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Death and the Conjuror

Joseph Spector, Book 1

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Death and the Conjuror

By: Tom Mead
Narrated by: Jake Ruddle
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An enthralling locked-room murder mystery inspired by crime fiction of the Golden Age, Death and the Conjuror is the debut novel by acclaimed short-story writer Tom Mead. In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees 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, 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.
“A sharply drawn period piece... Locked-room mysteries shine best with memorable characters, which is one of Mead's strengths.” NEW YORK TIMES©2022 Tom Mead (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd Amateur Sleuths Crime Detective Fiction Historical Murder Mystery Traditional Detectives Funny England Magic Users
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Loved this! I listened twice to the denouement as it was so ingenious. Highly recommend

Huge fun in this ingenious locked room murder

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Excellent old style mystery with a fine narrator. Enjoyed it greatly and learned a bit about conjuring along the way

Fun and Clever

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Excellent story. Well read. Plenty of twists and turns, red herrings included. Thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish

Death and the Conjuror

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This was my first book from Tom Mead and I appreciated the audible library for a free listen. I can see where this author gets his inspiration and it’s from all the crime greats that I love. I enjoyed the nods to them throughout with a nicely plotted whodunnit and a Jonathan Creek-esque sleuth. Some of the characters felt a bit underdeveloped and the locked room solution felt unfair in parts, but it was a good introduction and I would listen to more.
The voice acting was very good with distinct characters but some words were totally mispronounced which does take me out of the story.

A solid nod to the crime greats

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An okay story, but somewhat clumsy language and overly complicated plot. Could have done with some more editing.

Alright, but not great

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