Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths

Sep 15, 2019 Paromjit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, netgalley, crime-fiction, thriller

It has taken this latest addition to Elly Griffiths's historical Stephens and Mephisto series set in Brighton for me to become aware of just how much I love this series. It picks up more than a decade later from events in The Vanishing Box, in the interim fundamental shifts have taken place in the lives of the major characters. It is 1964, Max is now a bona fide movie star living in LA, married to the famous actress, Lydia Lamont, and has two young children, Rocco and Elena. He is now Lord It has taken this latest addition to Elly Griffiths's historical Stephens and Mephisto series set in Brighton for me to become aware of just how much I love this series. It picks up more than a decade later from events in The Vanishing Box, in the interim fundamental shifts have taken place in the lives of the major characters. It is 1964, Max is now a bona fide movie star living in LA, married to the famous actress, Lydia Lamont, and has two young children, Rocco and Elena. He is now Lord Massingham after the death of his father, although he makes no use of the title to his American wife's dismay. His daughter, the 34 year old Ruby is now the fashionable darling of the nation with her popular TV show, Ruby Magic. Edgar is now Superintendent, whilst Bob has been promoted to DI, and there is a new WPC, the 19 year old Meg Connolly, on the police team. Emma Holmes left the police force on marrying Edgar, and is mother to 3 children, Marianne, Sophie, and 10 month old Jonathan.

The paths of this close knit group connect once again at the funeral of Stan Parks, The Great Diablo, along with Max and Edgar, was part of The Magic Men, wartime comrades running vital missions in WW2. Being a housewife and mother is not enough for Emma, she sorely misses her previous life as a DS, her dissatisfaction is something Edgar is aware of, correctly intuiting she hankers a return to her previous role in the police, which is just not a realistic possibility. Max too is feeling his own strain of unhappiness, he hankers for his old variety music hall shows, the itinerant lifestyle as a magician, but that has all but disappeared from British cultural life. Now it all about pop stars, like The Beatles, and film stars, attracting huge young crowds of screaming fans. There are violent running battles on the Brighton seafront between the Mods and the Rockers, with the police caught in the middle. Max is ruminating over the loss of the murdered Florence, who he believes he loved, and wondering about the nature of his marriage to Lydia, but his children keep him tethered to his current life. A 16 year old Rhonda Miles, a Roedean school girl, has gone missing, a fanatical follower of the American film star, Bobby Hambro. 2 other women have previously gone missing, with matters coming to a head when the dead body of a woman is discovered on the beach.

Danger comes much too close to Max, as Ruby disappears and Emma just cannot stop herself getting involved, resentful, aware that she is much the better detective than both Edgar and Bob. She is joined by her only friends, Sam Collins, local reporter and medium, Astarte Zabini. It is the women, along with WPC Meg, that make the key breaks on the case. The sixties is an era where rampant sexism, racism and anti-gay sentiment make life considerably more challenging. Emma has to forge a path in another direction with a police force unwilling to accommodate married women. Griffiths has a real gift in creating complex characters that you cannot help but care about, getting caught up in their lives and relationships, which hold centre stage as much as the core murder mystery in the novels. A brilliant historical series, capturing the class distinctions and spirit of Britain and Brighton in the 1960s in this addition, dripping with the social and cultural norms and attitudes of the time, amidst a background of the popular culture. Looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC. ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Liz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

As a huge fan of the Ruth Galloway series, I was thrilled to learn that Elly Griffiths had another series. So, when book five in the Magic Men series became available on netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read it.

This story takes you back to 1964. The Magic Men originally came together in WWII. Now Max is an actor in Hollywood and Edgar is a Police Superintendent. The time period allows for the sexism of the day to shine through, like the fact that a female police constable isn’t allowed to ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Carolyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: murder-mystery, netgalley, netgalley-2019, 2019

Where the first four books in this series were set in 1950s Brighton, this fifth episode has leapt ahead 10 years to the 1960s. Mini skirt wearing teenage girls are swooning over the Beatles and Mods and Rockers are ganging up on each other. The Magic Men who were part of a special squad in WWII have all gone their separate ways. Max Mephisto is no longer a variety show magician but a movie star, married to a Hollywood actress in LA and father of two young children and Edgar Stephens is now a ...more

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Aug 23, 2019 Richard rated it really liked it

