The Midnight Hour
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- Create Date：2021-12-27 21:21:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Elly Griffiths
- ISBN：B08NWRHW5P
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Summary
The sixth gripping Brighton-based mystery from the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Series - a must-read for all fans of cosy - but not too cosy - crime fiction。
Brighton， 1965
When theatrical impresario Bert Billington is found dead in his retirement home， no one suspects foul play。 But when the postmortem reveals that he was poisoned， suspicion falls on his wife， eccentric ex-Music Hall star Verity Malone。
Frustrated by the police response to Bert's death and determined to prove her innocence， Verity calls in private detective duo Emma Holmes and Sam Collins。 This is their first real case， but as luck would have it they have a friend on the inside: Max Mephisto is filming a remake of Dracula， starring Seth Bellington， Bert's son。 But when they question Max， they feel he isn't telling them the whole story。
Emma and Sam must vie with the police to untangle the case and bring the killer to justice。 They're sure the answers must lie in Bert's dark past and in the glamorous， occasionally deadly， days of Music Hall。 But the closer they get to the truth， the more danger they find themselves in。。。
Brighton， 1965
When theatrical impresario Bert Billington is found dead in his retirement home， no one suspects foul play。 But when the postmortem reveals that he was poisoned， suspicion falls on his wife， eccentric ex-Music Hall star Verity Malone。
Frustrated by the police response to Bert's death and determined to prove her innocence， Verity calls in private detective duo Emma Holmes and Sam Collins。 This is their first real case， but as luck would have it they have a friend on the inside: Max Mephisto is filming a remake of Dracula， starring Seth Bellington， Bert's son。 But when they question Max， they feel he isn't telling them the whole story。
Emma and Sam must vie with the police to untangle the case and bring the killer to justice。 They're sure the answers must lie in Bert's dark past and in the glamorous， occasionally deadly， days of Music Hall。 But the closer they get to the truth， the more danger they find themselves in。。。
Reviews
Shannon
，
For me， this book is almost ruined by the intrusion on nearly every page of an unnecessary Feminist agenda。 It simply doesn't mix well with the clever plot。 The fact is， there are two kinds of Feminists: the kind （like Meg） who simply forge ahead and get things done in a "man's world，" without undue concern about whether she's getting enough credit or not， or the kind （like Emma） who are super-defensive about their importance and who whine endlessly about the unfairness of the traditional view o For me， this book is almost ruined by the intrusion on nearly every page of an unnecessary Feminist agenda。 It simply doesn't mix well with the clever plot。 The fact is， there are two kinds of Feminists: the kind （like Meg） who simply forge ahead and get things done in a "man's world，" without undue concern about whether she's getting enough credit or not， or the kind （like Emma） who are super-defensive about their importance and who whine endlessly about the unfairness of the traditional view of women。 I can understand that a few mentions of the social phenomenon of the women's movement during the 1960's could have a place in a police procedural mystery such as this， but it is given way too much play to the point of tedium and annoyance， as it tries to upstage the killing。My last bone of contention is that if you're going to invoke the Beatles， you'd better watch your dates because there are plenty of readers out there who are also die-hard Beatles fans and they will definitely notice if you reference ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE in 1965 when it wasn't even released until 1967， The Summer of Love！All that aside， this book was very reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best！ The culprit seemed to come out of nowhere， yet the clues were all there。 I was so distracted （misdirected？） by all the Feminist junk， that I missed the evidence！ So， credit given where credit is deserved！I like WDC Meg Connolly and her big Irish family。 I hope they feature in future entries of this series。 。。。more
joyce w。 laudon
，
