With Death and the Conjurer, Tom Mead has written a mystery perfect for fans of Golden Age Detective stories. It even includes the old-school directive to the reader to make their guesses and footnotes during the reveal, saying where the clues were first revealed in the book. I loved it and am looking forward from more Spector books (hopefully?!) and more from Tom Mead.

I really enjoyed this mystery. I was fully hooked from the start as I love locked room mysteries. The author's writing held my attention throughout and the storyline and characters were well written. Didn't manage to solve it but enjoyed trying! Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this great novel. I hope there are more to follow I will definitely recommend.

If you're looking for a book that takes you back to the time and talent of Agatha Christie or Alfred Hitchcock you've found it in Death and the Conjuror. Tom Mead has managed to write a murder mystery just shy of perfection. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat for the last hundred pages, trying to figure out who the murderer was before it was revealed.

I will say that I was fooled more than once trying to figure out the killer. Mead writes a twisty tale that has so many jaw dropping moments I lost count. The reveal of the murderer was a work of art. I had to take a deep breath when it was all over and just process the story,

Our cast of characters is nothing short of magical, the back and forth, the way they interact with each other, the relationships that are happening through the story that we don't see until the very end, it's just fantastic.

I can't say enough good things about this book, there is magic within these pages (no pun intended) and I loved every page of it. I will say it annoys me slightly when I don't figure out the killer before the reveal but when it's a book of this quality and imagination I'm ok with having it laid out for me like The Prestige I can only imagine it was meant to be.

Is it too early to say I really hope we end up seeing this one on the big screen soon? It would make a wonderful movie.

A Psychiatrist is murdered in his locked office. From a house full of witnesses a painting is stolen, unnoticed. Two impossible crimes, at the same time, late evening on the 12th of September 1936. Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard is non-plussed, and not only because all of the people involved are “known” in Society. Both crimes are potentially linked by Della Cookson, an actress who was a patient of Dr Anselm Rees, the Psychiatrist, and was one of the few people who knew of the existence of the painting. Her alibis rest on the coincidence of the timing. Her arrival to see the Doctor left no time for her to have stolen and concealed the painting, and that arrival occurred just after the Doctor had been murdered (in a room where both doors were locked from the inside). Seeing no logical way in which either crime might have been executed, he calls on the services of Joseph Spector, an elderly conjuror, in the hope he can explain away the impossibilities. Are the crimes connected, is the murder linked to Rees’s other patients, or his daughter, or his previous existence in Austria – his patients then or just the rise of Naziism? And how was the seemingly impossible made possible?
The book is a pastiche of the style of story, and language, written in the Golden Age. “Pastiche” can sometimes have a slight connotation of “mocked up” so I would like to say that this is totally authentic. Dropped into a mix of Dickson Carr, Allingham, Sayers, Heyer, Marsh, etc, you would be hard pressed to spot it as an intruder. The plot is typically convoluted, the clues are there as the saying goes, the reveal is made to a room full of suspects, and it all makes sense (if you stretch your imagination a bit about the tricks). I loved the resolution of the painting mystery but the whole thing is a joy.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

The promotional materials for Death and the Conjurer compare this title to some of the best work from "the golden age of mystery writing," a description that's spot-on. I had a hard time remembering whether I was reading a forthcoming novel or a reprint of a classic from the 30s.

Death and the Conjurer has all the traits of a mystery from the period it emulates. We have
• not one, but two locked door mysteries
• a cast of suspicious characters including—
• an emigre psychiatrist
• his odd, but brilliant daughter
• three of the psychiatrist's patients
• a clueless, rich young man
• a housekeeper who listens at doors
• a Scotland Yard detective aided by a civilian, in this case a former stage magician

It took me a little while to hit my stride with this title, but once I did, I was hooked. Death and the Conjurer is a read-in-one-sitting title. The solution to the crime is complicated (I'm not sure I completely bought all its elements) and is presented in an Hercule Poirot-style assembly of all the characters involved in the case, with sudden revelations that maintain the guessing game for as long as possible.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

A fun little mystery done differently. I liked it but would have liked to learn more about Joseph, his backstory and what drives him. A quick and enjoyable read!

