Screenwriter (The Last Sign
) and former film critic Base entertains with this inventive and evocative novel of 1928 Hollywood, which follows Brae Orrack, a "magic man" who can turn stones into bees and is under a curse that will kill him in one month unless he finds "that which cannot be found." The elusive object is love, and his cousin, a witch, has convinced him that he can find love in Hollywood. Orrack's search leads to fortuitous encounters with several Hollywood legends: Gary Cooper, "It" girl Clara Bow and George Raft all play important parts in Orrack's odyssey. When Orrack meets adventuress Nell Devereaux, he thinks that he's finally found the one, but Nell's jealous paramour, Cuban dictator Gerardo Machado, kidnaps her and escapes to Cuba with Orrack in hot pursuit. In a novel filled with surprises, Base saves the biggest for last. There's something for everyone: humor, mystery, suspense, nostalgia and, of course, a little magic. (Aug.)