Elly Griffiths is an author who does not rest on her laurels。 I first got to know this author through her Ruth Galloway novels; so far， she has written thirteen of these。 Ruth is a bit shambolic， very smart and a forensic archaeologist。 Fans eagerly follow her relationship with （married） Nelson and her friends， including a Druid named Cathbad。 This may all sound a bit odd but I assure you， these books are among my most favorite。Ms。 G。 has also written two books in a new series。 These are The Str Elly Griffiths is an author who does not rest on her laurels。 I first got to know this author through her Ruth Galloway novels; so far， she has written thirteen of these。 Ruth is a bit shambolic， very smart and a forensic archaeologist。 Fans eagerly follow her relationship with （married） Nelson and her friends， including a Druid named Cathbad。 This may all sound a bit odd but I assure you， these books are among my most favorite。Ms。 G。 has also written two books in a new series。 These are The Stranger Diaries and The Postscript Murders。 These feature a lesbian， Musilin detective。 They are complex and enjoyable。The Midnight Hour is part of another series。 This is an historical series that has featured magician Max Mephisto and Detective Edgar Stephens。 The first， The ZigZag Girl was published about five years ago。In this entry in the series， PI Emma and her partner， Sam Collins have at least one problem…Emma is married to Edgar Stephens who is also called in。 Who murdered the husband of a music hall star？ How will Emma and Edgar work together。。 or not？ And， where will Max fit in？ Read this one to find out。 It will provide readers with a small escape from daily life。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Sue Purbrick
，
This was a quick， quaint and enchanting read – a breath of fresh air compared to the usual crime novels I read。 Sure， the bodies mount up， but in an almost cosy way， if there is such a thing。 I enjoyed the fact that the police chief’s wife， Emma， is a private detective， and in this tale is investigating the same case as the police。 What’s more， they actually all work well together。 An aging but still glamorous ex-chorus girl， Verity， hires Emma and Sam to investigate her husband’s death by poiso This was a quick， quaint and enchanting read – a breath of fresh air compared to the usual crime novels I read。 Sure， the bodies mount up， but in an almost cosy way， if there is such a thing。 I enjoyed the fact that the police chief’s wife， Emma， is a private detective， and in this tale is investigating the same case as the police。 What’s more， they actually all work well together。 An aging but still glamorous ex-chorus girl， Verity， hires Emma and Sam to investigate her husband’s death by poisoning。 As the newbie private investigators begin their probe， they discover he has several enemies。 I really enjoyed all the plucky female characters。 Meg， the naïve young policewoman， with whom Emma forms an unlikely bond， is totally wonderful。 Give The Midnight Hour a go if you’re after something light， very readable and often humorous。 。。。more
Christina McLain
，
This is the sixth in The Brighton Mysteries series featuring the one and only Max Mephisto， aristocrat， former magician and current fim actor， his daughter Ruby and their unlikely pals DS Edgar Stephans and his wife Emma， a former WPC and a rather reluctant wife and mother。 There is a host of colourful characters here and the series leads readers through the dull 1950s into the Swinging 60s with great aplomb。 Griffiths is one of the few， very few mystery writers whose books are actually witty an This is the sixth in The Brighton Mysteries series featuring the one and only Max Mephisto， aristocrat， former magician and current fim actor， his daughter Ruby and their unlikely pals DS Edgar Stephans and his wife Emma， a former WPC and a rather reluctant wife and mother。 There is a host of colourful characters here and the series leads readers through the dull 1950s into the Swinging 60s with great aplomb。 Griffiths is one of the few， very few mystery writers whose books are actually witty and fun to read and this one is no exception。 My only criticism is that there are so many women here playing or employed as policewomen and detectives， it got confusing。 Plus， I don't think any DS worth his salt in any era would ever allow his wife to travel around Britain and interview suspects while he babysat at home。 Edgar is a great guy but nobody then or now would or could be so progressive or foolhardy unfortunately。 This book also didnt have enough of Max， Ruby or Astarte in it but it was still a fun read。 。。。more
Eliza
