Smoke and Mirrors

In Brighton, DI Edgar Stephens has a case of missing children on his hands.  The snowy weather isn’t helping either.  His team learns that the children had been involved in preparing a play, which the girl had written.  The army is brought in to help with the search.

Sadly the bodies of the children are found near Hove.  They appear to have been strangled.  Edgar is sure that the way the bodies were laid out, they were meant to be found; it seemed so staged.  He asks his friend, Max Mephisto, for help.  It isn’t long before they are joined by Stan Parker, The Great Diablo, another member of The Magic Men during the war.  From the latter he learns that on of the actors in a play currently running in Brighton was in a play prior to the First World War in which a child actor was murdered.  The current producer of the play is the son of the man who produced the play where the child actor was killed.

Could the two cases be linked?  Will the killer strike again?

Edgar received a mysterious letter from the teacher of the victims.  When he goes around to see her, her finds her dead.  She too, has been strangled.  Things go from bad to worse when the younger sister of one of the first victims disappears.

As author Elly Griffiths’ young victim is said to enjoy a twist in her plays, so does the author in this story.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.  I’m sure that you will enjoy this mystery as much as I did.