Max Mephisto is traveling to London to meet his daughter Ruby's newborn when Ted English calls out to him. Ted performs as the Great Deceiver, and his assistant Cherry has been discovered dead in her Brighton boarding house. Ted fears the police will blame him for her murder. Max contacts his friend Superintendent Edgar Stephens, who leads the investigation. The victim's family has hired private detectives Emma Holmes and Sam Collins to conduct their own inquiry. The boarding house shelters performers from an Old Time Music Hall production on Brighton pier. The residents connect to a disturbing radio host named Pal. When another magician's assistant dies, Edgar believes a serial killer is at work. He convinces Max to abandon semi-retirement and join a summer performance. The team needs someone to serve as Max's assistant. Edgar surprises everyone with his recommendation.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: London, Brighton
Period: 20th-century
344 pages · Paperback