It is always an event when a new Elly Griffiths book is due out. The chance to receive an advanced reader’s copy (ARC) should not be passed up.
This is now the 5th in this series that began with her main characters caught up in making a go of things after World War II. Life in Post War England was a struggle and the charm of these books were the end of the pier shows, variety and where magicians were often topping the bill in theatres. Two wartime colleagues were reunited in what became initially It is always an event when a new Elly Griffiths book is due out. The chance to receive an advanced reader’s copy (ARC) should not be passed up.
This is now the 5th in this series that began with her main characters caught up in making a go of things after World War II. Life in Post War England was a struggle and the charm of these books were the end of the pier shows, variety and where magicians were often topping the bill in theatres. Two wartime colleagues were reunited in what became initially known as the Stephens and Mephisto mysteries centred on Brighton, where Edgar Stephens became a detective inspector and Max Mephisto star and travelling magician assisted, whenever he was in town in solving the crimes presented.
They have now been rebranded the Brighton Mysteries but Max remains a central character and Edgar, now Superintendent makes this still really a police procedural (but with a magic twist).

This compelling addition to this engaging series is set some 11 years after the last one. Consequently, much has changed in the intervening years for these characters. The author manages this with the expertise of the successful novelist she is and integrates the backstory without deviation, hesitation or reputation.
It can be read as a stand-alone and would be a get in to anyone new to the series or Ely’s diverse work.

Perhaps more challenging to the author was the jump into the 60’s and presenting details some of her reader’s may have memories of and could have lived through themselves. Here Brighton comes into its own. While not like a Graham Greene novel but real and black. This series has always had an edgy feel to it even a decade earlier. No cosy mysteries here. The murders have always been macabre and dark, reflecting the stage magic and mystery of a bygone theatrical day.
This is a story of a missing girl where the abduction does not seem initially for ransom. As the investigation expands we see this might not be the first young woman taken but the facts surrounding each disappearance seem confused as each missing person left a note.

I loved the grasp of the teenage world; the crush young girls had for film stars and growing music scene like The Beatles. I also appreciated the social commentary that is bound up in the story regarding other social changes. Youth culture, gangs, women’s roles, radio to TV and issue based awareness around sexuality, environment and class.
Elly weaves this all into her story which brings colour and depth. In addition she brings a rich love of literature and historical nods to her writing that adds layers and gives substance to this novel.

At times you think you’re reading a separate soap, it’s all about Emma, as the writing exposes the struggle a woman has being married, raising the kids and losing her identity without a role outside the home.
But Elly repeats this in Max’s character too regarding his marriage and his memories of a precious love returning to Brighton after 11 years.
It also works on another level that of the relationships of fathers with their daughters. Here the author shows great insights and a variety of interactions between the various examples in the book. Not deep but a social commentary fully integrated into the story. All the more striking compared to the love or endowment given to sons.

This is what made Jane Austin such a great writer and why Elly Griffiths is a quality author as demonstrated here.

It is a novel set in 1960s England but it is a story very much for today. ...more

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Aug 24, 2019 Linden rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: advance-review-copy

Ten years have passed since the last Magic Men mystery. Emma is no longer a police officer; she’s married to Edgar, who is now Superintendent, and a mother of 3. Max is back--he married an American, and is just visiting Brighton. An important man’s daughter is missing, and the police start to connect the case with some other disappearances of young women in the area. Then the kidnapping gets very personal, and everyone’s help is needed to before it is too late.

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Nov 25, 2019 Lee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: english, historical, netgalleyonly2019, mystery, net-galley, netgalleyreaders2019, series, horror-thriller

I adore Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway book series and also loved her recent standalone The Stranger Diaries but, on a whole, I will admit I have not enjoyed the Stephens/Mephisto (or as it is advertised on the US cover, The Magic Men) series quite as much. The trend continues with Now You See Them.

For this, the fifth book in the series, Griffiths has skipped ten years, thus the post war 50s has morphed into the swinging 60s. I really enjoy books set in the 50s, where PTSD from WW2 is so prevalent and I adore Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway book series and also loved her recent standalone The Stranger Diaries but, on a whole, I will admit I have not enjoyed the Stephens/Mephisto (or as it is advertised on the US cover, The Magic Men) series quite as much. The trend continues with Now You See Them.

For this, the fifth book in the series, Griffiths has skipped ten years, thus the post war 50s has morphed into the swinging 60s. I really enjoy books set in the 50s, where PTSD from WW2 is so prevalent and am less interested in the 60s as I find the era is just a bit overused generally in books, movies, television etc.

The book opens with my favourite character of the series, the Great Diablo, having passed away, bringing everyone back to Brighton for the funeral. Edgar is now the Super and is married to Emma who, as such, has had to resign from the police force. With three children, she is kept busy but largely dissatisfied with her housewife/mother status. Max is married to a famous Hollywood actress and Ruby is the star of her own tv series. Their reunion is disrupted when a young girl from the local boarding school which Emma attended goes missing.