Quick and fun homage to old mysteries. Great cast, very excited for the continuing stories. Flint and Spector are a lovely duo

This is a story of a murdered man, psychiatrist Anselm Rees, in a room locked from the inside. Set in the 1930's Inspector Flint of the police is stumped so confers with his friend Mr Spector a retired magician. Together they work through the comings and goings of the psychiatrist Anselm Rees and his patients, three in particular who appear to be hiding something, Then there is the odd couple Dr Rees daughter and her fiancé who appear to have nothing in common.
The books has quite a few twists and turns and both Flint and Spector find themselves caught up in the hunt, although as they draw nearer the tables start to turn and it appears that someone may be hunting them.
Is there a logical explanation or is it indeed an act of sheer magic! I really did enjoy the characters and the plot in this exciting whodunnit.
Thank you Penzler Publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

This is one that puzzle fanatics, illusion lovers and mystery aficionados will enjoy equally, as it comprises more than one ‘impossible’ or locked room mystery within a classic, golden-age mystery framework. Picture Jonathan Creek but set in 1930s London and without the romcom vibes distracting from the action, and that should give you an idea of what to expect.

When it comes to the murder, there is a reasonably restricted suspect pool, which should have made the plot more straightforward to follow, but not only does every character have their own secrets to hide, but the illusion-magic aspect of the mysteries made them absolutely impenetrable to me! The author/narrator notes towards the end of the story that all of the clues are there, and he is right, they are – I just had not a single hope of putting them together to come up with the correct solutions. I was very much poor Captain Hastings (from Agatha Christie’s Poirot stories) when it came to the final reveal scene!

I was particularly fond of the psychological slant to the storyline, with the victim being a psychiatrist and the suspects including three of his patients and his psychiatrically-trained daughter. I love any exploration of the quirks and shadows of the human mind, and here we get glimpses into anxiety, kleptomania and possibly hints of sociopathy… so very intriguing trying to work out how each individual psychological profile might match up to the crimes under investigation.

You would definitely need a sharper mind than mine if you hope to solve this mystery before the main characters do, but that didn’t stop me avidly devouring the book and wanting more of Joseph Spector and his impossible investigations.

Fans of locked room mysteries and logical conundrums, as well as fans of Dame Christie and similar authors, will enjoy the challenge of this puzzling mystery.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead was a brilliant murder mystery that kept me guessing till the very end. The story takes place in the 1930's with magician turned sleuth Joseph Spector solving three impossible cases. The murder of famous psychiatrist Anselm Rees within his locked from the inside office, a mysterious piece of artwork stolen under seemingly impossible circumstances, alongside an elevator boy's sudden murder within an elevator. It was a perfect read and had a satisfying ending. Highly recommend. A 4-star read!

I did not see that coming.

You got to love a good locked room mystery. Death and the Conjuror is a story set in 1930 London where a well know psychiatrist is found murdered in own home. The kicker, he was murdered in his study which only has one door and one window- both of which were locked… from the inside! This is where Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard and his enlisted magician assistant, Joseph Spector come in. We quickly realize that not only does the murder seem impossible, but there is a line of potential suspects with a ton of clues that the two must work through. The questions keep popping up, who did it? Was it the doctor’s daughter and her fiancé? One of his eccentric patients? And how did they do it?

I am happy to say I could not figure it out for the life of me and I loved that- good job Tom Mead. I am really looking forward to reading more. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a real brain teaser.


Thank You to Tom Mead and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press, for the digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was a quick, curious little novel. I was intrigued by the idea of a magician assisting with a murder case, but other than a few tricks and the knowledge of how the crime would have worked, we didn't really get to know Joseph Spector or his life as a magician. The mystery was properly tangled and difficult to solve. It held my attention up until the end, but I think I just never quite connected to Spector as a character, so his monologue where all was revealed didn't satisfy me. I do still think it is worth a read for those who like locked room and older style mysteries.

What an interesting mystery. It is written in the style of a generation ago and contains two puzzling mysteries. Both of the mysteries are of the locked room style where there seems to be no way the murder and theft could have possibly happened.

An essential theme of this novel is perception and we get a good dose of how deceptive it can be, both in magic and in murder. I like the several examples given as to how magic tricks are done. Readers are frequently encouraged to be thinking about how perception can be deceptive.

There is a grand reveal at the end, explaining how the seemingly impossible murder and theft were accomplished. We readers have been captive in believing what the witnesses have said about windows and doors being locked and other such facts. When accounts of alibis changed about three quarters through the novel, I guessed there were some other areas in which we readers had been fooled as well. That turned out to be the case. There was also a new feature of exterior architecture revealed we readers didn't know about.

