The Zig Zag Girl

The Brighton Mysteries 1

By: Elly Griffiths

Narrated by: Daniel Philpott

Brighton, 1950.

When a girl's body is found, cut into three, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is reminded of a magic trick, the Zig Zag Girl.

The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old friend of Edgar's. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men.

Max is still on the circuit, touring seaside towns in the company of ventriloquists, sword-swallowers and dancing girls. Changing times mean that variety is not what it once was, yet Max is reluctant to leave this world to help Edgar investigate. But when the dead girl turns out to be known to him, Max changes his mind.

Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max become convinced that the answer to the murders lies in their army days. When Edgar receives a letter warning of another 'trick', the Wolf Trap, he knows that they are all in the killer's sights...

(P) 2014 Quercus Editions Ltd©2014 Elly Griffiths

Critic reviews

Enormously engaging . . . Post-war Brighton and its Theatre Royal are beautifully captured in all their seedy glory . . . subtle, charming and very good

A colourful crowd of ventriloquists and sword-swallowers, a world lovingly re-created in this original, lively and gripping work

The historical detail is very well done . . . The Zig Zag Girl is an extremely well-written and well-researched novel

Not Ruth Galloway

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

For me it was not, since I found the story contrived and unappealing. Maybe I am unfair, since I really enjoy her Ruth Galloway series and expected to be as absorbed and attached to the characters and was not at all.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I will listen to the last installment of the Joe Sandilands series.

Which scene was your favorite?

maybe the end…because I was glad to be done...

Do you think The Zig Zag Girl needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

For me it does not, even though not liking one book does not mean the next one cannot be much more gripping.

Any additional comments?

I am eagerly waiting for the next Ruth Galloway book, one of the best mystery series around, for me.