Jake Arnott made his name with his gangster debut The Long Firm, but now he’s turned his hand to a very different period of history in his new novel, The Devil’s Paintbrush. Here’s a taste of what it’s all about.

Paris, 1903. Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire, is facing ruin in a shocking homosexual scandal when he meets the notorious occultist, Aleister Crowley. As they set out into the night on a wild journey through the sinful city, the story of Macdonald’s tragedy begins to unfold – with startling revelations both for the General and the aspiring magician.

Those lovely people at Sceptre have given us some cool prizes to celebrate the release of the book on May 28th: the winner will receive a copy of the hardback, plus a pack of special commemorative playing card; and for four runners up, there will be a pack of the special cards.

To enter, all you have to do is answer the following question:

Which rock star sang a song named after Aleister Crowley?

a. Phil Collins

b. Neil Diamond

c. Ozzy Osbourne

Terms and conditions

1. Closing date for entries: 27th May 2009.
2. Open to residents of the United Kingdom only.
3. Entry to the competition is by completion of the above form only. Anyone submitting multiple entries will be disqualified.
4. The winners will be selected at random from those correct entries received before the closing date.
5. Only the winning entrants will be contacted by Bookgeeks. The webmaster’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. The winner’s name may be published on the Bookgeeks website after the closing date of the competition.
7. The competition is not open to Bookgeeks contributors and their families, or to Hodder & Stoughton employees and their families.
8. Mr. Crowley, won’t you ride my white horse? Mr. Crowley, it’s symbolic of course.

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