In the sequel to the 'captivating'* Zig Zag Girl, DI Edgar Stephens and the magician Max Mephisto hunt for a killer after two children are murdered in a tragic tableau of a very grim fairy tale.
 
*Wall Street Journal

It’s Christmastime in Brighton, and the city is abuzz about a local production of Aladdin, starring the marvelous Max Mephisto. But the holiday cheer is lost on DI Edgar Stephens. He’s investigating the murder of two children, Annie and Mark, who were strangled to death in the woods, abandoned alongside a trail of candy—a horrifying scene eerily reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel. 

"Elly Griffiths draws us all the way back to prehistoric times . . . Highly atmospheric." —New York Times Book Review

"Galloway is an everywoman, smart, successful and a little bit unsure of herself." —USA Today

"A must-read for fans of crime and mystery fiction." —Associated Press

It’s a blazing hot summer in Norfolk when a construction crew unearths a downed World War II plane with a body inside. Forensic archeologist Ruth Galloway realizes that the skeleton couldn’t be the pilot, and DNA tests match Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat long thought dead. When the rest of the Blackstock family learns about the discovery, they seem frightened by the news.

In the first installment of a compelling new series by Elly Griffiths, a band of magicians who served together in World War II track a killer who’s performing their deadly tricks.

Brighton, 1950. The body of a girl is found cut into three pieces. Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is convinced the killer is mimicking a famous magic trick—the Zig Zag Girl. The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old war friend of Edgar’s. They served together in a shadowy unit called the Magic Men, a special ops troop that used stage tricks to confound the enemy. 

The chilling discovery of a downed World War II plane with a body inside leads Ruth and DCI Nelson to uncover a wealthy family’s secrets in the seventh Ruth Galloway mystery.

Norfolk is suffering from record summer heat when a construction crew unearths a macabre discovery—a downed World War II plane with the pilot still inside. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway quickly realizes that the skeleton couldn’t possibly be the pilot, and DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat who had been reported dead at sea. When the remaining members of the Blackstock family learn about the discovery, they seem strangely frightened by the news.

Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk’s deserted air force bases, the so-called Ghost Fields, which have been partially converted into a pig farm run by one of the younger Blackstocks. As production begins, Ruth notices a mysterious man lurking on the outskirts of Fred Blackstock’s memorial service. Then human bones are found on the family’s pig farm. Can the team outrace a looming flood to find a killer?

Laced with dry humor and anchored by perennial fan favorite Ruth, The Ghost Fields will delight fans new and old.

Every year a ceremony is held in Norwich for the bodies in the paupers’ graves: the service for the Outcast Dead. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway has a particular interest in this year’s proceedings. Her recent dig at Norwich Castle turned up the body of the notorious Mother Hook, who was hanged in 1867 for murdering five children. Now Ruth is the reluctant star of a TV special, working alongside the program’s alluring history expert, Dr. Frank Barker. Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson is immersed in the case of three children found dead in their home when another child is abducted. A kidnapper dubbed the Childminder claims responsibility, but is the Childminder behind the deaths too? The team must race to find out — and the stakes couldn’t be any higher when a child close to everyone involved goes missing.