EXCERPT: Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens was looking at a dead body. He had seen death before, of course, in the war as well as in his police work but there was something about this corpse that made it especially disturbing. It wasn't just the stench that sent his Sargeant, Bob Willis, retching to the window. It wasn't just that the deceased was young, blonde and - even in the late stages of rigor mortis - beautiful. It was the way the body had been found. Lily Burtenshaw was kneeling on a towel beside her bed, a strip from a white sheet tied around her eyes and one hand stretched out towards a box in front of her. In order to keep the body in this unnatural position, the stretching hand had been tied onto a towel rail and the body roped to the back of a chair. Lily's blindfolded head dropped forward and her golden hair fell across one shoulder. She was wearing a white nightdress and her skin was also deadly white, except for the dark bruising around her neck.

THE BLURB: What do a murdered Brighton flowerseller, the death of Cleopatra and a nude tableau show have in common? One thing's for sure - it could be the most dangerous case yet for Stephens and Mephisto

Christmas 1953. Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby are headlining Brighton Hippodrome, an achievement only slightly marred by the less-than-savoury support act: a tableau show of naked 'living statues'. This might appear to have nothing in common with DI Edgar Stephens' current case of the death of a quiet flowerseller, but if there's one thing the old comrades have learned it's that, in Brighton, the line between art and life - and death - is all too easily blurred...

MY THOUGHTS: I really liked The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths. I have not previously read any of this series, only her Ruth Galloway series, which I also really liked. The fact that I had not read any of the other Stephens and Mephisto books did not in any way detract from my enjoyment of this one.

This series has been compared to the Bryant and May series, which I have also read a number of, but so far I greatly prefer Griffiths writing.

This is both a comfortable and engaging read, reminiscent of Agatha Christie. The setting is atmospheric, the characters engaging. There is enough romantic intrigue to make it interesting, but not enough to overwhelm the main storyline. A perfect balance.

I look forward to more of this series.

Thank you to Quercus via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

The year is 1953, the place Brighton. Magician Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby are topping the bill at the Brighton Hippodrome, supported by (among other acts) a slightly risque 'tableaux vivants' act featuring semi-clad women positioned in scenes from history. When a local woman is murdered, the links to this act are evident and Max, along with local policeman (and Ruby's fiance), DI Edgar Stephens, are in a race against time to prevent more killings.

This is the fourth book in the series featuring Max Mephisto and it is helpful to have the back story from the previous books, I think. This is my first book in the series and, while it is perfectly easy to follow, I'd like to have seen how the characters got to this point.

There was lots to enjoy in the book - the characters are engaging and varied, the settings are interesting and the plot is suitably twisty. I did find it slightly slow in places, but it worked well overall as a historical crime novel. I'd recommend this and hope to discover more of the series in the future.

Christmas, 1953, and Max Mephisto is headlining at the Brighton Hippodrome. Well, he’s sharing the headline due to his new double act with his daughter Ruby, called, um… Magician and Daughter. Catchy name… They are pulling in rave reviews, but there is also a lot of interest in one of the support acts, namely a series of tableaux of motionless women re-creating scenes from history. Oh, and they’re naked. Better not forget that part.
But when a flower seller is found murdered, posed as if from one of the tableaux, DI Edgar Stephens, old comrade of Max and fiancé to Ruby, finds himself up against a murderer who is perfectly happy to recreate his work over and over again.
This is the fourth Stephens and Mephisto mystery following The Zig Zag Girl, Smoke and Mirrors and The Blood Card, and I do enjoy the recreating of the atmosphere of the theatre of the early 1950’s, with little touches like Max’s unhappiness with Tommy Cooper bringing magic into disrepute helping to bring the background to life.
There are basically three strands to the tale – the theatre, the investigation into the murder and the personal lives of the detectives. The theatre is outstanding. The investigation is perfectly enticing, although the villain (who I found very guessable) veers a little too close to the “I’m a loony” motive for my tastes. But the personal aspects I found a little wanting – oh, with the exception of one of the police officers, Bob. I enjoyed his story. I think the reader needs to have a good recall of the books that had gone before – I never really got a feel for why exactly Ruby and Edgar are engaged for example, as they seem to have little in common, and they rarely share any page time. Ditto why exactly Emma, another police officer, seems to be pining so much over Edgar. I know these parts have been covered in more detail in previous books, but as you may have spotted, I read a lot of books and have managed to forget various things. Fans of the series shouldn’t have this problem though.
So, Recommended for fans of the series. If you’re new to the series, then why not try The Zig-Zag Girl or Smoke and Mirrors – that one’s my favourite, I think.
Many thanks to Quercus for the review copy via NetGalley.

