The Vanishing Box

By: Elly Griffiths

Narrated by: James Langton

In a nail-biting hunt for a missing loved one, DI Edgar Stephens and the magician Max Mephisto discover once again that the line between art, life, and death is all too easily blurred.

It’s the holiday season and Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby have landed a headlining gig at the Brighton Hippodrome, the biggest theater in the city, an achievement only slightly marred by the less-than-savory supporting act: a tableau show of naked “living statues.” But when one of the girls goes missing and turns up dead not long after, Max and Ruby realize there’s something far more sinister than obscenity afoot in the theater.

DI Edgar Stephens is on the case. As he searches for the killer, he begins to suspect that her fatal vanishing act may very well be related to another case, the death of a quiet local florist. But just as he’s narrowing in on the missing link, Ruby goes missing, and he and Max must team up once again to find her.

One of her best

Thoroughly enjoyed characters, story, historical elements and relationships in this tangle of Brighton’s next series of complicated murders. Broken hearts and happy hearts sprinkled the book with delicious bits,too.

One of the best in the series so far!

Once again Elly Griffiths has given us an enjoyable murder mystery set in Brighton and featuring our friends Edgar and Max! This adventure moved along at a good pace, lots of interesting side characters! Kept me guessing right till the end! A couple of romances added to the story!. Can't wait to listen to the next book in the series, hopefully to be narrated once more by the marvelous Mr. James Langton!

Another great mystery!

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series, looking forward to the next title. Now I’m kinda attached to the characters and have to know what happens next!

Happily working my way through the series!

I enjoy the reading and the characters. They do a great job describing Brighton, too, which is fun :) And just fyi for those that are offended by “niggardly,” it actually has a totally different origin from the similar racist word so is not racist. :)

Like the series, but not some of the word choices

I enjoy this series and it's cast of characters, but was surprised and upset that Elly Griffiths chose to use the word "niggerdly". While that term was used in the 1950s, this book was written recently and I, personally, believe it should be discontinued along with similar racist or prejudiced terms meaning to be miserly or stingy.