The Zig Zag Girl - Couverture rigide

"Griffiths, acclaimed for her excellent contemporary mysteries featuring forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway (The Ghost Fields), launches a new series set in 1950 Brighton, England. DI Edgar Stephens joined the police force after serving with a unique special ops troop, the Magic Men, that used props and stage tricks to deceive the enemy during World War II. When the body of a woman, cut into three pieces, is found, Edgar is reminded of the Zig Zag Girl magic trick that one of his fellow Magic Men, magician Max Mephisto, performed on stage. Trying to identify the woman and the killer, Edgar seeks Max’s help with the investigation. Mysterious notes and a second killing soon make it clear that all of the former Magic Men are in danger, and Edgar and Max need to find the culprit before they’re the next victims. VERDICT Griffiths’s ability to imbue atmosphere and create fascinating characters continues to make her an author every mystery lover should be reading. Lacking the usual forensics and druids of her previous series, this title may especially appeal to cozy and historical mystery fans."--Library Journal

One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Great Fall Thrillers "Clever, immensely likeable...Captivating...The Zig Zag Girl is old-fashioned in the best ways." —The Wall Street Journal “With a labyrinthine plot, a splendid reveal and superb evocation of the wafer-thin veneer of glamour at the bottom end of showbusiness, this is thoroughly enjoyable.” —The Guardian’s “Best Crime Novels Round-Up”   “An interesting change of direction for the talented Griffiths...Enormously engaging...Post-war Brighton, and its Theatre Royal are beautifully captured in all their seedy glory, and Griffiths’ plot is satisfyingly serpentine...Subtle, charming and very good indeed.” —The Daily Mail   “A colourful crowd of ventriloquists and sword-swallowers, a world lovingly re-created in this original, lively and gripping work.” —The Independent   “Elly Griffiths’ compelling novel The Zig Zag Girl takes readers on a wild ride full of mayhem, magic, and murder... Griffiths expertly weaves together Edgar’s past and present into one fascinating mystery that will have readers hooked from the very start... Capturing both the vibrant qualities of the theater community while also expertly capturing its dark side, Griffiths creates a world where nothing is as it truly appears to be.” —The Absolute   “One to look forward to.” —BookPage "Griffiths weaves a compelling tale rich with historical detail and a cast of eccentric characters."  —Kirkus "Griffiths’s ability to imbue atmosphere and create fascinating characters continues to make her an author every mystery lover should be reading. Lacking the usual forensics and druids of her previous series, this title may especially appeal to cozy and historical mystery fans." —Library Journal "Engaging...The portrayal of the backstage life and the onstage performances of illusionists forms a fascinating backdrop to the main action. Brief flashbacks to the Magic Men’s wartime missions provide an equally gripping backstory. As the plot deepens, Griffiths’s tone darkens, leading to a series of surprise twists. Readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of Max and company." —Publishers Weekly

One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Great Fall Thrillers "Clever, immensely likeable...Captivating...The Zig Zag Girl is old-fashioned in the best ways." —The Wall Street Journal “With a labyrinthine plot, a splendid reveal and superb evocation of the wafer-thin veneer of glamour at the bottom end of showbusiness, this is thoroughly enjoyable.” —The Guardian’s “Best Crime Novels Round-Up” "With her cast of quirky characters, her excellent plotting, and a twist that readers won't see coming, readers will finish looking forward to the next trick up [Griffiths's] sleeve." —Mystery Scene   “An interesting change of direction for the talented Griffiths...Enormously engaging...Post-war Brighton, and its Theatre Royal are beautifully captured in all their seedy glory, and Griffiths’ plot is satisfyingly serpentine...Subtle, charming and very good indeed.” —The Daily Mail   “A colourful crowd of ventriloquists and sword-swallowers, a world lovingly re-created in this original, lively and gripping work.” —The Independent   “Elly Griffiths’ compelling novel The Zig Zag Girl takes readers on a wild ride full of mayhem, magic, and murder... Griffiths expertly weaves together Edgar’s past and present into one fascinating mystery that will have readers hooked from the very start... Capturing both the vibrant qualities of the theater community while also expertly capturing its dark side, Griffiths creates a world where nothing is as it truly appears to be.” —The Absolute   “One to look forward to.” —BookPage "Griffiths weaves a compelling tale rich with historical detail and a cast of eccentric characters."  —Kirkus "Griffiths’s ability to imbue atmosphere and create fascinating characters continues to make her an author every mystery lover should be reading. Lacking the usual forensics and druids of her previous series, this title may especially appeal to cozy and historical mystery fans." —Library Journal "Engaging...The portrayal of the backstage life and the onstage performances of illusionists forms a fascinating backdrop to the main action. Brief flashbacks to the Magic Men’s wartime missions provide an equally gripping backstory. As the plot deepens, Griffiths’s tone darkens, leading to a series of surprise twists. Readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of Max and company." —Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR ELLY GRIFFITHS AND THE RUTH GALLOWAY SERIES Winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award "Ruth Galloway is a remarkable, delightful character...A must-read for fans of crime and mystery fiction." —Associated Press "Elly Griffiths draws us all the way back to prehistoric times...Highly atmospheric." —The New York Times Book Review "Rich in atmosphere and history and blessed by [Griffith's] continuing development of brilliant, feisty, independent Ruth...A Room Full of Bones, like its predecessors, works its magic on the reader's imagination." —Richmond Times-Dispatch "Lovers of well-written and intelligent traditional mysteries will welcome [Griffith's] fourth book...A Room Full of Bones is a clever blend of history and mystery with more than enough forensic details to attract the more attentive reader." —Denver Post "Galloway is an everywoman, smart, successful and a little bit unsure of herself. Readers will look forward to learning more about her." —USA Today "Forensic archeologist and academic Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth-an inspired creation. I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on. " —Louise Penny, author of the bestselling Armand Gamache series "These books are must-reads." —Deborah Crombie, author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series "[Ruth Galloway's] an uncommon, down-to-earth heroine whose acute insight, wry humor, and depth of feeling make her a thoroughly engaging companion." —Erin Hart, Agatha and Anthony Award nominated author of Haunted Ground and Lake of Sorrows

