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 police Superintendent in Brighton, married to former Detective Emma Holmes with three children. Max is back in Brighton briefly for the funeral of another member of their wartime squad, the Great Diablo, aka Stan Parks, and to look into a possible role in a new movie starring a teenage heart throb. Also he plans to catch up with his adult daughter Ruby, also a magician and now star of her own TV series.

This is a case of missing girls, initially three girls from different walks of life who are first thought to have run away. It's more of a cosy mystery than a thriller, despite the involvement of the Brighton police with Max, Emma and a journalist all involved in looking for the girls. The plot is somewhat slow to develop with the police making little headway until a sudden breakthrough at the end.

The 1960s setting of this novel in the popular seaside town of Brighton is very atmospheric, particularly with regard to the social and cultural changes underway, such as the rise of pop stars and movie stars, the changing fashions worn by the Mods and the Rockers and more generally adopted by teenagers. The changing role of women is also highlighted with ex DS Emma Holmes unfulfilled as a full-time wife and mother and yearning for the excitement of her old life. This series will appeal to those who enjoy a murder mystery with an authentic historical setting.

It's 1964 and time has marched on for the Magic Men. When several girls go missing, Edgar, Bob, Max, and Emma are on the case, at varying levels. Readers connect with their favorite characters and meet some notable new ones.

I never read an Elly Griffiths book I didn't like and I love this series.
It was great to meet again the cast of characters after ten years and meet some new.
There's a lot of character development, they're all quite realistic and fleshed out. I loved to read about Emma's issue with being only a housewife and how she needed something more in her life.
I also loved the social contrast between Emma and the new policewoman.
Both are great characters and it was great to see them collaborating.
The plot is gripping and entertaining, I didn't read this book but I inhaled it.
The mystery was great and the solution came as a surprise.
The historical background is well researched and it plays a relevant part in this book.
A great reading experience, I can't wait to read the next Ms Griffiths book.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I enjoyed this fifth installment of Elly Griffiths 'Magic Men' series.

Although I was a bit disappointed that ten years had elapsed since the last book. Would have preferred say five years as much had changed with the characters, would have liked to have been with the characters more as the changes took place. Plus it started with the funeral of one of my favourite characters.

But on saying this is was a good story gaving a feeling of the early sixties and the changes that were happening at that time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm not sure whether I prefer this or Ms Griffiths' other series featuring Ruth Galloway. Luckily, I don't have to choose! As with all series books it's best to start from the beginning and read in order. A lot has happened with regard to character backstory and development along the way that you would really gain from doing so.
This latest Stephens & Mephisto episode starts a decade after the last ended and lots has happened to each of the main cast. Max is now a movie star, married with two children and living in LA. Edgar has been promoted and is married to Emma who has had to resign from the police and is now running the house and bringing up their children. Ruby is now a big TV star with her own show. They all come together at the start of the book when they attend the funeral of Stan Parks who was another member of the war-time Magic Men. A new policewoman is introduced in this book and she is struggling to live up to the reputation of Emma whose job she now does. Emma herself is a bit bored and misses the work she used to do so when Rhonda, a 16 year old schoolgirl, goes missing she inveigles herself into the investigation, able assisted by reporter friend Sam. It turns out that Rhonda is a big fan of Bobby Hambro, an up and coming American film star, who, coincidentally, is wanting to include Max in his latest film. Investigations show that Rhonda is not the first fan of Hambro's to disappear and the stake get higher when Ruby also goes missing. Could Hambro be involved?
There are many reasons I love this series. The characters are all brilliant and so well described and have all developed nicely through the series thus far. We do have a bit of an eclectic mix of them, thrown together through various circumstances but they work. We also have a bit of a cultural and historical trip down memory lane - specifically in this book, the clash between the mods and rockers on Brighton beach.
Pacing is good and the story gets on with itself very well with little superfluous waffle to distract. The story builds nicely, adding layer upon layer, until it all becomes a bit of a race to the end. All culminating in a very satisfying conclusion.
All in all, another cracking addition to an already well loved series. I wonder what's next for the crew, looking forward to finding out. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The 5th book in Griffith’s Magic Men series, this episode takes place in Brighton in 1964. The Mods and the Rockers are coming into the public eye, getting into brawls and leading to moral panic amongst the British. DI Edgar Stephens (newly promoted to Superintendent) is investigating a string of missing girls though all the best ideas seem to come from his wife (previously his star sergeant and now frustrated mother of three), her equally frustrated journalist friend Sam, and the very tall, 19-year old, WPC Meg Connolly, a promising new policewoman. For those not in the know (like me), WPC stands for ‘Woman Police Constable” (the term was discontinued in 1999).

I’m a big Elly Griffiths fan, but haven’t read any books in this series. In comparison with the Ruth Galloway series and her standalone novel, I found this book to be a little more disjointed — particularly in the beginning where much of the text seemed extraneous to either the plot or the characters. However, the plot was gripping and I found the focus on intelligent women in constrained circumstances managing to accomplish a great deal fascinating. The sixties seem not that long ago (to some of us), but cultural expectations for women were vastly different than they are now. Reading the descriptions of the earlier four books, they seem to focus much more on DI Stephens and Max Mephisto (the variety magician), while this one seems to relegate them to a secondary role in solving the mystery. Interesting!

I had not previously read a Magic Men Mystery, though I had read the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. Within the first two paragraphs of 'Now You See Them', I sighed happily and snuggled deeper into the cushions. Even in a different setting, Elly Griffith consistently nails two of the most difficult aspects of narrative writing: narration of internal events and dialogue.