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bert， a consummate womanizer is poisoned。 His son believes his mother is responsible。 Verity， a newly minted feminist， hires two female detectives， Emma and Sam， to find out the truth。 Emma is the disgruntled stay at home wife （previously a DCI） of Chief Inspector Edgar Stevens。 They find the true culprit after two other people are murdered。 The mother of a girl thrown away by Bert years before; decides to settle the score。 She， Irene， is also in charge of wardrobe on the movie Max is making。 Cu Bert， a consummate womanizer is poisoned。 His son believes his mother is responsible。 Verity， a newly minted feminist， hires two female detectives， Emma and Sam， to find out the truth。 Emma is the disgruntled stay at home wife （previously a DCI） of Chief Inspector Edgar Stevens。 They find the true culprit after two other people are murdered。 The mother of a girl thrown away by Bert years before; decides to settle the score。 She， Irene， is also in charge of wardrobe on the movie Max is making。 Curious。Max Mephisto is now a B actor playing a caricature of his former profession。 He is also married to a self absorbed American actress and has two children。 He finds he is being cuckolded by a younger actor。 He is a shadow of his former crime fighter persona。 Sad。 。。。more
Barbara
，
Pretty good for a cozy， but I prefer her Ruth Galloway series。
William
，
I was totally bored for the first 50 to 100 pages and I almost quit at that point， but I pressed on and the pace of the story picked up。 I'm a huge fan of the author's Ruth Galloway series， but I haven't enjoyed this series anywhere near as much。 I was totally bored for the first 50 to 100 pages and I almost quit at that point， but I pressed on and the pace of the story picked up。 I'm a huge fan of the author's Ruth Galloway series， but I haven't enjoyed this series anywhere near as much。 。。。more
Oliver Dixon
，
Clever and amusing， but a confusingly large cast of characters。 Thank God for the search function on Kindle。
Larry Fontenot
，
Continuing the saga of the spinoff from the Magic Men Mystery series， this Brighton Mysteries book enlarges the role of Emma and Sam as detectives operating their own agency。 An old theatre impresario has been murdered and the widow hires Sam and Emma to find out the truth behind the murder。 There are still some of the great characters from the Magic Men series， including Max Mephisto， Ruby， Edgar Stephens， Meg Connolly， and Lydia Lamont。 But the three women， Meg， Emma and Sam take center stage Continuing the saga of the spinoff from the Magic Men Mystery series， this Brighton Mysteries book enlarges the role of Emma and Sam as detectives operating their own agency。 An old theatre impresario has been murdered and the widow hires Sam and Emma to find out the truth behind the murder。 There are still some of the great characters from the Magic Men series， including Max Mephisto， Ruby， Edgar Stephens， Meg Connolly， and Lydia Lamont。 But the three women， Meg， Emma and Sam take center stage and manage to solve two crimes （and find a lost dog more by accident）。 Griffiths is an author that I've followed for many years， particularly her Ruth Galloway books。 Her prose is sturdy if not exciting， but she does create clever plots that manage to reveal the criminals at the last minute， usually someone we never expected because the clues are sparsely revealed。 But I find the characters engaging so I remain a fan。 。。。more
Simon Fenwick
，
Another excellent story by Elly Griffiths。 Midnight Hour is the sixth in the Brighton Mysteries series which is set in the early to mid 1960s Brighton。 On a personal note， one of the reasons that I like these so much is that as a family we often holidayed in the Brighton area at the time at which these books are set so they really bring the area to life for me。 Not only Brighton itself but Saltdean， Rottingdean and along the coast to St Leonards on Sea and Hastings， all are places I remember fro Another excellent story by Elly Griffiths。 Midnight Hour is the sixth in the Brighton Mysteries series which is set in the early to mid 1960s Brighton。 On a personal note， one of the reasons that I like these so much is that as a family we often holidayed in the Brighton area at the time at which these books are set so they really bring the area to life for me。 Not only Brighton itself but Saltdean， Rottingdean and along the coast to St Leonards on Sea and Hastings， all are places I remember from my childhood。As for the story itself， the characters are written so well and most of them are real 'characters'。One tiny slip up in detail within the book but not connected to the story itself relates to the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love"。 This couldn't have been listened to or even known by the people in the story because it's set in 1965 whereas the song wasn't released until two years later。 。。。more
Buff
，
Not in the same discussion of her Ruth Galloway books。 Weak plot and characters。
Meredith
，
