Brighton, 1950: When the body of a girl is found, cut into three, DI Edgar Stephens recalls a magic trick that he saw as a boy. The illusion is called the Zig Zag Girl and its inventor, Max Mephisto, is an old friend of his. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men, formed to use stage trickery to confuse the enemy. Max is reluctant to get involved when Edgar tracks him down, but the revelation that the dead girl is his former stage assistant changes his mind. A similar death follows, based on a trick called the Sword Cabinet. Then Edgar receives a letter warning of another "trick" called the Wolf Trap - the deadliest illusion of all. But who will be the next victim?
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