The crime itself is satisfying enough, there are a lot of red herrings and, as Max would say, misdirection, meaning I was not really sure whodunnit. I did guess a couple of key points, however and, as per usual, I would have preferred Edgar to be more involved. He takes the backseat yet again though and it's Emma who is the focus of this installment.

I have been a bit indifferent towards Emma’s character until now and I’m still not feeling the love completely. I understand Griffiths is using her to highlight some important points, especially when it comes to feminism (as she also does with the introduction of another female police officer, Meg) but sometimes I think writers need to just show the readers misogyny in a more organic way instead of pushing it straight down our throats.

Classism and racism are also themes of the book and again, it feels heavy handed. Maybe writers need to remember not every reader is too stupid to understand subtlety.

Max’s lovelife is another thing I’m starting to feel indifferent about. Although he turns up married in this book, it’s glaringly obvious he will soon be taking up with yet another different woman and Griffiths will work in yet another love triangle into one of her books. *sigh* Unlike Edgar though, at least Max does get to do some sleuthing, which is a bonus.

With the new 60s setting, Griffiths took the opportunity to include the Brighton riot/clash between the Mods and Rockers. This real life historical gang war is always interesting (and so very English!).

Out of all the books of the series I thought this one felt much more ‘cosy mystery’ than the others and I recommend it to fans of that genre that are looking for a decent story. Now You See Them is very standalone too. I think new readers will pick up on most of the previous plot points fairly easily.

The Zig Zag Girl is still the best of the series but I think there are worse books you could pick up than this and I will probably keep going with the series in the future.

4 out of 5 ...more

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Oct 19, 2019 Susan Johnson rated it it was amazing

Diablo would have preferred applause at his funeral just as he liked it in life but all he got was tears. The WWII special ops gang have gathered 10 years after the last book (now 1964) was concluded to pay their last respects to the old vaudevillian. And how things have changed. Edgar and Emma are married and have three children. He is now Police Superintendent in Brighton. Max has become a movie star in Hollywood and lives there with his movie star wife and two children. Ruby is the star of ...more

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Oct 03, 2019 Clare rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-netgalley-challenge, 2019-perusals-reading-challenge

With thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Now You See Them had moved to 1960s Brighton when the word teenagers were invented. The Beatles were the original UK boy band, and battles between mods and rockers on the promenade.

Times had changed for Edgar and Max. Edgar became a superintendent and married his former sergeant Emma Holmes and had three children. Max went to America where he appeared in a successful film. Max married a film star and they ...more

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Nov 14, 2019 Sherrie rated it really liked it

I found the fact that this book had jumped 10 years in time since the last one in the series quite disconcerting to start with, but still enjoyed the story after a while.

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Sep 15, 2019 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites-read-in-2019, out-in-2019-and-read

It's so good to spend time with Max, Edgar and Emma again. Time has moved on and things have changed for them all but now they must work together again to stop a killer. This is a lovingly developed story in which character and setting matter more than the plot and, as usual, Elly Griffiths writes beautifully. This will always be one of my very favourite series. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.

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Oct 03, 2019 Elaine Tomasso rated it it was amazing

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Now You See Them, the fifth novel to feature Superintendent Edgar Stephens of the Brighton police and magician turned film star Max Mephisto.

Time has moved on for the characters and it’s now 1964. Max is back in Brighton, having spent the last 11 years in Los Angeles, and Edgar has been promoted to Superintendent. Life has changed for them but crime still exists so Edgar is soon busy investigating the disappearance of I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Now You See Them, the fifth novel to feature Superintendent Edgar Stephens of the Brighton police and magician turned film star Max Mephisto.

Time has moved on for the characters and it’s now 1964. Max is back in Brighton, having spent the last 11 years in Los Angeles, and Edgar has been promoted to Superintendent. Life has changed for them but crime still exists so Edgar is soon busy investigating the disappearance of schoolgirl Rhonda Miles. Things take a more serious turn when it appears that Rhonda is not the first young woman to disappear from Brighton and may not be the last.

I thoroughly enjoyed Now You See Them which held my attention from start to finish, not just with the crime element but with the interplay between the characters and their developing lives. Despite magic, which has always been an integral part of the series, not playing a large part in this novel I feel that this is the best novel in the series so far with Ms Griffiths’ playing to her strengths and concentrating on her characterisation. Edgar has achieved promotion and is relatively content in his marriage to the former DS Emma Holmes but Emma is unhappy in her role as housewife and mother of three. Max, forever restless, is wondering about his choices, did he do the right thing moving to Los Angeles and marrying film star Lydia Lamont? Then there’s his troubled relationship with grown up daughter, Ruby, who has a successful career of her own as an actress. I loved the 1960s setting with its offer of hope and change as it just seems so apt for the characters. I also loved Emma’s solution to her unrest - now I can’t wait for the next novel to see how it plays out.

