Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead

I would like to thank Aries Fiction and Anne from Random Things Tours for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Aries Fiction

Published – 2/2

Price - £20 hardback £5.99 Kindle eBook

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.

The art of the Magician and the Crime Writer has a lot in common. Both work hard to create an atmosphere; hold the audience in suspense and reveal that while you were looking at the corpse here you should have paid more attention to the clue over there. The Detective is usually the one wondering on our behalf ‘how did you do that?’ and both them and the audience eventually get to see the big reveal. Its therefore fitting in Tom Mead’s very entertaining crime novel Death and The Conjuror not just that we have seemingly impossible crimes to solve but that this time our Detective themselves is a skilled stage magician applying his skills in a very different way.

In London the acclaimed psychiatrist Dr Anselm Rees and his equally skilled daughter Lidia have moved from Austrian and settled into a new home. Dr Rees is slowly starting business with three unique patients who want to keep their anonymity. But after a mysterious late night visitor leaves Dr Rees asks to not be disturbed and a few minutes later is found murdered in a seemingly fully locked room and no other exits can be found. Inspector Flint knows when crimes get this difficult, he needs a mind that does the impossible as a profession – retired stage magician Joseph Spector. Spector puts his skills of observation and misdirection to great effect unpeeling the identifies of Dr Rees’ patients and loved ones and finding many lies to unpick. But the murderer has a few more tricks up their sleeve too!

What jumps out reading this very engaging period crime tale is Mead is absolutely a fan of this type of story. The writing gives a sense of joy and you imagine Mead really had a lot of fun creating this fiendish murder puzzle to solve. It’s a really good puzzle that feels from the off that we have the clues but aren’t seeing things. A crime that will niggle the brain as the pages turn and as we get an increasing list of subjects and potential motives this is a reminder that the crime novel isn’t always about domestic thrillers or exploring social strata but sometimes it is about exercising grey cells and the art of deduction. This is a story happily avoiding falling into just pastiche of early twentieth crime novels but also dropping references and warm tributes to the writers of the past without making me feel its too arch; although I loved the mention that locked room murders in London at this time are being viewed as far too frequent! Mead’s enthusiasm for this type of story infects the reader and we soon just follow the action and the crime scenes with glee.

For a very fiendish crime we need a very good detective to solve it and I really warned to the enigmatic Joseph Spector. A seemingly elderly man who loves magic; performs slight of hand as part of his gentle interrogation and deliberations but also knits all the clues together. He already is a celebrity sleuth already with a reputation for solving crimes and also a known part of London’s art scene working for theatres and the artists which gives him a link to the people we eventually find are Dr Rees’ patients. Spector is funny; decent and has a suitable flair for the dramatic that like any good magician keeps us on their toes. Are his asides more clues or just him teasing us?  My only reservation is in 2023 I think we do possibly need a little more depth what makes Spector the man he is? Very little is really explained though there are a few teasing hints that he too has some stories to tell.

But sometimes reading is less about the introspection and about enjoying the ride and this is a fast-paced mystery novel that sets up a series of unusual crimes all initially jarring but we find linked. Mysterious figures spying on other characters; missing valuable artwork and of course a gruesome murder…or two. Mead is very good at juggling these aspects to allow us to work out what each character’s secrets are; and how this may or may not lead to the guilty party’s reveal. The central locked room though leads to a beautiful finale explaining things and at the same time making me very impressed how the plotlines all came together.

At this time of year, we can be shellshocked that life is one again busy after end of year festivities being well and truly over. This story though is a great tonic for proving a mix of both a relaxing read and a suitable brain teaser that asks us to try to work out the solution too. Whisper it gently but solving murders in a book can be fun! I will be very interested in how this series develops but the early signs are that Joseph Spector has quite a few performances in him yet.