Hobart, 1974. Australia's first legal casino has just opened, and lawyer William Clarin is betting on a political career to salvage his floundering legal practice.

But when some American gangsters mistakenly assume he's nicknamed The Magician because he can make criminal charges vanish, William faces a stark choice: fight or flee.

On the run and out of his depth, he finds himself outgunned, outmuscled—and very much at sea.

He'll need more than sleight of hand to survive.

This fast-paced novella sets the stage for the darkly comic mystery of Mad Bill's Island.