Ms Griffiths does a sterling job with the period detail and it’s in the detail, most people don’t have a phone or a television because they were expensive. This is the childhood I remember, not the usual fictional assumption that they were readily available and affordable. There are some nice vignettes of teenage fandom with the object of their desire being American film star Bobby Hambro rather than the Beatles and no novel about Brighton in the 60s could be authentic without mention of the Mods and Rockers fights in the town.

The crime element takes a bit of a back seat to the personal with various characters involved in the investigation and there being no coherent strategy, nonetheless it works and is the glue that holds the novel together. Some of the twists are quite unexpected and it gets quite exciting towards the end.

Now You See Them is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending. ...more

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Nov 23, 2019 Darla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Girls are disappearing and the Magic Men need to figure out how to undo the trick of this unknown man lurking in the shadows -- promising to turn girls into models. Ten years have gone by since Stevens & Mephisto #4 and it is 1964. With WW II so distant in the rearview mirror, the tumultuous 60's are in focus. Max and Edgar both have young children. Diablo is dead. Emma is a stay-at-home mom. Ruby is a celebrity in her own right. There is a new recruit at the police station and she has some ...more

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Nov 09, 2019 Joy Smith rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

The story started out slowly, and the preceding story--11 years ago--sounded more interesting, but eventually I got to know the characters and learn about what happened back then, and what's happening with everyone now, and when things picked up farther along, the mystery and suspense really drew me in, and the climax--though I saw that coming--was riveting with a twist that I enjoyed. (It's about time!) And the ending was satisfying. (I was really worried; one of the kidnapped victims was ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Kathleen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley2019

#NowYouSeeThem #NetGalley
"The fifth gripping Stephens & Mephisto mystery from the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway series - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie and Robert Galbraith. DCI Edgar Stephens, Detective Sergeants Emma Holmes and Bob Willis, and of course magician Max Mephisto, are facing a brave new world: the 1960s.

Max is a huge TV star in the USA, and life in Brighton has settled down for the three police officers."

I just loved this one and have been waiting for ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 Bebe (Sarah) Brechner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Magic Men series is fabulous fun! Griffiths brings the fifth story into a setting many years after the last one. This is a bit disconcerting at first, but quickly steps into the rich, suspenseful story readers have come to expect. All the favorite characters of the past stories are unexpectedly together again. Griffiths also brings a focus on former detective Emma Holmes, who is bored with her life as wife to Edgar, of the original Magic Men and now head of the detective unit. Emma featured ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 David Gilchrist rated it it was amazing

My 5* review of 'Now you see Them" by Elly Griffiths.
Another story set in Brighton with Max and Edgar back in harness working to resolve the mystery of girls going missing, along with a host of other supporting characters. This author writes and develops characters better than most. Though set in Brighton not too cosy touching on racism, sexism, homophobia along with misogyny the issues of the day in the 1960,s.

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Oct 05, 2019 Lizzie Hayes rated it it was amazing

Brighton May 1964 and Edgar Stephens is attending the funeral of an old friend a magician known as the Great Diablo, aka Stan Parks. Lost in his memories a door banging at the back of the church brings Edgar back to the present and there is Max Mephisto, looking unchanged by the last eleven years.

Much has changed for the friends who served in the war together as part of a group called the Magic Men. Edgar is now a Police Superintendent and has married his former sergeant Emma Holmes. Max is now Brighton May 1964 and Edgar Stephens is attending the funeral of an old friend a magician known as the Great Diablo, aka Stan Parks. Lost in his memories a door banging at the back of the church brings Edgar back to the present and there is Max Mephisto, looking unchanged by the last eleven years.

Much has changed for the friends who served in the war together as part of a group called the Magic Men. Edgar is now a Police Superintendent and has married his former sergeant Emma Holmes. Max is now a Hollywood movie star and is married to the film star Lydia Lamont, and they have two children. And Max’s daughter Ruby, by a former liaison with a snake charmer, has her own TV show – Ruby Magic. Catching up after the funeral the friends’ reminiscences are interrupted when Bob Willis, now DI Willis takes a call that a schoolgirl has gone missing from the boarding school Roedean, situated on the coast just outside Brighton.

