The Girl in the Glass - by Jeffrey Ford (Paperback)

About the Book

The Great Depression has bound a nation in despair -- and only a privileged few have risen above it: the exorbitantly wealthy ... and the hucksters who feed upon them. Diego, a seventeen-year-old illegal Mexican immigrant rescued from the depths of poverty, owes his salvation to Thomas Schell, spiritual medium and master grifter. At the knee of his loving -- and beloved -- surrogate father, Diego has learned the most honored tricks of the trade. Along with Schell's gruff and powerful partner, Antony Cleopatra, the three

Book Synopsis

The Great Depression has bound a nation in despair -- and only a privileged few have risen above it: the exorbitantly wealthy ... and the hucksters who feed upon them. Diego, a seventeen-year-old illegal Mexican immigrant, owes his salvation to master grifter Thomas Schell. Together with Schell's gruff and powerful partner, they sail comfortably through hard times, scamming New York's grieving rich with elaborate, ingeniously staged séances -- until an impossible occurrence changes everything.

While "communing with spirits," Schell sees an image of a young girl in a pane of glass, silently entreating the con man for help. Though well aware that his otherworldly "powers" are a sham, Schell inexplicably offers his services to help find the lost child -- drawing Diego along with him into a tangled maze of deadly secrets and terrible experimentation.

At once a hypnotically compelling mystery and a stunningly evocative portrait of Depression-era New York, The Girl in the Glass is a masterly literary adventure from a writer of exemplary vision and skill.

Review Quotes

"Off-beat, thoroughly researched . . . [Ford has] crafted an engaging read." -- Publishers Weekly

"You may gallop through [THE GIRL IN THE GLASS] for entertainment, but it will go on to haunt you." -- Locus

"Schell [is] an intriguing scoundrel, as if Sherlock Holmes had a Moriarity taint in his gene pool." -- Kirkus Reviews

"THE GIRL IN THE GLASS grabbed me and wouldn't let go . . . A spellbinding story, splendidly told." -- Globe and Mail (Toronto)