Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead

Joseph Spector #1

256 pages

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Paperback / Own

 

Blurb

 

1936. London. A celebrity psychiatrist is discovered dead in his locked study. There seems to be no way a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, Inspector Flint, the Scotland Yard detective on the case, calls on retired stage magician turned part-time sleuth Joseph Spector.

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colourful cast of suspects, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets—or motives for murder. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.

 

Review

 

This book was a wonderful surprise (thank you, Tara). I do love me a solid, impossible-seeming mystery, especially when it comes with a plausible and understandable solution. Tom Mead delivered on all counts.

The best way to describe this story is as a locked room mystery inspired by the Golden Age of Crime Fiction. Except that we have three locked rooms and three different but possibly connected mysteries—the two murders described in the blurb and one apparently impossible theft.

I loved that there aren’t so many characters in this story that I got confused about who was who and how they related to the crimes. The list of suspects is even shorter, which worked on two fronts: it allows the reader to work the mysteries out for themselves (I completely failed on that front) and it makes the mysteries even more intriguing than they already were because of the locked rooms aspects.

If I did miss anything in this story it was more information about how Joseph Spector became a sort of assistant of Inspector Flint. I assume this part of their story may have been told in previously published short stories, but since I haven’t read those and am unsure if I can get my hands on them now, those details may remain a mystery. I can’t say it bothered me while reading Death and the Conjuror, but now that I’ve finished the story, I find myself curious.

Mentions of Christie, her 11-day disappearing act, and the Detection Club made me smile. Combined with the 1936 setting, it placed this book right in that Golden Age of Mystery time frame, which is exactly where it belongs as far as I’m concerned.

I could go on. The intriguing story is well-written and reads smoothly. The characters are fascinating and well-presented. And, most importantly given the genre, the mystery is very well plotted and the denouement very satisfactory. This book is listed as Joseph Spector #1 and the release of Joseph Spector #2 can’t come soon enough for me.