A noir tale set in the back drop of inter war and depression era America exploring the worlds of carnivals, magic, and spiritual con artists.

The Story of Stan Carlisle is tragic and gripping as we follow his decent from promise to wickedness.

More interesting though is the pedagogy of the book as a way to explore the archetypes of the tarots major arcana. Gresham uses the guise of noir story telling to educate his audience and personally explore the meaning and relation of the cards in an effort to come to terms with his own troubles and personal demons.