Death and the Conjuror cover art

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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About this listen

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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All stars
Most relevant  
The book was well written and narrated. Looking forward to the next one. From this author

Enjoyed the book

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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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I didn't see all that coming! Very good story, and beautifully narrated. I liked the policeman, great character.

Very good.

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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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fabulous tale embracing classic crime whodunits. beautifully written & narrated almost like a love letter to Christie, Chesterton et Al.

enjoyable nostalgic well wrought tale

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PART 1 (late spring 2025)
Since I wrote the 2nd half of this review I've explored other books by Mead, and IMO (in my opinion) this one is the best though published first.
My intuition is that as in rock music, the first book / album is the best at least for some years. Why? The answer is not simple but partly because a writer / rock band has to make a huge effort so as to manage that crucial breakthrough from obscurity to recognition -- at least partial.
This text is Mead's classiest with not only the usual showbiz background but also the world of psychoanalysis: dreams and their meaningS play a role and Mead offers illuminating insights into e.g. kleptomania. Moreover there is a fine discussion of a stolen work of art.
In comparison 'Cabaret Macabre' -- while great fun -- is jerkier and less smooth, and 'The Murder Wheel' lacks the class of Mead's first book. But I do indeed enjoy both of them.

PART 2 (winter 2025)
A sure sign of a satisfying whodunnit? If you can listen to it / parts more than once i.e. after one knows the solution.
I especially enjoyed the summary in Chapter 12 of John Dickson Carr's (JDC) analysis of locked room murders. In this work set in characteristic JDC 1930s milieu, the author has created one very memorable character, a professional illusionist, Joseph Spectre / Spector who is a gifted sleuth c.f. Dr Gideon Fell.
Well worth a listen if you are a fan of this genre.

Surprisingly (for me) good locked-room mystery

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The author, not satisfied with one locked room mystery, offers two; neither capture the imagination! With cardboard characters & flat dialogue there's nothing to recommend here.

No magic, just dull telling of nonsense!

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I found this to be very tedious and couldn’t really get interested in the characters or their story. I quite liked the Scotland Yard Inspector, but the conjuror really got on my nerves. The narration was fine, I won’t listen to any more from this author.

A very boring listen

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