The Zig Zag Girl (Magic Men Mysteries)
by Griffiths, Elly
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10
- 0544527941
- ISBN 13
- 9780544527942
- Seller
-
Eugene , Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Used - Good. Hardcover 100% of proceeds go to charity! Good condition with all pages in tact. Item shows signs of use and may have cosmetic defects.
Reviews
On Feb 7 2015, a reader said:
The Zig Zag Girl is a stand-alone novel by British author, Elly Griffiths. Brighton, England, 1950: the young woman had been sawn in three; the parts, contained in black wooden boxes fastened with brass clips, were discovered in the Left Luggage room of the railway station. Witness descriptions are vague, but several aspects of the case cause DI Edgar Stephens, lead investigator, to travel to Eastbourne to seek out Max Mephisto, magician.
Their association began in Inverness during the war, when they were part of a Secret Service team, the Magic Men, but a tragic event had seen the end of team, and their involvement . The resemblance to one of Max’s tricks, the Zig Zag Girl, is strong, but he cannot cast any light on the matter, even when he learns, to his shock, the identity of the victim. When Max’s engagements bring him to Brighton, another death staged as a magic trick leads him to team up with Edgar in an effort to find the killer.
In keeping with the magic trick theme, Griffiths cleverly divides her novel into four parts, aptly titled: The Build-Up, Misdirection, Raising the Stakes and The Reveal. She uses two narrators, Edgar and Max, to convey different parts of the story as well as to give different perspectives on events. The immediate post-war era ensures the absence of mobile phones, internet, DNA and even many personal vehicles; thus the detective work relies on heavily on legwork, personal visits and intelligent deduction.
Griffiths gives the reader characters that are real and flawed; some are vain and selfish; others distracted by misdirection and convinced by illusion. Her plot is clever and original and has a few twists that even the most astute reader may fail to anticipate. The atmosphere of post-war Britain is skilfully evoked with description, dialogue and the attitudes common at the time. This is an excellent murder mystery from the author of the Ruth Galloway crime novels, and fans will not be disappointed.
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Details
- Bookseller
- St. Vinnie's Charitable Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2DD-002-2103
- Title
- The Zig Zag Girl (Magic Men Mysteries)
- Author
- Griffiths, Elly
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0544527941
- ISBN 13
- 9780544527942
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Place of Publication
- New York
- This edition first published
- 2015-09
Terms of Sale
St. Vinnie's Charitable Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
St. Vinnie's Charitable Books
Biblio member since 2020
Eugene , Oregon
About St. Vinnie's Charitable Books
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County is a 501c3 charity based in Eugene Oregon. We serve at risk, homeless and low income populations in communities throughout Oregon. 100% of your purchase goes directly to help serve people in need by supporting our emergency homeless services, low income housing, or services for veterans, the elderly, and many other specialty programs helping those who need it most. We appreciate your business.