The missing girl Rhonda is the daughter of the MP Sir Crispian Miles, the latter having had to wait while Edgar is fetched from the funeral is kicking up a fuss with words such as ‘It’s a disgrace. What do I pay my taxes for?’ It transpires that delay in the school reporting the absence was occasioned by Rhonda having left a note saying she was going to London. Interviewing her friends reveal that she was besotted by the young film star Bobby Hambro and having heard he was in London had gone to see him.

As Edgar gets the investigation underway two other instance of missing girls come to light, and the investigation ‘opens up in several directions. WPC Connolly is certainly proving her worth, as Edgar says to Emma ‘she’s a bright girl’ and Emma grinds her teeth,

This is the fifth book in the series, and it was a clever move by the author to take the characters on eleven years and for the reader to learn how they had all developed. Not only is it interesting how she has moved their lives on but gives great scope for future books.

Like all good stories, on the surface things look good but underneath maybe not so perfect. Emma and Edgar now have three children, Marianne 8, Sophie 8 and Jonathan just 10 months. She has a husband she loves and lives in a large comfortable house in Brighton but is that enough for a bright woman with a taste for detection. In 1953 when a policewoman married, she had to give up her job in the police force and Emma misses it. But her longing to be involved may impair her judgement.

Max has been offered another film, but he is at heart a magician used to his audience been amazed by his act, is Hollywood right for him? And Brighton holds memories, that he hasn’t ever let go

As the investigation takes a dramatic turn, the police have to contend with a threat posed by a battle between the mods and rockers who are causing chaos, and a rumour that another thousand are coming down from London.

A terrific entry in this excellent series. Several tantalising hooks at the end leave me wanting to read the next one now! Highly recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
...more

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Sep 29, 2019 L. rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, three-stars, horror-thriller, historical-fiction

Disclaimer: I did not know that this was the fifth book in a series and, although everything made sense without reading the previous books, I just thought like it was something I should mention. Also, I recieved this as an Arc on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Well. I'm pretty sure you shouldn't finish a book feeling like you've just ran a marathon but that's what I did. It was quite difficult to read just because it struggled to hold my interest. I'm not entirely sure if the Disclaimer: I did not know that this was the fifth book in a series and, although everything made sense without reading the previous books, I just thought like it was something I should mention. Also, I recieved this as an Arc on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Well. I'm pretty sure you shouldn't finish a book feeling like you've just ran a marathon but that's what I did. It was quite difficult to read just because it struggled to hold my interest. I'm not entirely sure if the problem was me or the book, to be quite honest, but the second half was much better than the first half and I found the ending to be pretty anti-climatic (although this is true for a majority of thrillers I read, so maybe I set my expectations too high).

Okay, so;

Things I didn't like:

- I'm aware that this was set in the 60's and therefore had pretty backward language and ideals, and it was when being gay was still illegal/extremely frowned upon, but I still feel like the use of the words "coloured" and "gypsy" didn't need to be used, at least not without SOMEONE pointing out they're racist
- use of things like "model", "movie star", etc. I don't know why I don't like it, I guess it just felt like I was reading a Jacqueline Wilson book because it feels so juvenile

Things I Did Like:

- the narration was really comforting, in a way, if a bit confusing at times because I didn't really know who was who
- it was ridiculous but still really fun to go along with them, and I liked how the group seemed close knit. it makes me want to read the previous books in the series so I can read more about Emma and the gang
- the writing was quite suspenseful and there were many twists and turns

I think, overall, this book was just a bit of a dissapointment, especially since the Ruth Galloway books are some of my favourite thrillers and I was expecting the same level of quality here and it just...wasn't. Maybe if I had read the other books in the series, I might have felt different due to being closer to the characters, knowing their histories, etc. As such, that was not the case. So an enjoyable read, but not the best thriller I've read this year. ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Paul rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-thrillers

Now You See Them – A Trip back into the swinging sixties

It is Brighton 1963, Edgar Stephens is now married and been promoted to the position of Superintendent and is happily married to Emma, his former detective sergeant. Emma is now a stay at home parent to their children, even though she still hankers for her days back on the job.

At a funeral of an old friend, and stage magician in Brighton, and brings back together the friends who knew him so well. Edgar Stephens and Emma are in attendance, ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Diane Dickson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book. It was great to meet old friends again and especially as their lives had moved on and developed. Having lived through the sixties and remember the Brighton battles I did enjoy the cultural references and in particular the beginning of the feminist awakening. The plot was perhaps not quite as convoluted as some of Ms Griffiths' other work but it was satisfying enough and came to a complete and tidy conclusion.

