VOLUME 1

Vienna, city of light and scandal, where the powerful betray each other and extravagance reigns supreme. At the heart of this turmoil, William Ellsworth Robinson. To become the world’s greatest magician, he had to disappear: today, he is Chung Ling Soo, “the marvelous Chinese magician”.

On stage, he fascinates. Behind the scenes, he lies. To embody his character, he sacrificed everything: his origins, his name, his life… Born in New York in 1861, inspired by the mysteries of the Orient, he created a false identity as a Chinese magician and became a star around the world.

Unfortunately, when a wealthy Viennese family hires him for a private performance and the show turns to tragedy, rumours spread like a wildfire. All eyes turn to him and accuse him. Trapped, the illusionist must break the spell he cast himself: lift the mask, face his demons, and solve a crime of which he is the prime suspect.

And in a city where Freud dissects the human soul, who better than an illusionist to see beyond appearances?

His fate took a tragic turn in 1918, when his most famous magic trick, in which he defied death (four members of the audience shot at him), went wrong: one shot actually fired and he collapsed on stage. His last trick? Breaking the silence he had maintained for years by whispering, in English, before dying: “Oh my God, something’s happened.”

Welcome to the Cabinet of Illusions! Where appearances reign supreme… And where the truth can kill.

VOLUME 2 – March 2026 – 350 pp

The return of the Chung Ling Soo investigations.

Settled in Venice to prepare their new show at the sumptuous Teatro Rossini, the troupe of magician Chung Ling Soo is struck with fear: strange accidents, sabotage… the magician nearly loses his life. Chung Ling Soo realises that someone wants to destroy his show.

The old caretaker, Paolo Di Angelo, warns them that the Phantom of the Opera may be back. Everyone laughs… until he is found hanged.

To protect his identity, Will investigates under his two personas: Chung Ling Soo in the theatre, William Ellsworth Robinson in the alleys of La Serenissima.

His discoveries lead him to a mysterious building and into the bowels of the theatre, full of traps and secret passages, where masked men perform strange rituals.

Who wants to destroy them? Occultists, a cursed theatre… or an enemy capable of striking like a spirit passing through walls, canals and lagoons?

To survive, Chung Ling Soo will have to push his magic beyond illusion… to the point of flirting with witchcraft.