Thanks very much to Detective Kevin Manning of the Las Vegas Police Department and to Leo Behnke, magician, for valuable help in guiding the author through unknown terrain. Thanks are due as well to Sam and Elisabeth Johnson for their unflagging support. A tip of the hat to Sara Murray for useful comments upon reading the manuscript. And cheers, as always, to Elaine Markson, to Joe Blades, and to everyone at Ballantine who helped bring the book into print.
When acknowledging assistance, it would not be right to omit mention of the following books, which provided valuable information about the book’s subject matter: Voodoo: Search for the Spirit by Laennec Hurbon, Panorama of Magic by Milbourne Christopher, The Art of Deception by Chuck Romano, Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic by David Blaine, and the fascinating Net of Magic by Lee Siegel.