Though I really enjoyed the scene setting I would not rest easy if ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 Hannelore Cheney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC.
We're back in Brighton, 11 years after the previous in the series - it's now 1964 and the mods and rockers are expected to clash on the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. A young girl is missing as well, so Edgar Stephens, now a Detective Superintendent, has his hands full. He and his team soon find out other girls have gone missing as well. Then one of them is found murdered.
It was so good to be back in the company of Edgar, Emma, Ruby ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 Laurie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Edgar Stephens, now a Detective Superintendent, and his team are investigating the possible kidnapping of a young girl when they realize that there are other girls going missing around Brighton. Soon the disappearances begin hitting too close to home.

I enjoyed reading all of the previous books, but was wondering if the series would really continue after The Vanishing Box. Very glad it did! As with the previous books, the story is compelling, the characters engaging, and the mystery ...more

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Oct 23, 2019 Jae rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, crime-fiction

I very much enjoyed books 1-4 of this mystery series set in Brighton in the 1950s/60s, but this one took too long to get going. It wasn't until about half way through that the story really picked up, and although this second half was interesting and kept me reading, it was just too slow in coming. Overall though, a good series.

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Jun 23, 2019 Kaijsa rated it really liked it

I just devoured the ARC of this book. It was delicious.

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Sep 09, 2019 The Library Lady rated it liked it

Shelves: ebooks, edelweiss

I am not sure why Griffiths needed to jump about 10 years since the last book in that series, but I guess that she feels that her characters are all settled into new lives, time to bring them back together again. I guessed a lot of the twists in this mystery, but still enjoyed it, but after the last awful Ruth Galloway book, and this less than fabulous one for the magic men, I can't help thinking about how good the standalone The Stranger Diaries was, and wishing that she could be that strong a ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Eadie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019

The fifth book in the Magic Men series, Now You See Them, takes place in the 60's, 10 years later than the last book. Superintendent Edgar Stephens and the magician Max Mephisto are involved in a case of missing girls in Brighton UK. DS Emma Holmes is now married to Edgar and is a frustrated wife and mother who misses being out there solving crime along with Edgar. She begins her own hunt along with Sam Collins, a woman reporter. When two more girls go missing, both with ties to the group, the ...more

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Oct 04, 2019 Karolyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019

This is the fifth book in the Stephens and Mephisto series which is set in Brighton. Edgar Stephens has now been promoted to Superintendent and married to former DS Emma Holmes, they have three children. Meanwhile, Max Mephisto is a movie star in Hollywood, he is married, with two children. His daughter Ruby is doing well in her tv programme too.

Max is back in England for the funeral of Stan Parks, aka Diablo, actor and wartime comrade to him and Edgar. DI Bob Willis is trying to find local This is the fifth book in the Stephens and Mephisto series which is set in Brighton. Edgar Stephens has now been promoted to Superintendent and married to former DS Emma Holmes, they have three children. Meanwhile, Max Mephisto is a movie star in Hollywood, he is married, with two children. His daughter Ruby is doing well in her tv programme too.

Max is back in England for the funeral of Stan Parks, aka Diablo, actor and wartime comrade to him and Edgar. DI Bob Willis is trying to find local schoolgirl Rhonda Miles, daughter of an MP. Emma is very frustrated at being just a housewife and gets together with Sam Collins, a local woman reporter who has noticed a pattern with other missing girls, Louise Dawkins and Sara Henratty. Edgar listens to the theory and looks at the cuttings from the papers left by Sam. Also, Emma went to the same school as Rhonda so mentions the tunnel that runs from the school grounds down to the sea. Emma wants to go and check the tunnel immediately but Edgar says ‘who would look after the children?’. Then Jonathon starts crying. In the morning, he gets his team to do some enquiries into the other missing girls and the tunnel.

He sends WPC Meg Connolly and PC Danny Black back Roedean School to check about the tunnel. Miss Browning is surprised about the return visit to check the tunnel as it’s only open two or three times a year other than that it’s locked. She takes them to the caretaker for the keys which are just inside the door so would be accessible to anyone if he wasn’t there. They take the key and walk towards the main gate where the tunnel entrance is. When nearing it, they can see the padlock in position but it’s not locked and the door is propped ajar by a stone. They push the door open, switch their torches on as the tunnel is dark and there is s salty taste of the sea in the air. There was a rope handrail to hold onto as they descended down towards the beach, The door was propped open too when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Meg spotted a broad-brimmed blue school hat. The name on the hat was Rhonda’s. Had she left this way then gone to London but when?

Edgar’s main priority is the May Bank Holiday invasion by Mods and Rockers at Brighton beach so he has passed the missing girls case onto DI Bob Willis. The case takes a turn for the worst when one of the missing girls is found dead and then Ruby Magic goes missing. Max gettings worried after she misses seeing him one evening, not turning up to the studio for work and not seeing Emma on the Saturday. He does some digging then takes it to Edgar for some help as it’s out of character for Ruby.