 

"Clever, immensely likeable...Captivating...The Zig Zag Girl is old-fashioned in the best ways." —The Wall Street Journal “With a labyrinthine plot, a splendid reveal and superb evocation of the wafer-thin veneer of glamour at the bottom end of showbusiness, this is thoroughly enjoyable.” —The Guardian’s “Best Crime Novels Round-Up”   “An interesting change of direction for the talented Griffiths...Enormously engaging...Post-war Brighton, and its Theatre Royal are beautifully captured in all their seedy glory, and Griffiths’ plot is satisfyingly serpentine...Subtle, charming and very good indeed.” —The Daily Mail   “A colourful crowd of ventriloquists and sword-swallowers, a world lovingly re-created in this original, lively and gripping work.” —The Independent   “Elly Griffiths’ compelling novel The Zig Zag Girl takes readers on a wild ride full of mayhem, magic, and murder... Griffiths expertly weaves together Edgar’s past and present into one fascinating mystery that will have readers hooked from the very start... Capturing both the vibrant qualities of the theater community while also expertly capturing its dark side, Griffiths creates a world where nothing is as it truly appears to be.” —The Absolute   “One to look forward to.” —BookPage "Griffiths weaves a compelling tale rich with historical detail and a cast of eccentric characters."  —Kirkus "Griffiths’s ability to imbue atmosphere and create fascinating characters continues to make her an author every mystery lover should be reading. Lacking the usual forensics and druids of her previous series, this title may especially appeal to cozy and historical mystery fans." —Library Journal "Engaging...The portrayal of the backstage life and the onstage performances of illusionists forms a fascinating backdrop to the main action. Brief flashbacks to the Magic Men’s wartime missions provide an equally gripping backstory. As the plot deepens, Griffiths’s tone darkens, leading to a series of surprise twists. Readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of Max and company." —Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR ELLY GRIFFITHS AND THE RUTH GALLOWAY SERIES Winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award "Ruth Galloway is a remarkable, delightful character...A must-read for fans of crime and mystery fiction." —Associated Press "Elly Griffiths draws us all the way back to prehistoric times...Highly atmospheric." —The New York Times Book Review "Galloway is an everywoman, smart, successful and a little bit unsure of herself. Readers will look forward to learning more about her." —USA Today "Forensic archeologist and academic Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth-an inspired creation. I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on. " —Louise Penny, author of the bestselling Armand Gamache series

One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Great Fall Thrillers "Clever, immensely likeable...Captivating." —The Wall Street Journal In the first installment of a compelling new series by Elly Griffiths featuring Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and the magnificent Max Mephisto, a band of magicians who served together in World War II track a killer who’s performing their deadly tricks. Brighton, 1950. The body of a girl is found cut into three pieces. Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is convinced the killer is mimicking a famous magic trick—the Zig Zag Girl. The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old war friend of Edgar’s. They served together in a shadowy unit called the Magic Men, a special ops troop that used stage tricks to confound the enemy.     Max is on the traveling show circuit, touring seaside towns with ventriloquists, sword-swallowers and dancing girls. He’s reluctant to leave this world to help Edgar investigate, but advises him to identify the victim quickly — it takes a special sidekick to do the Zig Zag Girl. Those words come back to haunt Max when the dead girl turns out to be Ethel, one of his best assistants to date. He’s soon at Edgar’s side, hunting for Ethel’s killer.     Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max are sure the answer to the murders lies in their army days. And when Edgar receives a letter warning of another “trick” on the way — the Wolf Trap — he knows they’re all in the killer’s sights.