Stepping into the pages of The Vanishing Box is like stepping back in time.  Perhaps this doesn’t sound that surprising, given the book is set in Brighton in 1953 but I have read plenty of books set in other eras that don’t feel as close to what I imagine life was really like at the time as this.  The language, the behaviours, the people and the atmosphere – everything felt just right and I was completely drawn into the world they created.
This world involves a dogged Detective Inspector (Edgar) and his officers (Bob and Emma, a woman determined to make her way in a man’s world and – for the most part – succeeding) as well as Edgar’s best friend, magician Max Mephisto and his daughter (Edgar’s fiancé) Ruby.  They all know each other well, having worked together on other cases and the interaction between them helped make the book for me.    Given this is their fourth case, it’s probably worth saying here that this could be read as a standalone. 
I say their case but it really is the police’s.  Max and Ruby are involved because the investigation leads Edgar and his team to the theatre and who better to help them understand how it works than their friends.  I liked that they weren’t too involved, weren’t doing the investigating, but their presence gave depth to the story because, although this was about the investigation of the murder of a young woman, it also felt to me like a story of the characters themselves and how they were evolving as people.
I liked them all but Edgar was my favourite, closely followed by Emma (and not just because we share a name!).  He is dogged in his pursuit of the killer, fair and honest.  He treats Emma with respect, not just as someone who should be there to make the tea, letting her do her job, and doesn’t seem to be frazzled by anything the investigation throws at him.  It’s all a very different pace from the crime fiction I normally read, where there is always someone running around or throwing themselves in the path of danger.  It was a good change for me, though I did have to get used to it I  must admit.
Once I did, though, I was away.  There is so much in this book to like and very little to dislike.  In fact, the only thing I would say against it is that, for me, it was maybe just a little to long – but that is a personal thing and I imagine most others won’t feel the same way.  In my head, this is a TV show in the making and I imagine it would be a hit.  I know I would watch!

Set in 1953 in Brighton it is approaching Christmas – the lights and decorations are going up and the snow is falling. Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby are starring at the Hippodrome. Ruby is engaged to DI Edgar Stephens. Edgar is looking forward to seeing the show when a call comes through – a young women, Lily Burtonshaw, has been found dead, strangely posed in her room at a Hove boarding house. He and his team, Sergeants Emma Holmes and Bob Willis are on the trail of a murderer.

As Edgar, Emma and Bob investigate connections emerge to the artistes at the Hippodrome, two were residing at the same boarding house, and then there are more murders which appear to strengthen the links.

Elly Griffiths evokes a wonderful picture of the 1950s and of Brighton her characters have the maturity of a fourth book in the series and are very believable, their personal hopes are part of the storyline but don’t distract from the main plot. The story line has it’s twists and turns. There are several murders and they have to be solved one way or another. This is no cozy mystery nor is this book grisly but it is a murder mystery and it is about detective work. Very well written Elly Griffiths leads you through the maze of misdirection bringing you to a tense and thrilling conclusion.

I thought this was a terrific read and would certainly recommend it.

With thanks to Quercus Publishing via NetGalley who provided me with an e-ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Rating: 4*

I started to read Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway series several years ago and I quite liked reading about an archaeologist involved in murder cases. So, when the first book in the Stephens & Mephisto Mystery was released was I curious to see how this series, set in the 50s would be. And, there is something quite pleasant and different with a crime series with a policeman and magician as "partners". Well, it's not like they work together, Max and Edgar were in the army together and now Edgar's work as a DI will sometimes need help from his old buddy, and btw the father of Edgar's fiance Ruby.

This time is it the death of a young girl that starts off it all. Why would anyone want to kill an innocent and shy girl that works selling flowers in Brighton? While Edgar tries to solve the murder, are Max and Ruby performing together, but soon will Max be drawn into Edgar's world when more people get killed...

The Vanishing Box is a pleasant book to read. Max and Edgar feel like old friends and I love the setting of the 50s England. The case is puzzling and tragic. I did find the story sometimes a bit slow, not that it was hard to focus on what was going on instead it was more like it just didn't grip me. Not even the end, when everything was revealed. Also, there is a kind of love triangle in this book and the development in this book with the three people felt a bit rushed. Still, I will definitely read the next book and see what's next for Edgar and Max.