Emma goes off to track the kidnapper of her child whilst Edgar is dealing with violent fights between Mods and Rockers on Brighton’s seafront. Meg Connolly, Sam and Max come to her aid whilst also trying to find Edgar and Bob on their police issue radio’s amidst the melee that’s going on.

I really enjoyed reading this book, got into it straight away and it’s so easy to read, read it in a day. The story line flows well and is interesting with references to some parts of Brighton which makes it more interesting I think. The research has been done for this book and it’s shown in the detail which is very good. 5 out of 5 stars from me.
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Nov 28, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-reviews, about-to-read, arc-are

was delighted for the opportunity to continue with Elly Griffiths’s mystery series featuring police detective Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto In Now You See Them, the fifth book of the Magic Men (or Stephens & Mephisto) series.

Unexpectedly, eleven years have passed since the events of The Vanishing Box. In the interim, Edgar Stephens has been promoted to Superintendent, and is happily married to (former Sergeant) Emma, with three young children, while Max Mephisto has become an was delighted for the opportunity to continue with Elly Griffiths’s mystery series featuring police detective Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto In Now You See Them, the fifth book of the Magic Men (or Stephens & Mephisto) series.

Unexpectedly, eleven years have passed since the events of The Vanishing Box. In the interim, Edgar Stephens has been promoted to Superintendent, and is happily married to (former Sergeant) Emma, with three young children, while Max Mephisto has become an American movie star and married a Hollywood starlet, with whom he has two young children. The pair are reunited in Brighton at the funeral of Stan Parks, aka The Great Diablo, but the separation has put some strain on their friendship, and both are too busy with their own interests to properly reconnect. Max is negotiating a role in a movie to be filmed in England with the country’s hottest teen idol, Bobby Hambro, while attempting to spend time with his grown daughter, Ruby, who is now the star of a popular television series, and Edgar is overseeing a search for the runaway teenage daughter of a local MP, and preparing for the May Bank Holiday, during which large groups of warring Mods and Rockers are expected to clash on the Brighton foreshore.

Suspecting that the missing teen is simply skiving to stalk Bobby Hambro at his London hotel with all the other young ‘Bobby Soxers’, DI Bob Willis, and WPC Meg Connolly are tasked with making inquiries, but Samantha Collins, a reporter at the local paper, thinks otherwise. She believes that Rhonda Miles is the third of three teenage girls who may have been abducted, and approaches Emma with her suspicions.

Emma, who has become increasingly restless in her role as only a housewife and mother, sees merit in the theory, and eagerly presents it to her husband, hoping she can perhaps be of help in the investigation. She’s hurt when Edgar barely acknowledges it, and so with the support of Sam, somewhat naively does some investigating of her own, children in tow.

The questions surrounding the fate of the missing girls is the core mystery in Now You See Them. The police have few leads and no real evidence of the connection, and Griffiths makes the most of the uncertainty, but it’s not until Ruby goes missing that any real urgency is introduced into the plot.

Now You See Them is far more about the characters than the plot though, Max and Emma in particular are at a crossroads of a type. I felt that Edgar was sidelined somewhat, but as a Superintendent he is no longer a hands on detective, so that makes sense. I enjoyed the time leap in character growth much more than I expected, and I also liked the introduction of the new WPC.

One of the strengths of this series remains its sense of time and place, the jump from the mid 50’s to the mid 60’s is deftly accomplished with Griffiths illustrating the cultural shifts in various ways.

Now You See Them can probably be read as a stand-alone but the experience will be much richer if the reader is familiar with the series. I enjoyed both the story, and reconnecting with the characters. Interestingly Griffiths seems to have ended with a hint of a new direction for this series that may see Emma and Sam in the forefront.
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Aug 21, 2019 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley

It has been ten years since the events in The Vanishing Box and things have certainly moved on! Edgar Stephens, now a superintendent, has finally got his act together and is married to his former DS, Emma Holmes, and is the father of three children. Edgar’s friend, Max Mephisto, has made the move to America where he is now a film star, married with children, while his daughter, Ruby, is now the star of her own television show, Ruby Magic.

Now something has brought them all back together in It has been ten years since the events in The Vanishing Box and things have certainly moved on! Edgar Stephens, now a superintendent, has finally got his act together and is married to his former DS, Emma Holmes, and is the father of three children. Edgar’s friend, Max Mephisto, has made the move to America where he is now a film star, married with children, while his daughter, Ruby, is now the star of her own television show, Ruby Magic.

