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  • The Zig Zag Girl

  • The Brighton Mysteries, Book 1
  • By: Elly Griffiths
  • Narrated by: Daniel Philpott
  • Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (942 ratings)
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The Zig Zag Girl cover art

The Zig Zag Girl

By: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Daniel Philpott
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Summary

Magic, murder, and a mystery rooted in a murky wartime past. Meet DI Stephens and Max Mephisto.

Brighton, 1950.

When the body of a girl is found cut into three, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens, is reminded of a magic trick, the Zig Zag Girl.

The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old friend of Edgar's. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men. 

Max is still on the circuit, touring seaside towns in the company of ventriloquists, sword-swallowers, and dancing girls. Changing times mean that variety is not what it once was, yet Max is reluctant to leave this world to help Edgar investigate. But when the dead girl turns out to be known to him, Max changes his mind. 

Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max become convinced that the answer to the murders lies in their army days. When Edgar receives a letter warning of another 'trick', the Wolf Trap, he knows that they are all in the killer's sights....

©2014 Elly Griffiths (P)2014 Quercus Editions Ltd

What listeners say about The Zig Zag Girl

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    416
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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    40
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
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Story
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Uninvolving mystery

I was looking forward to trying something new by Elly Griffiths after enjoying her Ruth Galloway stories. Unfortunately this story failed to engage me on any level. The characters were one dimensional, the back story unbelievable and the plot twists could be seen a mile off. The action switched between the two lead characters, Max and Edgar, but the combination of stilted dialogue and poor narration often meant I was struggling to remember which character's viewpoint it was. The narrator didn't seem to have the vocal range necessary to cope with such a wide range of characters.
All in all a very disappointing story and I hope Elly Griffiths won't feel the need to return to the lives of the Magic Men.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable...

Yes, enjoyable but I kept feeling that there was another book I should have read first. Possibly one called 'The Magic Men'! This feeling wasn't dispelled until towards the end, when the previous lives info the main protagonists became clearer. None the less - a good listen.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Zig Zag Girl

What did you like most about The Zig Zag Girl?

It was nice to have a book set in the world of magic, however indirectly. Not something you read about very often. The time period is interesting too, with the world a little bit dark and a little bit in flux.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator unfortunately was not good. Very much on one tone all the way through, and no real characterisation, making it quite difficult to differentiate between the characters. He is a big negative, and I will make a point of avoiding him in the future, I'm afraid.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoy the Ruth Galloway books so I did approach this with a certain amount of trepidation, but narration aside, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is imbued with the warm humour that characterises Ms Griffiths' other books, and is certainly well worth a go. But do be prepared for that narrator which made listening to it a good deal more of a task than was necessary.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Couldn't finish this one

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, it felt dated and I didn't enjoy the narration.

If you’ve listened to books by Elly Griffiths before, how does this one compare?

I have loved listening to ALL the series of archeology books featuring Ruth and Nelson. This seems to lack drive, and just seems to stall and is a bit dull by comparison.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I found it slow, and just couldn't get into it at all. I tried 3 times, perhaps it was after the previous series that it did not come up to scratch.

Could you see The Zig Zag Girl being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Didn't finish it

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very different from Ruth Galloway

Brighton just after the war, seedy and slightly "foreign" . A body in three pieces, a policeman who was part of a team of magicians; the magic men who during the war dreamed illusions to fool the enemy. Then more bodies. The writing is sedate, the characters polite, only the magicians are exotic. The mystery unfolds slowly but I could not stop listening. Recommended, but don't expect anything similar to her other Norfolk stories

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

So poor in plot structure and reading; I cant think of anyone who would enjoy this after earlier Elly Grifith's books.

Has The Zig Zag Girl put you off other books in this genre?

Yes

Would you be willing to try another one of Daniel Philpott’s performances?

Never

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Sadly none

Any additional comments?

Doubly disappointing

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good enough but not exceptional

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. It was a bit predictable and some of the characters a bit stock, but my expectations were not high.

If you’ve listened to books by Elly Griffiths before, how does this one compare?

I have listened to the whole Ruth Galloway series and was getting very involved with the characters, but I do not think the main character in The Zig-Zag Girl could support a sequel. Let Elly Griffiths prove me wrong!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Extremely predictable

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone with little imagination and no common sense, the plot was easy to predict from the first chapter.

What will your next listen be?

Something by Pratchett, to cleanse my audio pallet.

What does Daniel Philpott bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His narration was strong, the only positive thing about this book.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Good narrator.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

JP Priestly meets Jonathan Creek

Come on Elly. The concept/ of magicians/just after war is wonderful. I absolutely adored the first half of this tale (as will all lovers of Empires Lost and Good Companions/JP Priestly. But sadly the last half of this tale lost its way,
This could indeed be the start of a great series - but you need to give it a lot more TLC Elly Griffiths before it becomes a good one.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loves it

have read all the Ruth Galloway books but never really fancies these. However when they appeared on special offer I thought I would give them a go and I am pleased I did.
like the other series are these the most complex and mind blowing mysteries, no but Ellis Griffiths art is in creating characters that you can't help but like and want to get to know better which you do while tripping along side them on a jolly good romp.. Will definitely be getting number two.

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3 people found this helpful