---
product_id: 34714582
title: "Smoke and Mirrors (2) (Magic Men Mysteries)"
brand: "elly griffiths"
price: "€ 61.04"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.fi/products/34714582-smoke-and-mirrors-2-magic-men-mysteries
store_origin: FI
region: Finland
---

# Smoke and Mirrors (2) (Magic Men Mysteries)

**Brand:** elly griffiths
**Price:** € 61.04
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Smoke and Mirrors (2) (Magic Men Mysteries) by elly griffiths
- **How much does it cost?** € 61.04 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fi](https://www.desertcart.fi/products/34714582-smoke-and-mirrors-2-magic-men-mysteries)

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- elly griffiths enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Images

![Smoke and Mirrors (2) (Magic Men Mysteries) - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NrZTLQIJL.jpg)
![Smoke and Mirrors (2) (Magic Men Mysteries) - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51kbSkuBguL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    okay, but wish there had been more of Max
  

*by L***) on Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2016*

This is the second book in a mystery series about “The Magic Men,” set in postwar (early 1950s) England and featuring several men, including a stage magician and other theatrical performers as well as a policeman, who became friends while taking part in a government-sponsored attempt to use their tricks to fool the Germans during World War II. I’m a sucker for magicians and magic tricks (real or fake), and I quite enjoyed The Zig-Zag Girl, the first book in the series, so I was looking forward to the sequel.This book centers on the murder of two children during a dismal winter in Brighton, where Edgar, the policeman, is a detective inspector and Max, the stage magician, is performing in a pantomime (which in Britain means a sort of over-the-top children’s-theater performance, not silent acting a la Marcel Marceau as it does in the United States) based on the fairy tale of Aladdin and his lamp (Max plays the evil wizard). The third member of the troupe, the elderly and tipsy Great Diablo, soon joins the pantomime cast as well.The mystery is good and the writing is competent throughout. I enjoyed the fact that theatrical aspects, related both to the pantomime and to plays put on by the town children (spearheaded originally by one of the two murder victims), played an important part in the story, as did the dark side of traditional fairy tales (they really were “grim,” not Disney-cute, in their original versions, as the book points out). My only complaint lies in the author’s choice of main character. Her placing of Edgar in this role makes sense in that, as the local detective inspector, he is inevitably at the heart of the murder investigation—but unfortunately, although he is intelligent and conscientious, he’s just not (in my opinion) a very interesting person. I would rather have seen a lot more of Max, or even Diablo, and it would have been nice if they had had something to do with the solving of the mystery, as they did in the first book but didn’t here. I did, however, like Emma, one of Edgar’s two sergeants, and was glad to see her play a prominent part in the proceedings. I expect we will see more of her in future series offerings.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Mayhem and Magic
  

*by A***D on Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2019*

When two young children mysteriously disappear while on their way to buy some sweets, their bodies being found several days later, DI Edgar Stephens of the Brighton police enlists the aid of his two sergeants, Emma Holmes and Bob Willis, to discover all they can about the children, their families and their habits.  As it happens, his old friend Max Mephisto, magician extraordinaire, is in Brighton to perform in the Pantomime, and soon his knowledge of show business will figure into Ed’s investigation, albeit in a very unusual way.  When a third child goes missing, Ed knows he has very little time to solve the crime before that one, too, might turn up dead….”Smoke and Mirrors” is the second in the Magic Men series and although it’s not as compelling at Ms. Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series, it is quite fun.  Set in the early 1950s, there are a lot of surprisingly modern ideas thrown into this story.  This one has more actual theatrical detail than either the first or third (which I read out of order) in the series, which was really entertaining; I don’t really want to say anymore about it because it dovetails nicely with the murder mystery, so suffice to say that the author doesn’t disappoint!  I think one could read this novel without having first read “The Zig Zag Girl,” although the nature of the relationship between the two men is better understood if one does have that background in mind.  Recommended.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Kept me reading
  

*by K***R on Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017*

Misdirection keeps not only DI Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto guessing; but me as well. Whereas I was 99,9% sure early on in the first novel who was killing members of the original Magic Men; in this one I never saw the solution to the murder of two children coming. Surprise, surprise! As deftly as a magician's card trick or the use of smoke and mirrors, Griffiths didn't give a hint that might lead you to your own conclusion. Maybe other readers are more clever than I am? I find myself becoming attached--for lack of a better word--to the characters in these books. I am not yet as devoted to them as I am to the cast of characters in her Ruth Galloway novels, though. I am pleased, however, to have found more Griffiths to read while waiting for the next Ruth Calloway.

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*Product available on Desertcart Finland*
*Store origin: FI*
*Last updated: 2026-03-05*