Why a Booktrail?
1940s: The war is raging but there is a rumour that the Nazis have an interest in the occult
The Grand Illusion
What you need to know before your trail
As World War Two rages, Daphne Devine remains in London, performing each night as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique.
Then the secret service call.
For, aware of Hitler’s belief in the occult, the war office has set up a hidden cohort to exploit this quirk in the enemy’s chain of command.
Daphne and Jonty find themselves far from the glitz and glamour of the theatre, deep inside the lower levels of Wormwood Scrubs prison. Here, they join secret ranks of occultists, surrealists, and other eccentrics co-opted to the war effort. There is one goal: to avert invasion on British shores.
Soon Daphne realises she must risk everything if there is any chance of saving her country
Locations
Reset- England - Surrey/Hampshire
- E: Farnham Castle
- F: New Forest National Park
- G: The Canadian War Memorial
Travel Guide
London and beyond
Some fascinating places in this book! London is the main setting and we have the war museums and government buildings but it’s when we get to Farnham castle and the New Forest that the real story emerges.
If you can get to any of the sites on the map, do so. The author note explains more about how she researched in these places and what they mean to the story. Fascinating!
The magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique was inspired by the very real magician Jasper Maskelyne. He is most remembered for his accounts of his work for the British military during the Second World War, in which he claimed to have created large-scale ruses, deception, and camouflage in an effort to defeat the Nazis
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Grand Illusion
Destination: London, Hampshire, Surrey Author/guide: Syd Moore Departure Time: 1940s
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