Book excerpt: A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! "This is a book in which storylines twist, spiral and come together again in an ending as explosive as a poof of smoke from your chimney...or a top hat."—Oprah.com Master of historical fiction Greer Macallister weaves the tale of a notorious female illusionist who stands accused of her husband's murder—and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her innocence. The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of the early 20th century, renowned for sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt in the audience, the magician swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden's husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear. But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless-and what she reveals seems unbelievable. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn the illusionist in or set her free... and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors. Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician's Lie, a spellbinding historical adventure of deception, fact, and the surprising number of truths in between. Also by Greer Macallister: Girl in Disguise Woman 99