Jack Carstares, the disgraced Earl of Wyncham, left England seven long years ago, sacrificing his honour for that of his brother when he was accused of cheating at cards. Now he is back, roaming his beloved South Country in the disguise of a highwayman. In such fashion, he encounters his old adversary, the libertine Duke of Andover.

Under the reign of Louis XV, Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon flourishes well. Then, from a dark Parisian back alley, he plucks Leon, a red-headed urchin with strangely familiar looks. Among the splendours of Versailles, Justin begins to unfold his sinister plans - until, that is, Leon becomes the ravishing beauty Leonie.

Soon after Sally Lockhart's father drowns at sea, she receives a strange anonymous letter. The dire warning it contains makes a man die of fear at her feet. Determined to discover the truth about her father's death, Sally is plunged into a mystery in the dark heart of Victorian London, at the centre of which lie a deadly blood-soaked jewel.

To most people, six-year-old Matt isn't a boy but a beast, dirty and disgusting. However, to El Patron, lord of a country called Opium, Matt is the guarantee of eternal life. El Patron loves him as he loves himself, for they share the same DNA. But surrounded by bodyguards, Matt longs for escape.

Reveals the cunning techniques employed by fire-eaters, sword swallowers, and other masters of deception to mystify and amaze audiences around the world. This book examines the direct predecessors of modern psychics and mentalists.