“The future belonged to women like her。”The Midnight Hour is a cozy mystery with an edge。 When 90-year-old theatrical impresario Bert Billington is found dead in his home in Brighton in 1965， natural causes are assumed。 However， the postmortem reveals Bert’s death was murder！ Who could have wanted to kill Bert？ Apparently， everyone， including his wife， sons， and the many women he scorned。 To solve the crime Bert’s wife， Verity， hires private detectives Emma Holmes and Sam Collins。 The duo jo “The future belonged to women like her。”The Midnight Hour is a cozy mystery with an edge。 When 90-year-old theatrical impresario Bert Billington is found dead in his home in Brighton in 1965， natural causes are assumed。 However， the postmortem reveals Bert’s death was murder！ Who could have wanted to kill Bert？ Apparently， everyone， including his wife， sons， and the many women he scorned。 To solve the crime Bert’s wife， Verity， hires private detectives Emma Holmes and Sam Collins。 The duo joins forces with the police， and Emma develops a special bond with WDC Meg Connolly。This is the sixth book of The Brighton Mystery series but a first for me。 Although I have not read the other books in the series， Griffiths provides enough background information to make it easy to follow along。The narrative shifts between many characters， but the primaries are Emma， Sam， Meg， and Max Mephisto， a once-famous magician now turned actor。 I liked all of their voices， but I wanted more of Emma， Meg， and Sam。 The one downfall is that there are so many characters to keep track of that I got lost from time to time。The Midnight Hour was so much fun to read！ I love Griffiths' writing style--it has a witty， whimsical rhythm that kept me turning the pages。 Emma， Meg， and Sam have moxie。 There is a slight lag in the middle， but overall I enjoyed spending time in 1965 Brighton， especially reading about the movie stars and their tawdry affairs。 The mystery was compelling; especially intriguing was why so many women gave into Bert's charms？ This question leads to many others， and what is revealed is that death should have come sooner to Bert。 He was a vile man。 Griffiths explores many themes in this novel， but gender norms and class are at the forefront。 When I finished reading this， I kept thinking about the characters， especially Emma and Meg， which is a sign of a good book！ I look forward to catching up on this series in 2022。 I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cathy
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3。75⭐️
Valerie Campbell Ackroyd
，
Enjoyed itI enjoyed this mystery for its setting in time—England in the 1960s—and its main female characters。 As some who “came of age” in the 60s， there were a lot of references in the book that made me smile。 The Beatles， Betty Friedan， women not being allowed to do this or that。 Those references actually interested me more than the mystery， which was a bit convoluted and， at the end， hurried。 I will read more of Griffiths’ “Brighton Mysteries” for the characters， Meg and Emma， but have to say Enjoyed itI enjoyed this mystery for its setting in time—England in the 1960s—and its main female characters。 As some who “came of age” in the 60s， there were a lot of references in the book that made me smile。 The Beatles， Betty Friedan， women not being allowed to do this or that。 Those references actually interested me more than the mystery， which was a bit convoluted and， at the end， hurried。 I will read more of Griffiths’ “Brighton Mysteries” for the characters， Meg and Emma， but have to say if you are a reader who reads for the actual mystery， this one is a bit thin， plot not really worth my outlining in my review。 。。。more
Sharon C
，
I don't generally love so-called cozy mysteries， but I had seen a lot of good reviews about Elly Griffiths' series so I decided to give this one a try。 Even though The Midnight Hour is the sixth book in The Brighton Mysteries series， I enjoyed it as a stand-alone。 I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not starting with book one， and I liked it enough to go back and read the whole series from the beginning。The Midnight Hour takes place in the UK （Brighton， specifically） in 1965 and stars t I don't generally love so-called cozy mysteries， but I had seen a lot of good reviews about Elly Griffiths' series so I decided to give this one a try。 Even though The Midnight Hour is the sixth book in The Brighton Mysteries series， I enjoyed it as a stand-alone。 I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not starting with book one， and I liked it enough to go back and read the whole series from the beginning。The Midnight Hour takes place in the UK （Brighton， specifically） in 1965 and stars the two protagonists of the book series， Emma Holmes and Sam Collins。 Emma is a former police detective， but is now married to Police Superintendent Edgar Stephens and raising 3 kids）。 Sam is a journalist， and she and Emma have teamed up to form their own private investigations agency。 