This was my first book in this series and I really enjoyed the story. I don’t know if it would have been easier to read this one if I had more of the back story but I felt it did stand alone and there were refernces to help connect the characters from previous books. Although there were a lot of characters it was not too difficult to keep up with all of them. The story started out quickly and kept my attention and then moved along at a nice pace. While I had an inkling about who the murderer was I didn’t have it completely figured out which is always a nice surprise. The ending was just a little to quick with all the pieces following into place and the happily ever after. Regardless I will definitely check out previous books in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC

I fully enjoyed spending some time in Brighton's 1950's.
The story moves between the historic Hippodrome Variety Hall and a crowded boarding house and gives a good insight in community life at the time. The characters are quirky and fun despite the turnmoil they find themselves in. The mystery runs almost to the end of the book before revealing itself, leaving the reader guessing all the way.
The Vanishing Box is a pleasantly paced, well written cosy murder mystery with the tiniest bit of added romance. A delightful read.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is the first book by Elly Griffiths that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it as a stand-alone.

Post-WWII Britain serves as the backdrop for this mystery. A magician and his daughter star in a theater in Brighton along with a tableau vivant or living picture made up of nearly naked women portraying historical scenes. One of the women is found dead and the mystery begins.

I felt that Ms. Griffiths balanced the description of the period (including the moral issues of the tableau) and the murder mystery very well.

The Vanishing Box is a very entertaining historical mystery which cleverly blends stage magic and murder in midcentury Britain. Full review coming for Shelf Awareness.

3.5 stars


I'd love to see this on the screen,all bright lights and seedy dressing rooms.... 

I've not read the previous books,but am a fan of the Ruth Galloway series.
This seemed a bit more fun,I guess that's the showbiz elements thrown in.
I had no clue who did it,or why,but happily accepted the answer as not beyond all realms of possibility .
One to look out for in future I think.

I really got pulled in to this latest mystery in the Magic Men series. I totally enjoyed following Edgar and Ruby's romance, Max and Ruby's collaboration, Emma's challenges, even Bob's. It says a lot about the writing when you care about the characters' lives. Even better, there is a puzzling twisted murder mystery here that takes everyone's skill to solve. As usual the behind-the-scenes descriptions of the theater world of the early 50s are interesting and arresting.

An enjoyable romp through the theatrical world of post-war Brighton. Max Mephisto, his daughter and police friends are once again faced with a murder. Could it be linked to the semi-naked tableau show? Which girl will Edgar end up with?

Max and his crew are growing on me and I look forward to their next adventures.

The perfect book to relax with.

A nicely written novel. A young woman is murdered and the police begin to investigate, Max the Magician begins to wonder is all is as it appears to be. He begins to look at things with a different eye what he uncovers is of paramount importance...

*Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* This is the 4th book in the Stephens and Mephisto series and like Griffiths' contemporary Ruth Galloway mystery series, these books just keep getting better and better. 'The Vanishing Box' takes place in post-World War Two Brighton. All is not well in this seaside town and when bodies start turning up all over the place, police officer Stephens and magician Mephisto must investigate and stop the killer... with a little bit of help from young Ruby. There were so many aspect that I loved about this book - the mystery, the contrasting characters, but most of all, the snippets of history and humanity that were peppered throughout the novel. I look forward to the next instalment in the series.

I love this series by Elly Griffiths, as well as her Ruth Galloway books. While the Galloway character is a contemporary female archeologist, The Magic Men period series is based on a former British WWII team that utilized misdirection and visual subterfuge against the Nazis. Two survivors of that team (magician Max Mephisto and detective inspector Edgar Stephens) are portrayed carrying on with their lives in post-war England.

What I like about the books: They are carefully researched, so the period details are authentic. They are skillfully plotted, with enough suspenseful twists and turns to keep me engaged. The characters are well-drawn and memorable, and the action is plausible and balanced. But, more than that, I really care about what happens and to whom in this group, even the minor characters who reappear in each book.

I particularly enjoy the characters' evolution from book to book, and the full depiction of their lives, with trivial family interactions, work rivalries and love lives thrown into the mix -- but never dominating. These are by no means romance novels or domestic thrillers: they are fuller and richer and broader -- yet still simple and authentic, with a mid-20th-century, wholesome bent.

In this installment, we find superficial, urbane Max experiencing introspection and even soul-searching, perhaps for the first time. Conversely, his stoic, cautious and dutiful friend Edgar at last breaks out in a grand, impulsive gesture.

And since all well-executed magic relies on misdirection, why did it surprise me that the author employed so much of it in her narrative? Delightful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the beginning to the last page.. Lots of twists and turns for me to savour.
I have read all her novels in both her series and enjoyed every one.
I would recommend this book and thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance of the advance copy to review it.

Max and Ruby have landed a gig at the biggest theater in the city, but reactions to the living tableau, also on the bill, are mixed. Meanwhile, Edgar is investigating the death of a quiet local florist, but as other deaths occur, he and his team begin to wonder if there's not more than magic afoot at the theater.

Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors, although I prefer her Ruth Galloway series to this one – up until now. This book, #4 in the Stephens & Mephisto series, had me hooked almost from the very first chapter. I have enjoyed watching the relationships between the books' characters grow – or fade away – as the series progresses, and despite the heat wave in my area while I read this, I could almost feel the bitter cold winds of winter in England. I had my guesses as to the identity of the killer, but was totally wrong … again! I'm eager to read the next in the series to get answers to some questions that remain unanswered at the end of this book.

An exceptional series set in 1950s Britain and centered around a famous magician and his younger friend, a detective inspector. Both men worked together during WWII in a special unit devoted to deception. Now, after the war, they find themselves caught up together in local murders. In this fourth entry, the dramatic action is set squarely in the theater, while their personal lives continue to play out, much to the satisfaction of fans. Griffiths gives readers a riveting mystery, richly developed characters, and a sensitive sense of time and place. Highly recommended.

The only bad thing about getting a hold of review copies of Elly Griffiths' books is that I probably have an even longer wait before getting more than if I'd waited until the pub date. Still, I adore her work and was pretty excited to read The Vanishing Box. While I'm a bigger fan of the Ruth Galloway series, I do love the Stephens & Mephisto series and it's growing on me over time. Like the previous installments, The Vanishing Box is about a series of murders in Brighton that seem connected to the theatre in some way. It doesn't seem like much time has passed since the events of The Blood Card, though Ed and Ruby are starting to plan their wedding. If you like Emma as much as I do, you'll like that she is still very much a part of the action here. There isn't much to say without ruining everything, except that there are some big changes in the relationships between the characters that I can't wait to read about in the next book. I loved this.

Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors. I’ve followed her Ruth Galloway series from the beginning, and now am enjoying her newest historical Stephens and Mephisto mystery which, incidentally, can be read as a stand-alone. Max Mephisto is a magician performing in variety shows, and Stephens is a policeman who served with Max during the war. The series is set in the seaside town of Brighton, England in the early 1950’s. Why was this kind young woman murdered, and what madman (or woman) set it up so theatrically? Can Stephens and his staff solve the crime before there are more victims? Let Elly Griffiths transport you back to 1953 Brighton, and get to know these fascinating characters.