Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this “skin-crawling story of pop culture fandom and ‘90s nostalgia” (Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Woods) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.
Child death, death, child abuse.
Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.
Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.
After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .
Don't just take our word for it...
“Mister Magic is a propulsive, exciting, often genuinely scary, endlessly compelling mystery. Imagine a trip through Twin Peaks by way of Stranger Things and Stephen King’s It.”
– Terry Miles, author of Rabbits
“In this skin-crawling story of pop culture fandom and ’90s nostalgia, Kiersten White fully delivers on her gripping premise: the troubled reunion, thirty years later, of the cast of a magical kids’ show that exists only in its viewers’ memories. Mister Magic walks the twilit line between wonder and terror where all the best childhood games are played.”
– Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
“It meets The Stepford Wives in this wildly compelling story that explores whether it’s possible to recapture the magic of childhood friendship and what happens when you discover the darkness hiding underneath your memories. White’s writing is guaranteed to hook you. Be careful cracking this open; Mister Magic will pull you in like a riptide.”
– Mallory O’Meara, Los Angeles Times bestselling author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon
Taste the very first page
Your favorite childhood television program feels like a fever dream.
You don’t remember it at all until I start humming the theme song and then—oh, I can see it in your eyes. That wash of images, ideas, feelings.
Because that’s what you remember. Not the title of the show. (Was it Mister Magic? The Magic Show? Magic Time? Everyone will tell you something slightly different.) Not any of the plots or individual episodes. Not even the names of the six children who were as real to you as your own friends.
You only remember how it made you feel.
The excitement when those kids stood in a circle in that feature- less black room, said the magic words, and then threw that ephemeral cape up into the air. The terrible, delicious tension as you watched it drift down, impossibly slow. Waiting. Hoping. Always with the strangest undercurrent of fear that maybe this time it would fall straight to the floor, nothing special or wonderful re- vealed, the magic lost. And then a release of breath and clapping as the cape elegantly defines the sudden figure of Mister Magic himself.
He’s an impression more than he’s a man. Top hat, looming presence. The black background coming to life with just a splash of red on the underside of his cape…
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