This is a fun novel to exercise the little gray cells. I do feel the solution included some features of which we readers were unaware, such as the external architecture feature, but in general, an entertaining mystery for those who like ones similar to the style of Agatha Christie.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

When a wealthy psychiatrist is murdered in his locked study, who do the detectives call when they’re stumped? In another series, they’d call Sherlock Holmes. In Tom Mead’s Death and the Conjuror, Detective George Flint calls Joseph Spector, a semi-retired magician, to help him figure out how the hell someone managed to brutally murder someone and escape from a locked room without anyone seeing or hearing anything. This quick read will be a delight for fans of fair-play mysteries who like to pick apart seemingly impossible cases.

Death and the Conjuror opens in Agatha Christie fashion by introducing us to all the players just before the crimes start to happen. We meet two actresses at a not-so-high-class London theatre who hate each other and get a glimpse of Spector as the curtain is about to go up on the theatre’s latest Gothic horror. In another part of London is an author of gruesome stories who seems to be losing a battle against his paranoia. In yet another part of London is the study of a very exclusive emigre psychiatrist (soon to be murder victim), who we meet as he is listening to one of his three patients talk about his haunting nightmares. Meanwhile, the psychiatrist’s daughter is preparing to go to the theatre with her rich, obnoxious fiance. By the next day, the psychiatrist is dead, a valuable painting is missing, and a whole lot of people are under investigation by Scotland Yard. Unfortunately, Scotland Yard—in the form of Detective Flint—is stumped. There’s no possible way for the murder to have occurred without something to point to the murderer, motive, and means.

I enjoyed every chapter of Death and the Conjuror: racing the detective and magician as they try to figure out what happened and whodunnit, evaluating the motives and characterizations of the various suspects, watching everyone race around either investigating or incriminating each other, and the brilliant reveal at the end. Everything in this book is perfect, especially the vibrant portraits of the very believable cast of characters. I could actually see this book playing out in my head. This book is a great way to, ahem, kill an afternoon.

This review is shorter than what I usually write but that’s only because I don’t want to ruin anything for any of you readers out there who want to pick it up. No hints or spoilers from me; you’ll have to read it to figure out what happened and why.

Witty, Engaging, and Classically Devious
It took me awhile to read this book. Not because there was anything wrong with it but because the book before it had also been a crime mystery. I was worried that it would not live up to the previous book's hype. Crime mystery novels are new to me, only ever having read two others in my young-adult/adult life. Waiting and underestimating this book was a great mistake. Tom Mead created an excellent piece of literature that can appeal to anyone, especially those who already have a love for classic detective crime mysteries.

Although I have not read many mystery books, I was a huge fan of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Gang as a child, Clue the board game, Sherlock Holmes cinema or TV, and anything that could test my mind's ability to follow the clues and solve the crime. This is what made it so nostalgic for me as a read. It was the perfect tale of crime and the who-done-it. That being said, it was the inclusiveness of the reader throughout the book that was so unique and refreshing. We get a terrible and convincingly "impossible" murder. With just enough suspects, clues, and twists you are invited to play along and see if you can solve the murder first. I wanted to sit down and map out the book as it unfolded so I could potentially solve it first. I was guessing and re-guessing for the entirety of the book. It was a delightful challenge that kept me captivated and thoroughly engaged.

John Spector is our "detective"; a man who was known for his magic tricks and ability to catch what the common eye couldn't. Dr. Anselm Rees is our victim, a psychiatrist dedicated to only three patients and a daughter who followed in his footsteps. Seemingly killed by impossible means, we set out to find who, well, dunnit. Each character we get introduced to, is at some point, convincingly the perfect suspect. They are all unique and filled with their own problems as we come to know them. By the end of the book there is not a character I hadn't suspected. And no, I myself did not crack the case by the end. However, as we started unfolding the murderer and how he/she did the dirty deed, I was enthusiastic about each and every clue I had missed and the genius behind the written crime.

I can honestly say I am officially a huge fan of classic golden age crime mysteries and better yet, a die hard fan of Tom Mead himself. John Spector was a witty and charming character to accompany you throughout the mystery. I will happily collect all his tales to come with. It was a quick read, having finished in only a day. I was thoroughly engaged throughout the entirety of the book. I was laughing and happily perplexed. I felt I was in on the adventure itself! One of my favorite features was at the end of the book. As the crime was being explained by our brilliant John Spector, we got a recount with the exact page numbers in which specific clues were occurring. It was brilliant! I enjoyed going back to those instances and slapping myself on the forehead for not catching it before.

Death and the Conjuror is on my top 5 list of 2022 releases and its author will forever be put on my watch list of new releases to come. Tom Mead's writing is classically devious. I excitedly await all the John Spector adventures to come. Highly recommend you go out and buy this book come July 12!!

