Stanton Carlisle is working in a carnival. Knowing a good con when he sees one, he learns the tricks of mind-reading and eventually becomes "The Great Stanton," star attraction of swanky nightclubs and the darling of society. But with all his notoriety built on lies, it's only a matter of time before Stanton's world comes crashing down around him.

First published in 1958, A Marine Division in Nightmare Alley is a brief but gripping narrative of the author's experiences as a young U.S. Marine during the Korean conflict. Beginning with his enlistment at age 17, his training at Camps LeJeune and Pendleton, to his landing at Pusan and subsequent combat (including action at Hagaru-ri and the Chosin Reservoir), the book provides a firsthand account of the fierce fighting and bitter cold faced by...