Bristol, 1896. Used to scraping a living as the young assistant to an ageing con artist, Cecily Marsden’s life is turned upside down when her master suddenly dies.
Believing herself to blame, could young Cec somehow have powers she little understands?
Meanwhile Eadie Carleton, a pioneering early film-maker, struggles for her talent to be taken seriously in a male-dominated world, and a brilliant young magician, George Perris, begins to see the potential in moving pictures.
George believes that if he can harness this new technology, it will revolutionise the world of magic forever — but in order to achieve his dreams, he must first win over Miss Carleton.
As a group of illusionists prepare for a grand spectacle, Cec, Eadie and George’s worlds collide.
But Cec soon finds herself facing the fight of her life to save the performance from sabotage — and harness the element of real magic held deep within her.
The Illusions by Liz Hyder is published on 22 June, 2023.
Liz has written a feature about the real film-makers and magicians who flourished in Britain at the end of the 19th century.
