to the marketing of this novel, which pulled an elephant out of the hat to induce such high sales for an absolutely mundane novel. There was no character development, as the author just did a two bar change of real people. The King of Cards becomes an escape artist. (See Houdini, Harry 1874-1926) The premise of this book is "What if we did a mystery where Houdini is under investigation for murdering the President?" The characters inside the book are about as life like as the character on the cover and the dialogue is obvious and soooo conversational. There are no epic moments or grand entrances. Everyone is a predictable caricature of who they are supposed to be. I can't figure out why everyone is raving how the obscure Warren Harding makes an appearance. When did he become historically interesting? To give the devil his due, as it were, the story of Carter's childhood in the late 19th century had some interesting moments and the author should have developed more of that. Mr. Gold's attempt to turn the simple boy Carter into a man of the ages never got off the ground.
Rating: 
Summary: From 'Bang!' to 'Please be over soon!'
Review: The first two hundred pages or so of "Carter Beats the Devil" are taut with tension, rich with historical detail, alive with vivid characters and memorable wit. And then there's the rest of the book. Too much plot and too many details conspire to slow what had been a speeding locomotive down to a crawl. And for all the over-writing, you're still left wondering about what makes the characters tick. Strange, but many of America's brightest writers these days have trouble sustaining momentum even while they pile on the pages. Michael Chabon's "Kavalier & Clay" also got off to a great start and then dragged to an underwhelming finish (Pultizer not withstanding). Ditto "Empire Falls." Wonder if Carter could conjure up the spirit of O. Henry to give these guys a crash course in keeping it short, sweet and satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Less Than the Sum of Its Parts
Review: Carter Beats the Devil begins in flash of narrative razzle-dazzle, with magician Charles Carter vaguely implicated in the mysterious death of President Warren Harding. In the middle of this intriguing mystery it steps back in time to show young Carter's transformation from privledged child to lowly vaudeville performer to headliner and Houdini protege. Finally it returns to the initial narrative to solve its mysteries in a cinematic humdinger of a climax, with an unexpected twist to boot. Sounds like a great story, right? Unfortunately, inserted into the middle of the book are about two hundred pages where nothing happens, fatally damaging a novel that's all about flashy illusion and misdirection. Carter Beats the Devil has all the necessary elements of a terrific adventure story, but the author's literary aspirations and exhaustive historical research seem to get the better of him. The characters simply carry no subtext. They have have more than enough clever dialogue but no ability to show us emotion -- Gold must tell us, even while he's keeping major secrets, per the dictates of his plot. The end result is that while Carter makes a terrific action hero, he can't hold the stage in the absence of narrative movement. Battling bafflingly diabolical fellow magician Mysterioso or incompetent secret service agents Carter wows us. Driving aimlessly around San Francisco on his motorcycle, grieving for his long dead wife, he loses us. Once can easily imagine this material sharpened down into a terrific film, but as a novel it's as frustrating as it is entertaining.
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