Book Review: The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths, Stephens and Mephisto Number 4 - theatrical flourishes, magicians at their best ... and a serial killer!

Historic crime fiction isn't usually my thing, but I always make the exception for Elly Griffiths' Max Mephisto/Edgar Stephens series. This series of books are without fail engaging and entertaining and The Vanishing Box is no exception. So, here we are transported to Brighton sea front in December 1953.

In The Vanishing Box, we see Max and his daughter Ruby back in Brighton on the cusp of a prestigious TV deal. The pair are working together with the main focus of their magic act being the finale piece : The Vanishing Box.
Meanwhile, Edgar Stephens is called upon to investigate the murder of a young girl in her lodgings. Immediately, he sees that the scene has been staged like a tableau mirroring one of the controversial acts showing scantily clad girls in various tableau's from History. Edgar knows that this is just the start of a series of brutal murders which he and his team must investigate and with sinking heart he realises that once more his friend, Max and fiancee, Ruby are in the midst of his investigation.
Griffiths has a deft touch when it comes to characterisation. Her characters range from the prosaic, solid Edgar to the flighty Ruby and the enigmatic Max. The flourish of theatre spoke to me and I could almost smell the greasepaint and see the flutter of feathers and sparkles in my peripheral vision as I read. Loved it! Sheer indulgence for me. Buy it ... It's great!

This series is so refreshing with the murders somehow far more of a puzzle than centre stage – that place belongs to the safe pair of hands which belong to DI Edgar Stephens.

The year is 1953 and the month is December and in those days snow was more or less a certain event and so the detectives have the weather to contend with as they tramp, often on foot, to the crime scene and the police station.

The book opens with the murder of a young woman at a boarding house in Brighton run by the formidable Edna Wright and her somewhat less formidable husband, Norris. Edgar had attended the scene after the latter had opened the door to find the young Lily Burtenshaw’s body arranged as if part of a tableau. Sergeant Bob Willis is also attending in charge of the new piece of equipment, the camera which will document everything rather than relying on memory.

Of course along with Edna and Norris the other occupants of the boarding house have to be interviewed and among them are two young women who are sharing the bill with Max Mephisto at the Brighton Hippodrome. Max is performing magic alongside his daughter Ruby with the finale using a life-size vanishing box. It won’t be long before their magic act moves to television at the behest of their manager Joe Passolini.

With Edgar and Max having served together as the band of Magic Men in World War II along with their collaboration on previous murders he shares some of the details, especially as it seems there may just be a link to the variety show. The show features near naked women (with strategically placed feathers) standing stock still in a tableau. Now I don’t know about you, but I didn’t know that this was a thing! Apparently naked women could appear on stage as long as they didn’t move so these tableaux were presumably popular with the male attendees of the variety shows hopeful of a mis-positioned feather! Anyway back to the story… Edgar along with Bob and his female sergeant Emma Holmes ponder and puzzle over the clues when someone else is found murdered.

These books really are delightful, I preferred the setting firmly back in the theatre rather than our brief foray into television in the last book, and the puzzle is an intriguing one. The tone is light although because of the somewhat tangled personal lives of all our favourites the humour isn’t quite of the level of the first two books. I particularly enjoy the period details which are sprinkled throughout the book without the reader ever feeling as if this is overdone, a tip that many other authors tackling the historic angle could take note of. I also like the length of the book, the pace is fairly swift with the personal lives of our favourites woven into the plot seamlessly so that the book doesn’t feel as if these scenes have been added to pad the book out.

If you want the perfect kind of winter read you could do an awful lot worse than to settle into your seat, albeit slightly frayed, at the Brighton Hippodrome, and prepare to be amazed.

I received an ARC of The Vanishing Box from the publishers Quercus Books. This unbiased review is my thanks to them.