Though I did not find the mystery at the heart of the action stunning, it was satisfying, and I found that Griffiths paces the revelations and clues well for me.

It is simply personal preference, but I did not find this setting and characters as compelling as the Ruth Galloway mysteries. If someone expresses an interest in fiction set in mid-century England, I will without hesitation recommend this, but for historical English mystery fiction, I still prefer Sayers and Christie (a comparison intended to complement).

'Now You See Them' has everything I love about Griffiths, except, alas, my favorite characters.

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.

Another amazing adventure with the Magic Men. And Emma. This is the 5th in the series and while it could read as a stand alone, I think you are missing a lot here by not reading them in order. In this outing we have missing girls, the mob and more magic with Max recently returned from America. Emma sets out to solve this mystery on her own hoping to prove that girls really are better than boys in every way. As in all of these the characters are so well developed and the dialogue is both witty and serious in the best possible ways. This author is probably one of my all time favorite writers and once you read this she will be yours as well. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* 'Now You See Them' is book five in the Stephens and Mephisto series of books set in mid-twentieth century Brighton. Once again, Griffiths, (who is also author of the immensely popular Ruth Galloway series), has crafted a novel full of intrigue and suspense. A decade has passed since the events in the previous book and former police officer Emma Holmes is now a married mother of three, chafing against the expectations of the time. Her husband, Edgar Stephens, is now Superintendent and being kept buys by the disappearance of a number of young women, as well as the proposed fight between the Mods and the Rockers. Max Mephisto has married an American film star, but is back in town for a funeral. Can he help to solve the disappearance of the young women, before it is too late? My love for this series of books is based on a number of reasons - the first, the mystery element, the second, the wonderful historical references and finally, the way Griffiths pens characters that are so true to life. I look forward to the next book in the series.

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 stakes climb ever higher, and Max finds himself drawn into his own search. Who will find the girls first? And will they get there in time?

I think this is the best book of the series so far. There is less magic and more detective work going on. I like the 60's timeframe of the book, as I think is was a very interesting period. The characters are well-developed and the plot is fast-paced and makes the book hard to put down. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and watch how these relationships move forward. I would recommend this series to those who love historical fiction and British police procedurals.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a free copy for an honest review.

Really clever plot but the characters were a bit confusing as I hadn't read the other books in the series. However, as the story progresses the book is a perfectly good stand-alone read. It evokes the Brighton of the 1960's really beautifully.

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 in earlier stories, but now she has three children and is chafing at her stay-at-home role. This new perspective is a fascinating element to the series. There's plenty of excitement and great research into the time period's controversial culture wars between the Mods and the Rockers.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

4.5* rounded up.

I am so enjoying this series. Review to follow in December.

#NowYouSeeThem #NetGalley "DCI Edgar Stephens, Detective Sergeants Emma Holmes and Bob Willis, and of course magician Max Mephisto, are facing a brave new world" - the 1960s"!
I just loved this one and have been waiting for it.. I gobbled it down, actually and hated for it to end.Review will be published in the Fall. Thanks NetGalley HMH for the ARC! ~5 Stars~

So very excited to read this 5th book in the series, hoping they go on forever? Eleven years after we last left this group they came together for a funeral in Brighton. It is well into an new decade and one with changes, both Max and Edgar are married with children, although on different continents.

Emma and Ruby along with many others are wishing to be more fulfilled, although both are living the life they had wished for. Emma misses being a Detective Sgt. and Ruby feels that allure also.They are not prepared with where that wistfulness will take them.

A series of disappearances, which eventually include Ruby and Ed and Emma's oldest daughter thrust everyone in their group, as well as others in danger. Terrifically exciting with a well plotted mystery, with superb character development. Truly a winner.! Counting the months until the next ( with hints to the future)

Now You See Them revisits the "Magic Men" in 1960s Brighton--over 10 years since we last saw DI Stephens, his detective sergeants Bob and Emma, Max Mephisto, and Ruby. While this is billed as as a Mephisto and Stephens novel, poor Edgar seems relegated to a supporting role in this case as Max takes the lead. I liked the direction this series appears to be moving in, and hope that the next book in the series continues the thread begun here (and perhaps it is time for a new series designation!). As expected, Elly Griffiths has spun an engrossing tale., and everyone should put this one on their Christmas list (as it comes out in early December).

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.

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 and Max Mephisto. Max has spent the last 10 years in the States acting, having married a beautiful actress and now the father of 2 young children. Ruby, his grown daughter, is now the most popular tv actress in the UK. Emma and Edgar have 3 children and the antics of little Johnny gave me a few chuckles while I felt sympathetic towards Emma's missing her police job. Bobby Hambro is a Hollywood heartthrob who is in Brighton planning a movie, trying to get Max as his co-star and maybe a thread connecting the murder and disappearance of the girls?
WPC Meg Connolly was my favorite character, I hope we get to know her even better in the next book. The 1960's atmosphere was great. I visited England in the 60's and felt quite nostalgic reading this story. Definitely recommended!

I was surprised to find the Stephens and Mephisto series jumped forward a decade from the events in The Blood card. It's now 1964, and we get to catch up with Emma and Ruby, in addition to Edgar and Max. I really enjoyed spending more time with the women, who are both at crossroads in their lives and looking for something more satisfying.

After being apart for years, the characters all come back together for a funeral. Soon afterward, a teen girl goes missing and Edgar is on the case. Elly Griffiths does a great job of telling good crime stories while mostly focusing on the characters and their relationships. The kidnapping victims this time aren't so connected to the main characters, so it was more believable than in previous stories. I was so engrossed in the book that I read it all in an afternoon. I call that a winner.