The disappearance boy /

Mr. Edward (Teddy) Brookes has all the makings of a cad; he's ingratiating to a fault, always impeccably attired, and lives a lie. He's a magician by trade, hoping to breathe new life into an old turn at a seedy theater in Brighton in the lead-up to Princess Elizabeth's 1953 coronation. His smiling, attractive, and very pliable new assistant is Pamela Rose. Needless to say, Teddy has a history with his assistants. Out of sight, but very much at the center of this character-driven novel by the author of The House on Brooke Street and Skin Lane is Reggie, an orphan, crippled by polio, and a homosexual (to use the term of the period) at a time when that was a punishable offense. He's the "disappearance boy" whose job is to be always at the right place in good time to insure that the showier parts of Teddy's act shine. The shifting relationships among these three characters are the stuff of the novel. The big reveal when it comes has been well prepared for and satisfies. VERDICT This is a lovingly rendered snapshot of a vanished time and place with menace always lurking at the edges. Bartlett, who is also a playwright and has been artistic director of a major London playhouse, has written the perfect book for LGBT readers who are also fans of comedy duo Penn and Teller.-Bob Lunn, Kansas City, MO (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.