Book Review: The Zig Zag Girl

I grabbed The Zig Zag Girl on a whim because of the time period, post World War II, is most definitely in my wheel house. After my long slog of cozy mysteries I was hoping this one would not disappoint with weak, holey plots and characters that irritated me. It did not. This is the first in Elly Griffiths’ Magic Men Mysteries but it has none of the common teething issues a new series often suffers from. This book is smooth, well written, and intriguing.

There are a pair of main characters, however Griffiths manages to make even that a surprise. She starts firmly rooted in the Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and allows the story to bring Max Mephisto in when the plot is ready. It takes skill to allow things to build naturally and Griffiths does this brilliantly through out the book. A series of murders has DI Stephens investigating across half of England and delving into his own painful past. Both characters are demonstrably changed by the events of the novel, which is refreshing for a murder mystery.

I think half my love for this book comes from my own confusion. I always know who done it. Always. And while I had my first flicker of “I know who done it” early on, Griffiths managed to make me change my mind back and forth between 3 characters several times. Griffiths really had to reveal it for me and that is rare for me. I raise my cuppa in her honor.

℘℘℘℘ – 4 Pages – Satisfying read. I will definitely grab the next book in the series.