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Brighton, 1950. When a girl's body is found, cut into three, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is reminded of a magic trick, the Zig Zag Girl. The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old friend of Edgar's. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men. Max is still on the circuit, touring seaside towns in the company of ventriloquists, sword-swallowers and dancing girls. Changing times mean that variety is not what it once was, yet Max is reluctant to leave this world to help Edgar investigate. But when the dead girl turns out to be known to him, Max changes his mind. Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max become convinced that the answer to the murders lies in their army days. When Edgar receives a letter warning of another 'trick', the Wolf Trap, he knows that they are all in the killer's sights...

In the first in a compelling new series from Elly Griffiths, a band of magicians who served together in WWII track a killer who's performing deadly tricks

"From the author of the beloved Ruth Galloway series, a modern gothic mystery for fans of Magpie Murders and The Lake House"--

'Mixes cosiness and sharpness in a way that recalls the best of Agatha Christie' Sunday Express Set in atmospheric post-war Brighton, the first three brilliant cases in a second thrilling series from the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries. If you like Ruth, you'll love Stephens and Mephisto. THE ZIG ZAG GIRL When a girl's body is found, cut into three, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is reminded of a magic trick, the Zig Zag Girl. The inventor of the trick, magician Max Mephisto, is an old friend of Edgar's. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy army unit called the Magic Men. Max is still on the variety circuit and is reluctant to help Edgar investigate. But when the dead girl turns out to be known to him, Max changes his mind. Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max become convinced that the answer to the murders lies in their army days. When Edgar receives a letter warning of another 'trick', the Wolf Trap, he knows that they are all in the killer's sights... SMOKE AND MIRRORS It is mid-winter in Brighton, pantomime season. Two missing children are found buried under snow in this chilling new case for DI Stephens and Max Mephisto, the latter starring in Aladdin. With fairy tales in the air, it's not long before the press have found a nickname for the case: 'Hansel and Gretel'. DI Edgar Stephens has plenty of leads to investigate. The missing girl, Annie, used to write plays and perform them with her friends. Does the clue lie in Annie's unfinished - and rather disturbing - last script? Or might it lie with the eccentric actor types who have assembled for the pantomime? Once again Edgar enlists Max's help in penetrating the shadowy theatrical world that seems to hold the key. THE BLOOD CARD Elizabeth II's coronation is looming, but the murder of their wartime commander, Colonel Cartwright, spoils the happy mood for DI Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto. A playbill featuring another deceased comrade is found in Colonel Cartwright's possession, and a playing card, the ace of hearts: the blood card. The wartime connection and the suggestion of magic are enough for Stephens and Mephisto to be summoned to the case. Edgar is sent to New York on the trail of a small-town mesmerist who may provide the key, but someone silences him first. It is Edgar's colleague, DS Emma Holmes, who finds the clue that leads them to an anarchist group intent on providing an explosive finale to Coronation Day.

Set in atmospheric post-war Brighton, read all six books in the Brighton Mysteries in one great-value volume. From the author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries. Meet Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and his old comrade, magician Max Mephisto. Edgar and Max served together during the war as a part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men. Now the fighting is over, the two men are brought together when a magic trick ends in murder. Join Stephens and Mephisto as they investigate a variety of cases, featuring murdered theatre impresarios, missing children and anarchist plots. Fans of Agatha Christie will love these historical murder mysteries for their gripping plots and brilliant combination of murder, mystery and magic. Praise for the Brighton Mysteries 'Subtle, charming and very good' Daily Mail 'Original, lively and gripping' Independent 'Recalls the best of Agatha Christie' Sunday Express 'Well-written and well-researched' Literary Review 'Full of period detail, smart plotting and likable characters' Mail on Sunday

