The Magician's Nephew

Why it matters

Stage illusion and occult conviction produce an atmospheric case in which misdirection is both craft and worldview.

A children's magic-show assistant is poisoned as an occult dispute gathers around an exceptionally rare book.

During a children's magic show, an assistant collapses after exposure to poison associated with an Ecuadorian frog. The investigation reaches Ernest Balliol, an enthusiastic occultist, and writer Aloysius Wilmington, whose scepticism has made their rivalry part intellectual combat and part personal feud.

A rare occult volume becomes a focal point as further deaths follow. Barnaby and Jones test supposed supernatural forces against access, performance technique and ordinary acquisitiveness, while the magician's equipment repeatedly demonstrates how easily attention can be steered away from the important action.

• Stage magic
• Occult book
• Rare poison