Griffiths has another great installment in her Magic Men mystery series, taking on a murderous plot surrounding the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. I enjoy Griffiths' characters, and the way she takes on a very specific time period and setting and makes it come to life. From the now-gone variety shows to the advent of television, this is a thrilling, suspenseful ride.

A strong addition to the series - Elly's books have become a go-to reference for me as part of my Reader's Advisory, and she gains new fans every day.

This book was a bit of a slow Burner. I still enjoyed it but hope for a bit faster paced one next time. I would still recommend and thank Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to review.

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"It's never a good idea to forget the women"
- Max Mephisto
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This is such a marvelous series. I stumbled upon the first book at the library, and am now a devoted fan. In this third installment, the talented Elly Griffiths takes her main characters - DI Edgar Stephens and the amazing magician Max Mephisto - on yet another murderous adventure, this time featuring gypsies, anarchists, and even - gasp! - television... The Magic Men (a top-secret WWII group of entertainers-turned-soldiers) are largely disbanded, but the crew still comes together when crisis beckons - and often, those crises involve the history of the MM themselves. The series is well-written, the characters are thoroughly human and as entertaining as their acts, and the misdirection and secrets are thick on the ground. The setting is carefully crafted, with nods to the changing times in and around London. The books offer a nice snapshot into the British post-war mindset and are full of interesting details and tidbits that are sprinkled evenly throughout, enriching the stories and providing a great backdrop for the engaging mysteries that form the backbone of the series.

All of England is atwitter over the coronation of young Queen Elizabeth, especially since millions will be able to watch it on the newfangled television. In the weeks leading up to the big event, "Magic Men" Max and Edgar are called to a bizarre crime scene, and Edgar investigates the death of a gypsy fortune teller. whose son has anarchist leanings. Soon Edgar is off to America, Max has agreed to perform on live television, and both are racing against time to foil a plot against the new queen.

Elly Griffiths's Magic Men series is excellent!! Although I'm a fan of her.Ruth Galloway series, I find the Magic Men even more appealing. Characters like DI Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto are completely credible as she deftly presents them. The supporting characters are equally well drawn. DS Emma Holmes really shines here, and I hope she will play a larger role in future books. I especially enjoyed Edgar's trip to America, and the way Griffiths tied all the complex connections between the past and the present together at the end. I was surprised when the villain was revealed and impressed with the heroics of several characters in apprehension of that person. Descriptions of the early days of television, the possible use of subliminal advertising, and television's potential impact on traditional theater added extra interesting color to the mystery.

With the coronation of Elizabeth II rapidly approaching, Edgar and Max are once again called upon to solve the murder of a former colleague. At the same time, Max is busy rehearsing for his television debut, and Edgar is investigating the death of a local fortune-teller.

This was another good installment of this series, although I don't find it quite as gripping as Griffiths' Ruth Galloway books. As usual, most of the characters are people I would like to spend time with, so I could get to know them better. The setting seems realistic to me, and the attitudes of the characters about various aspects of the plot -- a female police officer, a trans-Atlantic flight, Her Majesty instead of His Majesty -- reinforce the time period in my mind. I look forward to the next book in this series.

In the third Magic Men mystery Brighton DI Edgar Stephens and Magician Max Mephisto are called to London to investigate the murder of Colonel Cartwright, their wartime commanding officer. The murder seems to have occult signs since the Blood Card is found next to the body. Also found are some old music hall programs which might link Cartwright’s murder with the death of a Romany fortuneteller DI Stephens is investigating in Brighton. To complicate the cases still further, the coronation of Elizabeth II is fast approaching and the two murders might have something to do with a terrorist attempt to cause major damage during the celebration.

The murders, though very interesting, are not as interesting as the insight into the disappearing music hall culture rapidly being replaced by the new entertainment sensation television. In fact, Max has to take a back-step to the investigation because he is rehearsing for his magic act debut as part of a variety show to honor the new queen. He has a rival magician on the show, his daughter who is vacillating about her engagement to DI Stephens. The Romany murder is nicely juxtapositioned with the music hall and allows a peek into the secretive subculture where family and clan loyalty could allow a terrible act to devastate the country.

All the familiar characters are here with their tangled love interests and rivalries, both professional and personal. This is a very enjoyable read and a wonderful look at a not so distant past so different from today.

Excitement was mounting in 1953 England, as people looked forward to seeing the new queen’s coronation on that recent invention, the television. There was some suspicion that an anarchist group would attempt to disrupt the ceremony, so Edgar, Emma, and Max needed to investigate every lead and ascertain if there was any connection to what appeared to be several random murders. It took me awhile to get into this novel, but I persisted, since I really like this author. It was worth it.

In the third book of the magic man series D I Edgar Stevens is investigating the death of a fortuneteller. His old friend, magician Max Mephisto is getting ready for his TV debut, just in time for Elizabeth the Second’scoronation day. But when they hear their old commander Colonel Cartwright has been found dead in his apartment they put everything else on hold to find out what happened to their old friend. Completely different than the Ruth Galloway series, this is still an engaging mystery that showcases Elly Griffiths talents as a writer