But the enigmatic newcomer has more to hide than the tricks of his trade -- his mysterious identity and his closely guarded privacy arouse suspicion and jealousy -- and while he cures Sparta of its midwinter ennui, he also unleashes a destructive force that rocks the foundations of this town to its core. Inspired in part by a true story, The Illusionist is a fiercely erotic novel that thwarts conventions of gender and love.