Now something has brought them all back together in Brighton, stirring up memories of the past. Meanwhile, Edgar is investigating the disappearance of a local schoolgirl, Rhonda Miles, and there are concerns that there could be a connection to two other missing women. With the culprit seemingly close to home, will disaster be averted or will their reunion bring heartache?

For me, Elly Griffiths is one of those authors who automatically moves up your TBR list, no matter how many books you already have to read! Ever since attending a talk she did with William Shaw at Waterstones, I have been excited to see what had happened to Stephens and Mephisto, especially as there is such a gap in time between the setting of this book and its predecessor. I had so many questions at the start of the book, all of which were answered really quickly, leaving me to enjoy the latest installment of the Brighton Mysteries.

In Now You See Them, we see the characters move away from the theatre, the setting of much of the previous books. As a result, we see a lot more police work, with a new officer, Meg Connolly, being added to the team. I really liked Meg who, as a woman, is finding it frustrating that she is forbidden from doing the same tasks as the male officers. She has the potential to be a great character, and, although she is still young, I don’t think it will be too long before she is climbing up the promotion ladder. We also see a different side of Emma who, after years of bringing up her children, is desperate to get back to work. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the future as a result of her revelation at the end of the book.

There are several other events in the book placing it firmly in the 1960s. A well-known film star is in the area, scouting out locations, giving the local teenage girls the opportunity to get up-close. With this, and references to The Beatles and Top of the Pops, we see a time when teenagers were beginning to become more prominent in society. Perhaps, the most iconic event in the book, however, is the clash between the Mods and the Rockers which took place on Brighton beach in 1964. This provided a great backdrop to the crime, highlighting how difficult it was for Edgar and his team, as they battle to keep order whilst trying to find the missing women.

I really enjoyed meeting up with Stephens and Mephisto again and particularly loved how we see the women starting to want to follow their own career paths. I do hope that book 6 is in the pipeline as I can’t wait to see how Emma’s plans affect her life with Edgar!

With thanks to Quercus Books and Net Galley for my copy of Now You See Them, which can be pre-ordered now and will be published on 3rd October 2019. ...more

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Oct 03, 2019 Louise Marley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, mystery, crime-fiction, favourites

I've just read the first four books in this series, back-to-back, so to get my hands on this one was an absolute treat! I love Elly's books but I can't decide whether I love her Dr Ruth Galloway series best or this one. Do I have to choose?!!

The first four books in the Brighton Mysteries were set in the 1950s and many of the ongoing plot strands were resolved in the fourth book. Now You See Them is almost a reboot, in that we rejoin the characters nine years later. Some of them are no longer I've just read the first four books in this series, back-to-back, so to get my hands on this one was an absolute treat! I love Elly's books but I can't decide whether I love her Dr Ruth Galloway series best or this one. Do I have to choose?!!

The first four books in the Brighton Mysteries were set in the 1950s and many of the ongoing plot strands were resolved in the fourth book. Now You See Them is almost a reboot, in that we rejoin the characters nine years later. Some of them are no longer with us (I won't say who, but noooo!) but there are several new characters introduced. If you haven't read the others in the series, you could start with this one.

Now You See Them is set in Brighton in 1963. Edgar Stephens has been promoted to Superintendent and is married to Detective Sergeant Emma Holmes. They have three children and Emma has given up her career. Ed's wartime 'Magic Men' colleague Max Mephisto, a music hall magician, is a Hollywood film star but returns to Britain for the funeral of one of their old friends. Edgar, Emma and Max swiftly become involved in the case of a missing schoolgirl, which ends up being a little too close to home.

At first I was grumpy that the series had skipped nine years (and that my favourite character had been killed off!) but I was immediately caught up in the story about three young women who go missing, one after the other, with apparently nothing to connect them. I loved the new characters, WPC Meg Connolly, who is frustrated that she gets all the boring jobs because she's a woman, and female reporter Sam (who we originally met in The Vanishing Box; she has a bigger part to play here) who is similarly frustrated. Female empowerment is an ongoing theme, because Emma has realised that living happily ever after with the man she loves is starting to feel a bit...dull...and longs for the excitement that she once had working for the police.

As well as writing a entertaining mystery (I am never able to work out the villain!) Elly's particular skill is to create brilliant, totally believable characters. She writes with humour and her stories are well-researched with lots of amazing detail. The way Now You See Them ended makes me hope there might be another one coming along soon?

One of my favourite reads this year, Now You See Them, is recommended for anyone who loves historical mysteries and the kind of murder mystery that has a puzzle to solve but isn't too violent.

Thank you to Elly Griffiths and Quercus for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily. ...more

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