The Vanishing Box: Elly Griffiths (Stephens and Mephisto) - Tapa dura

Atmospheric . . . a fine novel * Sunday Times * Original, lively and gripping * Independent on The Zig Zag Girl * Enormously engaging ... Post-war Brighton and its Theatre Royal are beautifully captured in all their seedy glory ... subtle, charming and very good * Daily Mail on The Zig Zag Girl * Mixes cosiness and sharpness in a way that recalls the best of Agatha Christie * Sunday Express on Smoke and Mirrors * The lively beginning ... broadens out into an excellent whodunnit, matched by the terrific down-at-heel atmosphere of postwar Brighton * The Times on Smoke and Mirrors * Griffiths pulls a truly startling rabbit out of the hat, demonstrating that this is more than the cosy mystery it initially appears * Sunday Times on The Blood Card * [Griffiths] weaves a fascinating tale. And, like all good mysteries, some surprising revelations along the way with a delicious twist at the end. Highly recommended * Promoting Crime Fiction * This series is without fail engaging and entertaining and The Vanishing Box is no exception ... I could almost smell the greasepaint and see the flutter of feathers ... Loved it! * Crimewarp * Griffiths manages to juggle humour, homicide and nostalgia in a delightful read * The Times * A piquant mixture of humour, period detail . . . and truly beguiling characterisation * Financial Times * Vivid description, masterful sleight of hand and a lightness of touch add up to a terrific read for aficionados and newcomers alike * Guardian *

'Vivid description, masterful sleight of hand and a lightness of touch add up to a terrific read for aficionados and newcomers alike' Guardian Winter, 1953. A young flower seller is found dead in her room at a Brighton boarding-house, posed with chilling perfection into a recreation of the death of Lady Jane Grey. This is a killer unlike any DI Edgar Stephens has encountered before. Across the city at the Hippodrome theatre, Max Mephisto is top of the bill in a double act with his daughter Ruby. Tarnishing the experience, though, is one of the other acts: a seedy 'living tableaux' show where barely-dressed women strike poses from famous historical scenes. Is the resemblance to the murder scene pure coincidence, or is life imitating art? When another death occurs - this time within the troupe itself - Max once again finds himself involved in one of Edgar's cases, and a threat that will come closer to home than anything before. What should be just a job is about to become personal.