1953, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is imminent. Rather than look forward to this, however, DI Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto find themselves investigating the murder of their old commanding officer. Edgar and Max were part of a secret military unit called the Magic Men, tasked with producing deceptions to mislead the enemy. So when their CO’s body is found with a playbill featuring one of their deceased colleagues and an ace of hearts – the blood card – it seems that their past has come back to haunt them.
Is the murder linked to the death of a fortune teller in Edgar’s home-turf of Brighton? Before he knows it, he’s off to Albany NY to investigate another death, while Max prepares for his biggest performance yet – on live television directly after the coronation. But as the threads of a plot begin to weave together, it may all end in disaster for everyone…
BLURB ALERT! BLURB ALERT!
Don’t read it as it gives far too much away. For a long time in the book, the reader isn’t supposed to be sure about what exactly is going on, where it’s going to happen, who’s behind it etc. I must admit, that’s not my preferred plot structure – I like a little more focus in my mysteries to be honest. When the reader isn’t quite sure what the investigators are investigating, it can be a little difficult to focus as a reader. Well, it is for me.
Fans of the first two books should enjoy this one. We get more developments in the lives of Edgar and Max, and there’s some good focus for Edgar’s assistant Emma, although that story doesn’t go exactly as you might expect. The historical aspect is well done, set around an event that I don’t think has been used before in crime fiction, and post-war England is brought to life effectively. The world of the theatre folk as they cope with the arrival of television is a nice theme.
The villain of the piece is fairly clued, although it’s unlikely that anyone but the most alert reader will spot it. It’s a satisfying read, although at the end of the day the villain’s plan seems pretty slight compared to the pile of dead bodies that it necessitates.
Overall, a good read, although as I said, I’d have preferred the plot to have cohered a little earlier than it did. Recommended.
In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel 
Movie trailers like the blurb you describe for this one have saved me a lot of money over the years. If I can watch a trailer and it makes the whole story line obvious – complete with the best funny bits and the resolutions of the tensest moments – I figure I don’t need to see the movie. Baffling how film studios and publishers don’t understand that.
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I’ve got into the habit of avoiding all the blurb on the outer & inner covers of a crime/mystery – I’ve had too many ‘surprise’ elements of plots (including supposedly unexpected murders of key characters) revealed via the blurbs (or via Introductions in ‘classic’ books) to fall into that trap anymore. Luckily, this habit saved my enjoyment of this particular book, as I have literally just finished reading it from the library & did not realise that the blub contained spoilers as I did not look at it !!
I think this Mephisto & Stephens series is an intelligent blend of post-war social history and a relatively clever crime that fits in well around the unusual characters, who are the real reason to read these stories. This series is described as cosy, but I think despite a cosyish feel to the writing they have more depth created by the setting.
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[…] The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths – another outing for Max Mephisto and DI Stephens. […]
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[…] is the fourth Stephens and Mephisto mystery following The Zig-Zag Girl, Smoke and Mirrors and The Blood Card, and I do enjoy the recreating of the atmosphere of the theatre of the early 1950’s, with little […]
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