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"As anyone in show business would tell you: when people are depressed, the theatres are full."
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"In a few years’ time, they’ll probably have TV shows that just show people living their ordinary lives , eating, drinking, talking, even having a bath. And those people, those ordinary people, they’ll be stars. That’ll be their entertainment.’‘Christ, I hope I don’t live to see it,’ said Max."
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It has been so lovely to be back in 1950s Brighton and London with Max, and Edgar via the mind of @ellygriffiths17. Max and Edgar are a definite odd couple but their relationship works because they're both looking out for the other. #TheBloodCard, book 3 in the #Brighton mysteries, is a detailed story, told well and reminiscent of your classic English murder mystery.
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The Blood Card takes place in the weeks leading up to the coronation, which feels serendipitous with the Queen's platinum jubilee occurring later this year.
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I highly recommend this book and the series to everyone. You will need to start at the beginning though as there are a lot of references and characters in the canon you need to have knowledge of.
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I look forward to being back in Brighton, literally and metaphorically in the near future.

Third in the Magic Men police procedurals set in post war Brighton, during the 1953 Coronation. DI Edgar Stephens again teams up with magician Max Mephisto. An entertaining and exciting thriller.

I loved this, I think it's the best of the Stephens and Mephisto books so far. I loved seeing Emma's point of view and think she's a great character. I liked the inclusion of the gypsy storyline and liked Tol especially. I can't wait to read the next one!

Thanks for the opportunity to have read this great book. This was a grea read and highly recommendable!!

This was a good book, easy to read with an interesting plot and characters I enjoyed getting to know. Max, Edgar, Ruby and Emma are all well drawn with depth to their characters and I enjoyed seeing the interactions between them. However, I did find the story wasn't completely gripping throughout, although the historical detail was interesting and the denouement was exciting. Hence three stars because although it was good and I enjoyed it, I didn't feel there was anything exceptional here. I would like to read another book with these characters though.

Hmm. Enjoyable period crime but not something to blow your socks off. I didn't find the characters particularly engaging, bit wooden. It was all very nice but not more than that. Having said that, it will be enjoyed by the very many people who like a gentle crime set in a bygone age.

I like reading this series by Elly Griffiths set back in the 1950's, an era I don't know much about but love reading about, you can picture yourself being there! Another great book and look forward to the next in the series.

I have read all of Elly Griffiths' books and I'll admit personally I prefer the Ruth Galloway series but still enjoy reading this different series set in the 1950's. It was a clever and exciting plot and I like reading what it was like to live in that era being so different to present time. I look forward to the next book in the series. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

A well written story based around the time of the Queen's coronation. It didn't seem too exciting though interesting - I think maybe it was meant to ne an Agatha Christie style as opposed to the author's Ruth Galloway books. I think it might have been better to have read the first two books in the series to understand the style and the characters better - but still enjoyed it!

Twisty, clever and with characters you really care about.

I have read and loved all of Elly Griffiths' series about Ruth Galloway. This novel forms part of her other series, set in Brighton and featuring DI Edgar Stevens and Max Mephisto. Although this series lacks some of the tension of the Galloway books, it is nevertheless a delight because of the high standard of the writing and the vivid sense of time and place. This story centres around a plot to disrupt the Queen's Coronation celebrations and is a clever and cerebral tale, the best of the three in the series.

A third outing for DI Edgar Stephens and his friend, magician, Max Mephisto and I am delighted to see them back. Previous books have been centred around Brighton where Stephens is based, however, The Blood Card gives our heroes a much bigger playground with much of the action taking place in London and even across the Atlantic in America.

Stephens is investigating the death of a fortune teller but both he Mephisto are summoned to London to meet with the army top brass and guided to investigate the murder of their wartime commander. The investigation will take Stephens on an American adventure where his life will be in jeopardy, even if he is not aware of the danger he faces.

Back home Max Mephisto is facing a new challenge of his own…television! A live broadcast of a cabaret show is planned for the evening of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Max will be one of the star acts (if he can be persuaded to make the leap from the stage to the small screen) but he will not have considered the possibility of a second magician also being on the bill.

With Stephens and Mephisto distracted it falls to DS Emma Holmes to lead the investigation into the murder of the fortune teller. With the gift of “second sight” a family trait amongst the victim’s family there are several concerned parties keen to offer Emma advice on how her life may be on the wrong path but can she believe her future lies in the cards?

I thoroughly enjoy the Stephens and Mephisto stories. Elly Griffiths captures the feeling of post war life so perfectly in her writing and the slower, more traditional way of life is always a welcome and refreshing change of pace from the modern “gritty” stories I seem to read so often.

With Edgar, Max, Emma and Ruby given much more time to shine individually I really felt that I got to know the characters in more detail in The Blood Card. For a reader that enjoys an ongoing series it is a delight to see the cast growing and being shaped with each new book.

The Blood Card kept me entertained through a couple of dark winter evenings, perfect reading for when I had a bit of quiet time to relax and unwind.