Brighton, 1950. When the body of a girl 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...
I don't know what took me so long to get around to this book. Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite writers (I admit to be fully addicted to Ruth and Nelson and Cathbad) so this was on my list. I saw it on Overdrive and decided now was the time, and it didn't disappoint! I loved the characters, from Max the magician to Edgar's pragmatic cop to Diablo's "My dear boy!" they really made for an engaging bunch.
Set in post-war England, it made for a fascinating backdrop. Edgar's war experiences still affect him, no matter how much he tries to push it away and it all comes back to haunt him. The story is laid out step by step, clue to clue until the exciting conclusion. I admit, I had a gut feeling about the murderer. Sherlock once famously said “...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?” rang in my head while I was reading. Still, it was engrossing and entertaining and I loved every minute of it
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14 July, 2019:
Reviewed