4.5/5 Stars
*Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review!*

THANK YOU to Penzler Publishers & NetGalley for sending me this ARC. All reviews are honest reflections of my own opinions, always.


In an impossible riddle, a man lies dead.

Detective Flint finds himself surrounded by evidence most insurmountable. A crime scene, locked from the inside, with no way in or out that would not give away the murderer. Witnesses & suspects alike with alibies as confusing & secure as the room itself. Cunning deductions meet criminal mastermind when Detective Flint recruits the help of a magician turned sleuth to survey the facts of the case.

When magician Spector & Detective Flint begin to piece together the events, the people surrounding the case bring more & more mysteries to the greater puzzle, where their are many players, but only one true killer among them...




I had an absolutely wonderful time with this confounding who-dun-it. With an interesting cast of characters, & the 1930's theatre setting worked together to keep me guessing until the very end. The book gives you absolutely every clue within the story to solve the case yourself, (listed at the very end... but NO peeking!) but alas, I was unable to crack the case.

Not being familiar with the genre, I can't really compare this to other modern contemporaries other than to say, it lacks all of the cheesy-ness of other mass market paperback mysteries & has the flavor of one of those great golden age works.


Content Notes: Some slight language

Death and the Conjuror is an amazing locked room murder mystery. In 1930’s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is found dead, and due to the strange nature of the case, Scotland Yard detective Flint, requests the help of a magician named Spectre. Together these two help to uncover what happened to Anselm Rees, whilst also, discovering the case of a missing painting!

I adored this book. Everything about this time era and books set in this time era is just exquisite. Tom Mead is an extremely clever writer and, for once, I was unable to work out the ending! It was not predictable and provided the reader with the twists that even Agatha Christie would have been proud of! It is true to its genre and manages to keep you hooked on each moment wondering whether the murderer will be revealed soon.

The characters are so well written, and, even some that only have a short appearance throughout the novel are written so well that you have a whole picture of their behaviours and personalities. This is especially hard to do, and many background characters often have the same feel/behaviours/characteristics about them so they kind of fade away. However, Tom’s writing was so unique that you remembered everyone, and I mean everyone. In my eyes everyone became a suspect!

I highly recommend this book and am so thrilled to be able to share this with my followers on social media! Thanks again for allowing me to read this book and I cannot wait for release day!

Set in 1930s London, this refreshingly original book is cleverly written with spades of wit, a fabulous cast of characters (listed in the front of the book), brilliant red herrings and an unpredictable solution. Death and the Conjuror is the epitome of Golden Age perfection and I had to keep reminding myself it was written recently. The language and social mores of the era are beautifully captured. Pure gold.

Magician-turned-sleuth Joseph Spector has a swift and cunning mind and is no stranger to solving impossible crimes. However, even he was temporarily baffled at the mysterious death of psychiatrist Anselm Rees, found in his locked study with no murder weapon in sight. Scotland Yard detective George Flint and Spector weed through oodles of secrets, deceit and even theft as they question an eclectic cast of characters. That ending!

My favourite aspects of this book (and there are many) include the delectable and unrivaled Golden Age writing, interesting characters and impossible to solve locked-room mystery. The writing is rich in detail and practically had me gnawing on my arm in anticipation to get to the end, yet I did not want it to be over! The magician slant is a stroke of genius with so many future possibilities and a fresh set of sleuthing skills.

If you seek a truly smart murder mystery with plenty of "aha" moments, do read this stunner. It should appeal to both Golden Age mystery and general mystery readers. It will leave you breathlessly confounded...it is THAT good!

My sincere thank you to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this marvellous book. What a treat!

Tom Mead has written a great murder mystery from a bygone era that will hold any audience captive through to the amazing end. With wonderful characters and settings, you immediately get lost in this mystery world of who-done-it and stay entranced wanting more. Even though I’m sad to finish Death and the Conjuror, I hope Mead plans to write more stories incorporating his investigator/magician duo which added such a fresh and unique spin. I will be purchasing this book to support a wonderful author, not only for my personal library, but for many friends as well. Excellent read and suspenseful cliff hangers. I recommend to anyone young or old.

I got Sherlock Homles, who done it novel vibes, I really enjoyed trying to figure it out.
Safe to say I didn't succeed, it had me guessing right up until the end, brilliant.

I did struggle to stay focused with the long chapters but I'm so glad I stuck it out.

I really hope it becomes a series because who doesn't love a crime solving conjuror.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review