Most of their early cases involve finding lost pets， but they hit the jackpot when they are hired by Verity Billington。 Verity is a aged show girl， married to a famous show business impresario named Bert Billington。 She hires Emma and Sam because Bert is dead。 He was discovered by Verity and his death was by poison。 Since they live alone， Verity is Suspect Number One， not only believed to be the killer by the police， but even by her own son。In investigating the case， Emma and Sam discover that Bert was hated by a whole host of characters， including the many women he slept with over the years， some of whom even bore his children。 Bert and Verity have three sons。 One manages the theater business， one is an actor， and one owns an automobile repair business。 Only the latter son viewed Bert with any semblance of love。The book moves along at a brisk pace and does a great job of developing the many characters， including another recurring character， an actor named Max Mephisto。 It's also an interesting portrait of the 60's era when strong female professionals were still the exception and misogyny was in full bloom。 I'm looking forward to reading other books in the series to get to know Emma and Sam more deeply。 All in all， it was an excellent read。My thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 I'm very happy to have discovered author Elly Griffiths。 。。。more
Ginger
，
For fans of British police procedurals of the 1950 - 1960s television Era。A famous singer， disinterested adult children， a marriage filled with secrets and complacency - death by rat poison。 Descriptive world building and a look at how the British police treated their female counterparts。
Corinne Johnston
，
The Brighton Mystery for a while， have enjoyed this trip back to 50s and 60s Brighton， with little spots of real life intruding on the work of Max and Edgar， but more importantly， Emma。
Brie
，
Well written， fairly gripping， though a bit slow in spots。 The story follows the murder of a pantomime producer。 As private detectives Emma and Sam try to solve the case before the police， another victim is discovered and the questions outnumber the answers。 I liked that the main characters were strong women。 Overall， a good read and a good addition to the Magic Men series。
Lavins
，
Another great instalment in this series with main characters being Stephens and Mephisto by author Elly Griffiths。A good investigation into the death of a man that was not very kind or lovable and who， throughout the years， has been accused of doing some terrible things。 The story is quite interesting as we have now Emma as a private investigator， trying to absolve the wife who is the prime suspect in this murder inquiry。 In the same time we have her husband conducting the official investigation Another great instalment in this series with main characters being Stephens and Mephisto by author Elly Griffiths。A good investigation into the death of a man that was not very kind or lovable and who， throughout the years， has been accused of doing some terrible things。 The story is quite interesting as we have now Emma as a private investigator， trying to absolve the wife who is the prime suspect in this murder inquiry。 In the same time we have her husband conducting the official investigation and it is nice to see them working together to find out the truth。The political side of the book， with working moms and the woman's place in society， although it is appreciated as a mention， it was not something I am ever looking into reading when I pick up a murder investigation。 A great book and a really good mystery as it will have you try to guess till the end who the killer is。A big thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for allowing me to read this great book！ 。。。more
Suzie
，
The 6th in Elly Griffiths' Brighton series， The Midnight Hour is outstanding！ Though it can be read as a standalone， do not deprive yourself of the character growth as you journey through books 1-5。 I think this series is as interesting as the Ruth Galloway series。 I look forward to more mustery and history as Sam and Emma grow their private detective business。I highly recommend this on audiobook---Beth Eyre is very good as the narrator。 The 6th in Elly Griffiths' Brighton series， The Midnight Hour is outstanding！ Though it can be read as a standalone， do not deprive yourself of the character growth as you journey through books 1-5。 I think this series is as interesting as the Ruth Galloway series。 I look forward to more mustery and history as Sam and Emma grow their private detective business。I highly recommend this on audiobook---Beth Eyre is very good as the narrator。 。。。more
Paula Curtis
，
U
Jill Elizabeth
，
