Stephens & Mephisto Mysteries Book Talk *Spoilers*

Hey guys

I'm so sorry this is two days late, but this week has been so hectic I haven't had the chance to do much. But it's here now so I hope you enjoy.

This is my first spoiler book talk, so I apologise if it's rubbish. For my first one, I am doing 2 books: The Zig Zag Girl and Smoke & Mirrors by Elly Griffiths.
There are 4 books in the Stephens & Mephisto Mysteries and I'll review the last two together once I have read them.
As you probably remember, I read book 2 before book 1, so I'll be reviewing them in that order as well.
Read at your own risk.

Smoke & Mirrors

This is a historical fiction crime book based in Brighton 1951. And it is about solving the murder of two children (Annie and Mark), they were found under freshly fallen snow. The girls red hair against the white ground with colourful sweets scattered around them, reminded DI Edgar Stephens uncomfortably of Hansel and Gretel.

With fairy tales on his mind, he turns to a magician and old wartime comrade Max Mephisto, who is staring in the pantomime on the pier. Then, when a third body is found, Max helps Edgar navigate the shadowy theatrical world Edgar believes holds the key to the murders.

This book is amazing, one of the best books I've read this year. I got this for Christmas in 2016 and for some reason, I never read what it was about. Every time I looked at the cover, I thought of boats (don't ask), so I was never keen to pick it up.
Then I wanted to read something but I was struggling to choose a book, so my stepdad picked up this one, and I'm glad he did. It was fantastic.

The children in this book really creeped me out, probably because the play they were doing is disturbing for children to preform, not to mention that one of them wrote it. The thing that creeped me out was a poem they wrote for it. In the play the parents tell their children to say this prayer thing so The Wicked Witch Man won't get them. It goes:

"Children, children say your prayers.

Children, children, stay upstairs.

Children dear, don't stay out late,

Or the Wicked Witch Man will be your fate."

And then it turns out that that The Wicked Witch Man is good and it's the parents stealing them! That's messed up.
Let's keep in mind that the oldest involved in this play is 12 and the youngest is 7.

I had no idea what was going to happen. At one point I thought it could be the son of a murderer who killed a child on stage years ago, who wants to carry on his dads work. Then that's not true. The man who owns the corner shop (Mr Gee) was suspected (but not by me, it'd be too obvious), and then it wasn't. And that Uncle person (I can't remember his name) was pure creepy letting children into his home to preform plays, and every one calling him uncle...
And then it was revealed that Annie and Mark were siblings! I was completely threw off! And then to top it off, it was Marks dad that killed them! All because Mark wasn't his son! SERIOUSLY? I knew it couldn't have been Mr Gee, but I would have suspected him over the dad any day!

And I must admit, I'm not a big fan of Ruby, I find her very full of herself and that she "knows" she's better than everyone around her. But, as long as she makes Edgar happy I'll cope with her. But I know Edgar could do so much better, he's such a sweet guy, and he just gets put through so much that he doesn't deserve. He's not a guy that you would picture going to war. I kind of want him to end up with Emma (a fellow officer who's last name is Holmes, how cool?), because she obviously likes him she just doesn't want to admit it.
Max is brilliant, he's a magician which is amazing to begin with, and he's funny. But it's not a very in your face funny, more of a subtle funny, which I like. Him and Edgar are very opposite, but they're amazing together. And then there's The Great Diablo who's just stupidly funny.

I gave this book a 5/5 on Goodreads, which isn't very surprising. More people should definitely read this.

The Zig Zag Girl

This is set in the same place but in 1950. When the body of a young girl is found cut into three, Edgar recalls a magic trick called the Zig Zag Girl. It's inventor is non other than his old friend Max.
Max, at this time, was on the variety circuit, touring sea side towns in the company of bad comedians and dancing girls. Max is reluctant to get involved, but he changes his mind when the young woman turns out to be his former stage assistant. Another gruesome death soon follows - and this time both Max and Edgar know the victim.
Then Edgar receives a warning of another 'trick' to come. The Wolf Trap is the deadliest illusion of all.

I ordered this book as soon as I finished Smoke and Mirrors. I knew I had to read it. I was so happy when it came in the post a lot earlier than it was meant to because because it meant that I got to read it quicker. I know I'm going to get the other two as well, I have to.

I didn't love this book as much as the second one. It has a great plot, and amazing one, but I feel like the first half is a bit slow and isn't very crime like, apart from the murders.
But then the ending! OH MY GOD! That was all I could say after I read it. Just ask my dog. I finished it at about 11:30pm, I only know that because I found it hard to go to sleep after it.

This is going to seem bad, but I was glad Tony (also a person who served with Edgar and Max) died. I found him very arrogant, and I don't think I could have finished reading it if he was was in the whole thing. I also wish he didn't serve with Edgar and Max because he was the same then.

If I didn't read the second book first (like the idiot I am) I would have had NO idea that Ruby was Max's daughter. But the way she revealed it is one of my favourite things: "Do you mind if I keep calling you Max? I think Daddy's a bit much all at once, don't you think?" they just escaped from a snake that could have killed them and she tells him this was? It's amazing!

I felt so sorry for Edgar. Imagine it though, all he knew was that the one person he loved had been killed in a fire because of the Magic Men by accident, then to find out she's alive! AND she's about to kill him! Not only him though, but she killed Max's assistant, Tony, the wife of a former Magic Man, and is currently thinking she killed Max and Ruby! It must have been heartbreaking! Like I said before, he deserves so much better that all this crap! But I love that it was The Great Diablo that saved him, in his dirty white suit and gun.
If I didn't already know that Ruby was Max's daughter, I would have thought she was the killer.

Emma wasn't in this one, unfortunately, but Ruby wasn't so big in this one so I didn't need Emma to mellow thing out for me. Max was just as brilliant in this one as he was in the second one, but that's to be expected. And what can I say about Diablo? He's a gem, purely amazing!

I gave this one a 4/5 on Goodreads because it was great but it was slow at the start. But the ending definitely made up for that. If it wasn't for the ending it might have been a 3/5.

So that was my first spoiler book talk. These were both great books that everyone needs to read.
Again, I'm sorry that this is late but it was so hectic this month. My dad has been an absolute dick head, I ended up meeting new family that I didn't even know I had until last year, and I was planning on writing this during the night while I was at their but I ended up having so much fun that I completely forgot to. Then when I got back which was 2 days ago, I slept, and slept, and slept. I didn't realise how much I did while I was with them that I didn't know how tired I really was. I hope you can forgive me! 

My next post will definitely be on time! I pinky promise!

Till next time (on time) Byeeeeeeee

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