The Swami Deheftner by Robert Steven Goldstein

In this evocative novel, Solomon Deheftner achieves fame as a stage magician and escapologist in the tradition of the Great Houdini. But he abandons that career to search for something far more elusive: the profound magic inherent in mystical transcendence. Using his knowledge of conjuring and his Jewish upbringing as a foundation, Deheftner makes his way from New York to San Francisco, probing the secrets of Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, animal intelligence, bondage, and sadomasochism in his quest for spiritual enlightenment.