While I still enjoy Elly Griffiths' characters， as the focus has shifted away from the Magic Men and toward the Brighton police more broadly， I have found my interest in the series waning a bit。。。 Her writing continues to be strong and I do enjoy seeing where her characters are going， particularly her women， I am having a harder time feeling that immersive connection that I did when the focus was on Max and his crew as an unlikely source of investigation and action when it came to crime。 With le While I still enjoy Elly Griffiths' characters， as the focus has shifted away from the Magic Men and toward the Brighton police more broadly， I have found my interest in the series waning a bit。。。 Her writing continues to be strong and I do enjoy seeing where her characters are going， particularly her women， I am having a harder time feeling that immersive connection that I did when the focus was on Max and his crew as an unlikely source of investigation and action when it came to crime。 With less focus on the unusual and quirky characters， the series is starting to feel more like a traditional。 detective series， and I must admit that I really miss the more unusual cast featured more prominently in the earlier books。 The increasing presence of Astarte here helped， and I'm cautiously optimistic about what will come now that Max has been yanked out of domestic bliss， but I must confess that this was not my favorite of the books and i had to push myself to keep reading through to the end。。。。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy。 。。。more
Sue
，
The Brighton Mysteries are engaging， interesting， & good novels。 I started this one really soon after arrival & loved every minute of it。 Emma & Sam have started their PI business & they make a really good team， even though they have to juggle motherhood & free-lance newspaper reporting along with working their cases。 Their latest case involves a show-biz impresario with a large business that still puts on theatricals around Britain。 Max has worked for him in the past & as he's in England filmin The Brighton Mysteries are engaging， interesting， & good novels。 I started this one really soon after arrival & loved every minute of it。 Emma & Sam have started their PI business & they make a really good team， even though they have to juggle motherhood & free-lance newspaper reporting along with working their cases。 Their latest case involves a show-biz impresario with a large business that still puts on theatricals around Britain。 Max has worked for him in the past & as he's in England filming a movie， he becomes embroiled in the investigation。 Ruby， Lydia， & some old theatre pals also appear in the story when the impresario is poisoned。 WDC Meg Connolly has another large role to play & she is becoming more & more impressive。 Also， Edgar's turn as full-time father is a laugh。 。。。more
Carolyn
，
A little slow to take off。 But soon became engrossed。 All the Usual characters， Emma， Ruby， Edgar， Max moving on with their lives， and the rumblings of "women's lib" in the background。 A few new characters developing nicely。 Looking forward to more plots to solve。 A little slow to take off。 But soon became engrossed。 All the Usual characters， Emma， Ruby， Edgar， Max moving on with their lives， and the rumblings of "women's lib" in the background。 A few new characters developing nicely。 Looking forward to more plots to solve。 。。。more
Jenny
，
The latest in the series; it was nice to see the female characters take the lead。
Mary Miller
，
I think this series has to be read in sequence。
Sally
，
It was a fun read with familiar characters。 The ending worked and Max seems happy with his life and work。 Interesting times for women。
Debbie
，
These books changed from being The Magic Men Mysteries to the Brighton Mysteries as the protagonists grew and expanded。 This one focuses more on Edgar's wife Emma as she starts her own detective business。 She and her partner Sam（antha） work with the police to investigate the murder of an aged impresario。 It is set in the mid-sixties， as evidenced by both the music and fashions， although WWII is still very much in many people's memories。 These books changed from being The Magic Men Mysteries to the Brighton Mysteries as the protagonists grew and expanded。 This one focuses more on Edgar's wife Emma as she starts her own detective business。 She and her partner Sam（antha） work with the police to investigate the murder of an aged impresario。 It is set in the mid-sixties， as evidenced by both the music and fashions， although WWII is still very much in many people's memories。 。。。more
Jacqueline Wkn
，
Not for me I’m afraid。 Slow going。 Sorry。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Midnight Hour
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Midnight Hour&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Midnight Hour&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0