The Zig Zag Girl (Magic Men Mystery)
By: Elly Griffiths
Rating: 5 of 5
I have enjoyed reading Elly Griffiths’s Ruth Galloway mystery series and was happy to pick up her first book in a new series, “The Zig Zag Girl”. As it turns out, the two series really could not be more different from one another.
“The Zig Zag Girl” is set in 1950, post-WWII Brighton, England. The main characters in the story are a group of men who comprised The Magic Men, a group working with the British government to fool and thwart a possible German invasion of the northern coast.
The men get together following the war when a series of murders happen which can only be attributed to someone who was in or was involved with The Magic Men.
One of the men is Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens, whose task it is to solve the crimes. He is aided by his old friend Max Mephisto, a well-known and respected magician who is discovering that variety shows (including magicians) are not quite so popular as they once were.
The book is a rather typical first in a series. It is a little slow as so much information about characters and history are being imparted. The first third of the story was a bit to wade through but at around page 100, the action picked up and the story line captured by attention.
As far as the mystery goes, I had solved the whodunnit and even the whydunnit very early on. There was only one slight surprise (the very last one) that I had not figured out. Even so, I enjoyed the story and was pleased with the new series. While I think the Galloway mysteries will continue to be my favorite by Ms. Griffiths, I will certainly look forward to reading more books in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