Happy Publication Day Elly Griffiths.
The Vanishing Box, the fourth novel set in post 2nd world war Brighton, has been released upon the nation. Set just before Christmas 1953 the author has produced another crime thriller against the lucious background of musical hall and variety theatre. Despite the obvious decline of such productions here Max Mephisto & his daughter Ruby are headlining the show which is playing to full houses.
The detective in these mysteries is DI Edgar Stephens as war time associate of Max and now engaged to his new found daughter, Ruby. They have become known as the Stephens & Mephisto series, although I prefer to abbreviate to the S&M books.
Elly has a definate love for this once popular entertainment which was strangled by the introduction of TV and cheap talking movies, coming to a cinema near you. She fully immerses the reader into the life of these travelling artists who played across the country and relied on digs for the week and made their temporary home in lodgings run for this purpose by strong landladies in the main.
The Vanishing Box alludes to Max & Ruby's magic show and a trick they utilise fully as part of their new double act. They share the bill with the usual range of acts trying to change with the times and be spotted for a break in television.
Closing the first half of the show is a very risque form of performance a the living tableaux act where very little concealment other than feathers and flowers prevents nudity by the young women involved from appearing naked. The audience gets an eyeful at every show but for the careful lighting and the discret props. Apparently it bacame overtly rude and lascivious if the girls moved so under the darkness of the stage before the lights went back up the troop repositioned themselves and were unable to move. It this manner the act consisted of a few historical scenes often representing femme fatales or death scenes.
Obviously the theatre gets both a negative press in some quarters, while it's seats are filled with the interested and often lewd minded audience.
The problems for Stephens are magnified when at a guesthouse where two of the showgirls are staying a young florist is murdered in bizare circumstances; the body almost posed for a wider audience. There seems to be a link and the detectives work round the clock to establish who committed such a vile crime, aware that they could strike again and these performers most of whom are staying in lodgings could be next.
Elly's writing here is in these books seems more liberated than the the gentle Ruth Galloway mysteries set in modern day Norfolk; or family oriented series written in her own name, Domenica de Rosa. Although it is a throw back in time there seems to be more spice and goings on of a sexual nature. A good deal of nudity, which other than perhaps Cathbad which make Nelson for one blush.
Not that the writing is ever seedy, gratuitous or particularly graphic. I believe Elly writes relationships so well and in tension that sexual chemistry abounds between Ruth and Nelson in her other main series. It is just here in a past generation that she seems able to allude to things more in the imagination and with an innocence that television and film portrayals, not even regarding the access to the internet and porn. That she is able to write about human interactions with a freedom and sensitivity that brings an edge and a tingle to scenes, especially when a murderer has usurped more honest relationships into something base and less worthy.
There is also the more simplistic detective work; interviewing and obtaining statements. It makes for a pleasant read pitched after early detectives and pre computers and CSI. It is good that the DI is seen as a thinker and an innovator who likes to record crime scenes by extensive photographing.
What makes the stories really hum and carry the reader are the great relationship the author has created, that have developed over these four instalments and promise much more if the series continues. I like the tension between the two DSs and their different motivations and desires to catch the DI's attention. Humour abounds and is needed in some dark acts and murders within; I like that details are not over stated but more reported on and that people seem less complicated.
There is no glorifying of the villians or getting inside their heads; the motive becomes clear and as with all good crime writing the author is able to surprise and misdirect.
Above all else, Elly is a great storyteller and whatever of her books you pick up I guarantee enjoyment and some enlightenment whether through location, historical events or dialogue. She writes to express her ideas and tell excellent stories but she cannot conceal her immense talent. I warmly recommend this novel as with all her work and wonder where you've been looking if you haven't already read one of her books. Pick one up, turn the first page you will not be disappointed.

The Vanishing Box is the 4th in the Stephens and Mephisto Mystery series by Elly Griffiths (probably best known for the Ruth Galloway novels).

It is Christmas 1953 and Max Mephisto & his daughter Ruby are headlining Brighton Hippodrome, an achievement only slightly marred by one of the less-than-savoury supporting acts – a tableau show of naked ‘living statues’ a la the Windmill Theatre. This might seem to have nothing in common with DI Edgar Stephens’ investigation into the death of a quiet flowerseller who was left by her killer posed as Lady Jane Grey at her execution.

If there is one thing that the old comrades have learned it is that, in Brighton, the line between art and life – and death – is all too easily blurred.

Once again there is excellent characterisation, especially of the 5 main protagonists (Max Mephisto, DI Edgar Stephens and his 2 sergeants, Emma Holmes and Bob Willis; Ruby – Maxs daughter and Edgars fiancée ) all who contrast with each other nicely. Personally I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the recent of the Magic Men and even Max seems to be less prominent than before.
The mystery element is well handled with twists and turns but a very fair outcome – I guessed the type of killer, although not the name, very early on.
What really makes these books for me is the high level of accurate detail from the 1950s which creates a convincing world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC.

Set just before Christmas 1953, this is the fourth of the Stephens and Mephisto Mysteries. It is the first I have read, and it worked well as a standalone as enough of the backstory was given in an interesting way to make the main characters seem familiar.

The action takes place in Brighton while Max and Ruby, Magician and Daughter, are appearing at the Hippodrome.

