Andee Lawrence
crime fiction
Series · mystery
The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto)
The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto) series by Elly Griffiths has 7 known books (7 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Zig Zag Girl (2014). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Great Deceiver.
- Books
- 7 known books (7 novels)
- Published
- 7
- First published
- 2014
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: The Zig Zag Girl (2014) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Zig Zag Girl
Published in 2014, The Zig Zag Girl is the first entry in The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto), opening with a murder staged to mimic one of stage magician Max Mephisto's own tricks -- drawing him back into police work alongside his old wartime comrade, DI Edgar Stephens.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Zig Zag Girl - Book 2:
Smoke and Mirrors
Arriving in 2015, Smoke and Mirrors continues The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto) between The Zig Zag Girl and The Blood Card, staying rooted in the fading world of post-war variety theatre that gives the series its suspects and settings.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Smoke and Mirrors - Book 3:
The Blood Card
The Blood Card is the third book in The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto), published in 2016. It continues Edgar and Max's partnership, forged during their wartime service together in the real-inspired Magic Men unit.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Blood Card - Book 4:
The Vanishing Box
The Vanishing Box, the fourth book in The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto), precedes Now You See Them. Like the rest of the series, it draws its clues from the world of magicians, ventriloquists and impresarios populating Brighton's declining entertainment scene.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Vanishing Box - Book 5:
Now You See Them
The fifth installment of The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto), Now You See Them runs 368 pages and appeared in 2019, continuing Edgar and Max's friendship and Edgar's relationship with policewoman Emma Holmes across the series' 1950s Brighton setting.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Now You See Them - Book 6:
The Midnight Hour
As the sixth book in The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto), The Midnight Hour follows Now You See Them, moving the series further into the 1960s as post-war Brighton's variety theatre world keeps fading around Edgar and Max.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Midnight Hour - Book 7:
The Great Deceiver
The Great Deceiver followed The Midnight Hour in 2023, closing out The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto) as its most recent installment -- the seventh and last chapter in Edgar and Max's partnership, born of their wartime service in the Magic Men.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Great Deceiver
About The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto)
Elly Griffiths's third detective series pairs DI Edgar Stephens with Max Mephisto, a stage magician, against the fading glamour of post-war Brighton. The two men served together during the Second World War in the Magic Men, a real-inspired shadowy military unit that used stage-magic deception techniques for wartime camouflage and misdirection — a shared history that gives their unlikely partnership its emotional foundation. The Zig Zag Girl (2014) opens with a murder staged to mimic one of Max's own magic tricks, drawing him back into police work as Edgar's unofficial consultant, and the series continues to root its mysteries in the world of variety theatre, seaside end-of-pier shows and the slow death of British music hall through the 1950s and into the 1960s.
Across seven novels, Griffiths uses the fading entertainment industry as both backdrop and clue-generating machine — magicians, ventriloquists, mind-readers and impresarios all become suspects and victims — while Edgar and Max's friendship, and Edgar's eventual marriage to policewoman Emma Holmes, deepen across the run. It's Griffiths's most theatrical, nostalgia-soaked series, distinct in tone from both Ruth Galloway's archaeological mysteries and Harbinder Kaur's contemporary settings.
Frequently asked questions
How many Brighton Mysteries books are there?
Seven: The Zig Zag Girl, Smoke and Mirrors, The Blood Card, The Vanishing Box, Now You See Them, The Midnight Hour and The Great Deceiver, published 2014-2023.
What order should I read the Brighton Mysteries in?
Publication order, starting with The Zig Zag Girl. The series moves forward through the 1950s and 60s, and Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto's friendship develops continuously.
Who are Stephens and Mephisto?
DI Edgar Stephens and stage magician Max Mephisto, who served together in a wartime unit called the Magic Men and later team up to solve murders connected to Brighton's variety theatre world.
Is this series connected to Ruth Galloway or Harbinder Kaur?
No — all three are separate Elly Griffiths series with different characters, settings and time periods.
Is there an eighth Brighton Mysteries book coming?
No eighth book is confirmed as of August 2026; The Great Deceiver (2023) is the most recent entry.
If you like The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto)
Reading order last verified .