This historical mystery centers around DI Edgar Stephens and his friend, magician Max Mephisto who worked together in a group called The Magic Men during WWII. Their clandestine group worked in Scotland to trick the Germans into believing that their troop presence in Scotland was far larger than it actually was and they used illusions and tricks to do so.

Fast forward to 1950 and Max is still a magician while army captain Edgar has become a police officer. When the body of a young woman is found sliced into three distinct pieces, Edgar is reminded of a trick Max used to do and enlists Max's help in solving the crime. In the process, they reunite with a few of their old army teammates and one of them ends up dead. Max and Edgar must work fast to find the killer before they all become victims.

This is a solid start to a new mystery series and I enjoyed it. I figured out "who dunnit" long before the detective, but still had a good time. The book was cleverly split into 4 parts like a magic trick: The Build Up, Misdirection, Raising the Stakes, and The Reveal. If you enjoy a good historical mystery, give this one a try!