Book Summary and Reviews of The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths

The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths

The Blood Card

Magic Men Mysteries

by Elly Griffiths

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2017, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In the third Magic Men mystery, the first partially set in America, a threat of mass violence looms over Elizabeth II's coronation: Can DI Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto crack the case and save the crown?

Elizabeth II's coronation is looming, but DI Edgar Stephens is busy investigating the death of a local fortuneteller. Meanwhile, his old pal, the magician Max Mephisto, is rehearsing for his television debut, a Coronation Day variety show. But upon hearing that their wartime commander, Colonel Cartwright, has been found dead in his flat, the two men join forces to find out what happened. 

While Max is stuck in rehearsals, Edgar finds himself heading to New York, hot on the trail of a mesmerist he's sure has valuable information for them - and his trusty sergeant, Emma, investigates some important leads at home. As the clock ticks down to Coronation Day, the team must scramble to keep Max's small-screen debut from ending in a dangerously explosive finale.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Griffiths excels at depicting the post-WWII transition from variety shows to television. A love triangle involving Holmes, Stephens, and aspiring magician Ruby French, the detective's fiancée and Mephisto's daughter, adds a human interest angle likely to engage both series fans and new readers." - Publishers Weekly

"Amusing, atmospheric, and thoroughly engaging, providing an insightful look at vaudeville and the art of legerdemain. Perfect for fans of the eccentric (and often endearing) characters created by Simon Brett and Christopher Fowler." - Booklist

"In the third case for the Magic Men (Smoke and Mirrors, 2016, etc.), half the fun is the journey through postwar England to the surprising denouement." - Kirkus

This information about The Blood Card was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Elly Griffiths Author Biography

Elly Griffiths is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel; The Postscript Murders; and Bleeding Heart Yard. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Brighton, England.

Author Interview
Link to Elly Griffiths's Website

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