Three murders, an attempted murder and a few related attacks take place, all involving people with a connection to the world of theatre.

The story is compelling and so well written as to easily draw the reader into the theatre background, with its jealousies and rivalries, and the seedy world of theatrical digs.

The main characters are strongly-depicted and well-rounded, and their relationships form a fascinating part of the story.

For DI Edgar Stephens and Ruby, for Max Mephisto, for Detective Emma Holmes and for Sergeant BobWillis, there will be change, as the events surrounding the investigation of the murder of florist, Lily Burtenshaw, and the ramifications of that murder, have a lasting effect on their lives.

The book ends with Christmas in view and the prospect of new beginnings for all these characters. I look forward to reading more of their adventures.

I am a big big fan of this author, originally of her Ruth Galloway series but now of this one too and they couldn't be more different!
Usual series rules apply - to get the best from the wonderful characters with regard to back story and development, it is best to start from book one and read in order. Even though the main story is self contained within this volume, there is an extended cast and it is always lovely when old friends pop in for whatever reason and you would miss out on that if you dive right in here. All the books have, in my opinion, been cracking reads so really, why not!?
Set in the 50s in Brighton, we follow Max as he has joined together with daughter Ruby to perform a new trick - the vanishing box - also on the bill is a rather enlightening act using scantily clad (apparently near naked in fact) women to depict historic events in tableau form. Allowable by the powers that be only because of the lack of movement but still controversial to some. Meanwhile, Stephens is on the case of a murdered flower seller who has been posed. Their paths cross once again when it turns out that the flower seller shares a lodging house with a couple from the tableau. There's romance in the air too between Max and another one of the ladies from the tableau but then she is also killed; also posed. With links forming between the two cases, can Stephens, ably assisted by the lovely Emma, and Bob who has taken a shine to one of the tableau girls himself, get to the bottom of things and bring the killer to justice before the body count rises further?
One of the things that really brings this series to life, cracking plots aside for the moment, is the cast. We have a wonderful cast of main characters here. Max and Stephens, chalk and cheese but with a shared past and subsequent strong appreciation to each other despite Stephens being engaged to Max's once estranged daughter Ruby. Emma, Stephens' dedicated colleague, holding an unrequited torch for her boss and desperate not to let him down. We also have the aforementioned old friends from previous books reunited here and all contributing to the story in their own unique ways. There's a bit of a curve ball thrown in towards the end of the book that will have certain characters taking somewhat different paths going forward and I am eagerly awaiting the outcome of this in future books.
The plot itself held me rapt throughout. It's so refreshing going back to old school detection methods. No mobile phones, no computers. The detectives having to rely on uncovering clues and talking to people to get to the truth rather than just hitting google! It's also good that we as readers don't know anything ahead of the detectives. We find out each and every clue, every connection at the same time as the police. There's no waiting for them to play catch up. This means that, for me anyway, there was little point trying to read between the lines and race the detectives to the truth first. Of course, there is scope to try and beat them by putting the clues already discovered together a bit earlier than they do, or by taking a clue from one source and putting it together with one from another before the two parties have time to discuss between them but that's about all the chance you get here and, to be honest, that's so refreshing to me.
I also love getting immersed in the wonderful world of theatre and show biz. I have personal family connections to that world as my great uncle was an agent, his wife was a bluebell girl and my aunt was on the stage in her youth so a lot of what I read brings back memories from stories I heard from them whilst growing up. I do love a good memory link in a book; brings me closer to it. Makes me feel good.
All in all, a cracking read that not only satisfied me completely but also has me hankering for the next one. I really can't wait to revisit these characters and re-enter their world once again. Hopefully it won't be too long coming.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a case of 'it's me, not the book'. I enjoyed Griffiths's Ruth Galloway series so much and was looking forward to this, but I found it hard going and I'm afraid didn't finish it after several attempts.
I suspect it may be because the characters are well-established and that I need to go back and read the series in order. I think it would be the same for someone beginning the Galloway series midway.
So sorry - not much of a review, but an honest one.

How refreshing to read a crime novel that doesn't overload you with the minutiae of the crime or the hang-ups of the policeman. Ely Griffiths' series featuring DI Edgar Stevens and set in Brighton in the 1950s is a wonderfully entertaining read and is an interesting sideline to her even more impressive Ruth Galloway books. The sense of both time and place is vivid and the search for the perpetrators of murders carried out on theatrical types is fascinating.

Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby are busy as closing act in the Brighton Hippodrome show, that is famous also for the Living Tableau. The tableau vivant scenes are static scenes acted by various girls, who, naked or almost naked, resembles pictures of historical or literature episodes.

Everything seems perfect until a florist - who lived with tableau girls in pensions - is found dead and disposed in a scene that resembles the show style. The murder investigation is assigned to DI Edgar Stephens, who again has to deal with Max slightly involved in the crime.

The crime plot in this series seems more and more unlikely, since there is the need to set them around magic-like shows, however the choices the characters have to mak at the end of the book make me think that the series is going towards its conclusion.

The crime plot is nice but not exceptions, interesting instead the historical context and the idea to use the tableau vivant (of which I ignored the existence) as inspiration for murder.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy necessary to write this review.

Another great outing with Stephens and Mephisto in a by-gone Brighton. This series is building up nicely.

This is the fourth – and possibly last – book about DI Edgar Stephens and his friend, the magician Max Mephisto. You’ll enjoy it more if you have read the others in the series, as half the charm lies in the relationships between the characters which are only sketchily filled in.

Once again we are in 1950s Brighton, where DCI Stephens and his team are investigating the murder of a local woman. Max Mephisto is also in town, appearing in a variety show at the Hippodrome alongside his daughter Ruby. Coincidentally, the murdered woman lived in a boarding house where two performers from the show are staying, and so the police investigation starts to focus on the cast and crew of the show.

I really enjoy this series, which has a quaintly retro feel to it, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s mysteries. Even though there are murders, there’s no serious tension or unpleasant violence. I enjoyed trying to spot the clues along the way and I did work out who was responsible for the murder, but there are lots of red herrings along the way. An equal part of the story though is the ongoing relationships: Edgar’s engagement to Ruby which feels increasingly like a mistake, Max’s relationship with his local landlady, Policewoman Emma’s unrequited crush on Edgar.

The ending brings several strands together so neatly that I wondered if this might be the last in the series. If so, Elly Griffiths has ended on a high note.

This is the fourth book in the DI Stephens and Max Mephisto series. Known as the ‘Magic Men’ they had been part of a top-secret espionage unit during the War.

It is set in 1953 at Christmas just a few months after the previous book in the series, The Blood Card and magician Max Mephisto is still sceptical about performing magic on TV with his daughter Ruby in a show called Magician and Daughter. Meanwhile his old friend, DI Edgar Stephens and his team are faced with solving the murder of Lily Burtenshaw, who had been strangled and found in her room tied to a chair, leaning forward and pointing to an empty crate with ‘King Edward Potatoes’ written on the side.

Max and Ruby are performing at the Brighton Hippodrome using a human sized version of the Vanishing Box in their act. The variety show also includes an act called the Living Tableaux, showing scenes from famous paintings or classical statutory, posed by a troupe of showgirls, naked apart from skimpy flesh coloured pants. Two of the showgirls, Betty and Janette, have become friends with Lily and are lodging at the same boarding house, but Edgar wonders if there is another connection between Lily and the Living Tableau? There is something so theatrical about the way the body was posed. Edgar and his two sergeants, Emma Homes and Bob Willis, begin their search for the killer, looking for motives and suspects. Then more murders are discovered and it becomes a desperate hunt to find the killer before he/she strikes again.

I enjoyed this book but for me there is too much focus on the main characters and their relationships. Edgar is engaged to Ruby, although Max is still not too happy about it. However, his work means he isn’t able to spend much time with her. Meanwhile Emma’s feelings for him are getting stronger and their relationship deepens as she is drawn into deadly danger. Max’s relationship with Mrs M, his landlady in Brighton, is winding down and he is attracted to Florence, another one of the showgirls.

I liked the insight into the 1950s, particularly the theatre life. Illusion and misdirection play a large part – from the acts in the variety show to the murders, and all is not what it seems. The misdirection in the form of several twists and turns threw me off course.The clues are there, if you can but see them, yet I still had little idea who the killer could be until very near the end.

My thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for an advance review copy of this book ahead of publication on 2nd November.

The vanishing box is the 4th novel in the series, set in Brighton in the 1950’s. I found the plot fresh and interesting, kept my hooked throughout! I liked the fact that I had no clue who the killer was until the very end as the reader knows as much as the police do. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

An enjoyable romp through the theatrical world of post-war Brighton. Max Mephisto, his daughter and police friends are once again faced with a murder. Could it be linked to the semi-naked tableau show? Which girl will Edgar end up with?

The perfect book to read by the fire as the evenings draw in.