America in the 1920's is a nation obsessed with magic. Enter Charles Carter — called Carter the Great. Fueled by a passion for magic borne out of childhood desperation and loneliness, Carter has become a legend in his own time.Carter the Great's thrilling act involves outrageous stunts carried out on elaborate sets before the most demanding of audiences. But nothing in his career prepares him for his most outrageous stunt of all, which stars none other than president Warren G. Harding and could and up costing Carter the reputation he has worked so hard to create.Filled with historical references that evoke the excesses and exuberance of Roaring 20's pre-Depression America, Carter Beats the Devil is a complex and illuminating story of one man's journey through a magical — and sometimes dangerous — world, where illusion is everything.