October 1921. Kit and Mary Aston are asked by their friend, police artist Rufus Watts, to investigate threatening letters that have been sent to the performers in his family's seaside variety theatre.They arrive to find out that temperamental magician, Javier Gonzalo, has lost his head, quite literally, mid act.With the help of old associates, Chief Inspector Jellicoe, the newly promoted, Detective Inspector Wellbeloved, and Rufus Watts, Kit and Mary soon find themselves in the middle of a race against time before the murderer strikes again in a case where revenge is the motive and everyone is putting on an act.After the Indiana Jones-like adventure in The Tangier Tajine, Kit and Mary Aston return to a more traditional murder mystery set in the world of post-war variety theatre just before the arrival of moving pictures and radio sounded the death knell to this wonderful realm of entertainment.This mystery can be read as a standalone book and is a perfect introduction to the murderously twisty books featuring Kit and Mary Aston. See what reviewers have said about the previous novels in the series:"Well what a truly fabulous novel. An intriguing and complex plot. Lusciously laced with Mr Murrays wicked humour, I laughed out loud. Please write more in this series. The characters are so funny and developing enormously as the series have gone on...""Some great humour, especially the names in the novel, very funny. An intricate plot, that wasn't easy to follow but all came together as I progressed through the book. Loved it...""Lord Kit, his fiancee Mary and manservant Miller are fully developed characters.. The other characters are also well drawn and enrich the storylines. Mostly, however, I am moved by these novels for the way they bring out the impact of WWI..."Author's note: this title was originally put up as a pre order under the Lord Kit Aston series - I have changed this now to reflect the greater role played by Mary Aston.