A long and complex novel, stretching over three cities (Sydney, London, and Cairo) from the mid-1930s to early 1940s, dealing basically with movie-making and movie exhibition. Nearly all the leading characters have some connection with the film industry. The main character is Marcus Caughey, a leading Australian film producer/director, who is making a movie with a horse-racing background, starring a fading Hollywood actress. Caughey has conflicts not only within his unit, but with his executive producer. The executive himself has problems as his company is facing a take-over bid from a large British organisation. One of the members of Caughey's unit is a young jockey he has hired to double the leading man whose riding skills are less than par. This lad is fired and then obtains a job selling candy in Sydney's number one movie palace. After a run-in with the assistant manager, the lad is fired from this job also. In the meantime, Caughey is forced to hire a private detective to find the lad because he needs him again to double his less than skilful star.
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The review of this Book prepared by John Reid