Series Brighton Mysteries

Core

Collections and Selections

DescriptionsEdit Descriptions

In Books 1 to 4, the central investigator characters are DI Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto, old World War II friends. They served together in a shadowy unit called the Magic Men, a special ops troop that used stage tricks to confound the enemy. Now they work together to solve mysteries. The group was inspired by the Magic Gang, a real-life group working in Egypt on camouflage and illusions. The most famous member of the group was stage magician Jasper Maskelyne. Books 5-7 are set a few years later in the 1960s, and while Edgar and Max are still around, a member of the original supporting cast and a newer, young working class female police detective become primary investigators. These books could be read independently but there is a good case for reading in order, starting with the Zig Zag Girl. The Midnight Hour (2021) is #6. (English, Member-written)

Other Names