Variety theatre, fine art, professional basketball and competitive birdwatching: the worlds here seem remote from violence, but none of them are. In 1950s Brighton, a showgirl vanishes from the Hippodrome, and DI Edgar Stephens uncovers darker connections beneath the glamour, with Max Mephisto at his side. Roy Grace discovers that a portrait bought for its frame conceals an 18th-century masterpiece and a killer. Tom French's birdwatching community harbours grudges that prove fatal. And what Myron Bolitar takes on as a favour ends in blood.
Elly Griffiths, The Vanishing Box - When a showgirl vanishes from the Brighton Hippodrome, magician Max Mephisto and Detective Inspector Stephens uncover unsettling links to earlier murders in the shadowy world of 1950s variety theatre.
Peter James, Picture You Dead - A painting bought for its frame may be a lost masterpiece worth millions, but the wrong buyer has already found Harry and Freya Kipling. Roy Grace is also reopening a forgotten murder linked to the art world.
Harlan Coben, Fade Away - Myron Bolitar's old sporting rival disappears, leaving blood and a body behind. What begins as a favour draws Myron into a case that could cost him everything.
Ann Cleeves, A Bird in the Hand - When celebrated birder Tom French is found dead on the Norfolk coast, George Palmer-Jones discovers fierce rivalries and long-held grudges beneath the polite world of birdwatching.
