Elly GriffithsThe Great Deceiver: the gripping new novel from the bestselling author of The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries (A Stephens and Mephisto mystery)

This series was a little difficult to get into initially. However it has grown and grown as it’s gone on. There is the usual excellent story writing from Elly Griffiths and the characters have developed so much that you really care what happens to them. Excellent!

A woman has been found brutally murdered in a Brighton boarding house and magician Max Mephisto is dragged back into the world of police investigation. Bumping into Ted English, aka The Great Deceiver, a fellow performer from back in the days when he was one the stage, he is asked for his help – Ted is a magician and the woman, Cherry, was his assistant and he is convinced that he will be questioned about her murder. He agrees to speak to his friend, Superintendent Edgar Stephens who is already on the case. When another woman is found in similar horrific circumstances, Edgar feels that there is a serial killer targeting magicians’ assistants. How far will Max go to help him catch the culprit and who can he convince to be his assistant?This is the seventh book in the Brighton Mysteries series and it is just as good as ever. Once again, Elly takes us on a journey through the theatre world where, along with the regular characters, we meet an eclectic range of performers and landladies, all very much of their time. One of the things I love most about this series are the larger than life characters that help us to become immersed in the stage performances of the 1950s and 60s and give us a real feel for theatre life.I have really enjoyed reading how the role of the woman has progressed since the first book while also still acknowledging that there is still a long way to go before women begin to experience more equality. Sam, in particular, is living her life in a much more modern way but is still having to hide parts of her life even from those she is closest to.The plot is a clever one and there are numerous characters who could quite plausibly be the killer, making this a great whodunit. There are enough little twists to throw you off the scent, keeping you gripped right until the end of the book.If you are a fan of crime fiction set in the recent past, then I can highly recommend each book in the Brighton Mysteries series.

Good story

It was readable but the ending was improbably rushed. The characters were not as well drawn as other books by the author.

One of my favourite writers and although short stories it was excellent to read.

A lot has changed since the early books in this Brighton crime series set in the early 1950s. Now we are in the mid-1960s and both the entertainment world and attitudes towards the role of women in the police force are having to adapt.Charismatic magician, Max Mephisto, has taken a break from his film career while his friend, Superintendent Edgar Stephens has become accustomed to his wife’s new career as a private detective. A horrifying murder in Brighton takes them back to the heyday of variety shows and some of Max’s erstwhile fellow magicians are suspects.I particularly enjoyed the concentration on Meg, an intelligent detective constable from a working-class family. Despite being in awe of Emma, Edgar’s Roedean educated wife, she shows the same talent for relating to witnesses and is not scared of putting herself in danger. Both she and Emma become involved in the murder investigation and we learn much about the world of entertainment landladies and vulnerable magician’s assistants.I would love to see this series as a TV series and can think of one actor who would be perfect as Max. As this volume closes there is evidence that another book could show us more interesting developments in the role of woman in the 20th century while providing entertainment to the reader at the same time.

Couldn't put it down

I am a big Elly Griffiths fan and I am currently working my way through her back catalogue. This book is one of the series of books known as the "Brighton Mysteries". This book is set in the 1960s and captures this era beautifully. We have a vivid and totally believable set of characters, most of whom are touring magicians. The Great Deceiver is one of these characters. In the 60's we see that the showbiz world is rapidly changing and people are turning away from live shows and turning to television instead. The novel concerns the murder of 2 magicians' assistants and we follow the police investigation as they attempt to find the culprit. This is a very enjoyable book which I strongly recommend.

I ordered the paperback because it was not available for my kindle!

I had to wait because the book came from England the price was ok

Ich bin ein Fan seit dem ersten Ruth Galloway Buch. Die Brighton Mysteries habe ich zugegeben anfangs mit Zurückhaltung gelesen, da ich eigentlich kein Freund historischer Krimis bin. Aber die ersten Bücher dieser Reihe waren eine angenehme Überraschung und ich bin dran geblieben. Diesen Band allerdings habe ich beinahe nicht zu Ende geschafft. Die Geschichte hat absolut nichts an sich, das das Interesse wecken könnte. Alles wirkt konstruiert, sei es der Plot, sei es die Beschreibung der Charaktere, sei es die Beschreibung des Lebens in den 60ern. Wenn zum gefühlt 1000. Mal gezeigt wird, wie sexistisch die Männer damals waren (das waren sie und sind sie noch heute), dann seufzt die Leserin nur erschöpft. Das könnte man durchaus in einer Geschichte behandeln, aber nicht so humorlos und nicht so uninteressant. Es sollte ja ein Krimi sein. Etwas Spannung wäre da schon zu erwarten.Fazit: Dieses Buch hat mich zu Tode gelangweilt.

Inte lika bra som författarens serie om Ruth Galloway, men ändå bra. Deckare.

A WDC Meg Connelly is the focus of this new book in the series.other characters also feature, with the background of a Variety show, and the performers