The Event, The (Paperback)

London, 1855. Bianco, the magician, is at the height of his powers. His telepathic gifts have made him famous throughout Europe - the Prussian secret service want to hire him to devine the secrets of their French counterparts. At a public meeting held to consecrate his fame, Bianco is undermined by a conspiracy of the Paris positivists. Exposed as a charlatan, he is forced to flee to the pampas of Argentina where he takes up with Gina whose voluptuousness matches her promiscuity. His career destroyed, his personal life riven with jealousy, Bianco descends into madness. A fast page-turner, The Event is also an elegant reflection on the control of knowledge by the first world.