A vision of the Virgin Mary foreshadows a string of cold-blooded murders, revealing a dark current of religious fanaticism in an old medieval town in this Ruth Galloway mystery. When Ruth’s friend Cathbad sees a vision of the Virgin Mary—in a white gown and blue cloak—in the graveyard next to the cottage he is house-sitting, he takes it in his stride. Walsingham has strong connections to Mary, and Cathbad is a druid after all; visions come with the job. But when the body of a woman in a blue dressing-gown is found dead the next day in a nearby ditch, it is clear Cathbad’s vision was all too human—and that a horrible crime has been committed. DCI Nelson and his team are called in for the murder investigation and soon establish that the dead woman was a recovering addict being treated at a nearby private hospital. Ruth, a devout atheist, has managed to avoid Walsingham during her seventeen years in Norfolk. But then an old university friend, Hilary Smithson, asks to meet her in the village, and Ruth is amazed to discover that her friend is now a priest. Hilary has been receiving vitriolic anonymous letters targeting women priests— letters containing references to local archaeology and a striking phrase about a woman "clad in blue, weeping for the world." Then another woman is murdered—a priest. As Walsingham prepares for its annual Easter re-enactment of the Crucifixion, the race is on to unmask the killer before they strike again...

Ruth Galloway—whom #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny calls “a captivating amateur sleuth”—investigates a string of murders deep within the abandoned tunnels of Norwich in award-winning mystery. Winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award ¶ Far below Norwich is a maze of old mining tunnels. When Ruth Galloway is called to examine a set of human remains in one of them, she notices the bones are almost translucent, a sign they were boiled soon after death. Once more, she finds herself at the helm of a murder investigation. Meanwhile, DCI Nelson is looking for a homeless woman who he hears has gone “underground.” Could she have disappeared into the labyrinth? And if so, is she connected to the body Ruth found? As Ruth and Nelson investigate the tunnels, they hear rumors of secret societies, cannibalism, and ritual killings. And when a dead body is found with a map of what seems to be the full maze, they realize their hunt for the killer has only just begun—and that more bodies may be underfoot. ¶ The Ruth Galloway series is:¶ “Remarkable, delightful.” —Associated Press ¶ “Wonderfully rich.” —Guardian ¶ “Smart, down-to-earth.” —Mercury News

Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway changed her life--until a convicted killer tells her that four of his victims were never found, drawing her back to the place she left behind. Everything has changed for Ruth Galloway. She has a new job, home, and partner, and she is no longer North Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. Nelson was always sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March confirms this and offers to show Nelson where the other bodies are buried--but only if Ruth will do the digging. Curious, but wary, Ruth agrees. March tells Ruth that he killed four more women and that their bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travelers to their deaths. Is Ivor March himself a lantern man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so crucial to it? And are the killings really over?

The fifth book in the Magic Men series, Now You See Them is a wild mystery with detective Edgar Stephens and the magician Max Mephisto, as they investigate a string of presumed kidnappings in the swinging 1960s. The new decade is going well for Edgar Stephens and his good friend the magician Max Mephisto. Edgar is happily married, with children, and promoted to Superintendent. Max has found fame and stardom in America, though is now back in England for a funeral, and a prospective movie job. Edgar’s new wife, though—former detective Emma—is restless and frustrated at home, knowing she was the best detective on the team. But when an investigation into a string of disappearing girls begins, Emma sees her chance to get back in the action. She begins her own hunt, determined to prove, once and for all that she’s better than the boys. Though she’s not the only one working toward that goal—there’s a new woman on the force, and she’s determined to make detective. When two more girls go missing, both with ties to the group, the stakes climb ever higher, and Max finds himself drawn into his own search. Who will find the girls first? And will they get there in time?

A bullet-ridden body is unearthed from a buried WW2 plane - but the body isn't from WW2. Dr Ruth Galloway, forensic archaeologist, must discover who the victim was, and who put him there. 'An almost gothic plot, involving family feuds and a crumbling stately home . . . one of the most vivid novels in a delightful series' Sunday Times When DCI Harry Nelson calls Ruth Galloway in to investigate a body found inside a buried fighter plane, she quickly realizes that the skeleton couldn't possibly be the pilot. DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat who had been reported dead at sea. Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk's deserted air force bases, the so-called Ghost Fields, which have been partially converted into a pig farm run by one of the younger remaining Blackstocks. Then human bones are found on the farm and, as the greatest storm Norfolk has seen for decades brews in the distance, another Blackstock is attacked. Can the team outrace the rising flood to find the killer?