{"product_id":"2940170354382","title":"The Book of Illusions","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter losing his wife and two young sons in an airplane crash, professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours in a blur of alcoholic grief and self-pity. Then, watching television one night, he sees a clip from a lost film by the silent comedian Hector Mann. Zimmer soon finds himself embarking on a journey around the world to study the works of this mysterious figure, who vanished from sight in 1929.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePresumed dead for sixty years, Hector Mann was a comic genius who had flashed briefly across American movie screens, tantalizing the public with the promise of a brilliant future. Then, just as the silent era came to an end, he walked out of his house one January morning and was never heard from again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZimmer's research leads him to write the first full-length study of Hector's films. Upon publication the following year, a letter turns up bearing a return address from New Mexico -- supposedly written by Hector's wife. \"Hector has read your book and would like to meet you. Are you interested in paying us a visit?\" Is the letter a hoax, or is Hector Mann still alive? Torn between doubt and belief, Zimmer hesitates, until one night a strange woman appears on his doorstep and makes the decision from him, changing his life forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47102339088624,"sku":"2940170354382","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170354382_p0.jpg?v=1763798083","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170354382","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}