The Great Deceiver: The gripping new novel from the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries – Griffiths Elly (2023)

The next gripping mystery in Elly Griffiths’s Brighton Mysteries series begins with a magician and a murder in a Brighton boarding house. Magician Max Mephisto, now divorced and living in London, is on his way to visit his daughter Ruby and her newborn baby when he is contacted by fellow performer Ted English, known as the Great Deceiver. Ted’s assistant Cherry has been found dead in her Brighton boarding house, and he fears he will be accused of her murder. Max agrees to speak with his friend, Superintendent Edgar Stephens, who is investigating the case, unaware that Cherry’s family has hired private detectives Emma Holmes, also known as Mrs Stephens, and Sam Collins to conduct their own inquiry. Most of the boarding house’s inhabitants are performing in an Old Time Music Hall show on Brighton pier, while the house is also connected to a sinister radio personality called Pal. When a second magician’s assistant is killed, Edgar suspects a serial killer and persuades Max to come out of semi-retirement for a summer show. The question is who can act as his assistant, and Edgar’s recommendation shocks the team.