My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penzler Publishing for an advance copy of this mystery that is a throwback to the golden days of detection, featuring amateur sleuths, locked room puzzles, and fair play clues.

In the real world what goes up usually comes down. In the genre of mystery sometimes two people go up but only one comes down alive, a murder in front of a crowd, with the only person there saying I didn't do it. During the golden age of mysteries locked door mysteries were common, as were the numerous amateur sleuths who went around trying to solve them. Sometimes though a locked room mystery was such a puzzle, such a conundrum that some would say it had to be magic, and that is when a magician would be called to solve it. The Murder Wheel: A Locked-Room Mystery by writer Tom Mead is the second book in the Joseph Spector series about a retired stage magician who uses his keen mind, his skills and a knowledge of human nature and how to fool people to solve the cases that befuddle Scotland Yard.

The year is 1938. A husband and wife take a ride in a ferris wheel at a very popular amusement park. Upon reaching the top there is a shot and a scream. Upon returning to Earth the husband is found to have been shot in the stomach, dying before he can say what happened. The wife pleads her innocence, and at media sensation is born. A young lawyer with an interest in stage magic is enlisted to help in the wife's defense. A day of investigating makes him think little of the witnesses, a few he thinks are not telling the truth. The lawyer decides to spend a night at the theater, catching what might be the last performance of a magician, whose act and tricks have just been revealed in the press. During his performance a body is found, where a body should not be, and happens to be one of the witnesses that the lawyer had doubts about. Suddenly there are two impossible murders, confusing both the law and the lawyers. However, also in the crowd is Joseph Spector, retired magician, amateur sleuth, and his keen eyes have seen what others have missed.

Not just one locked door mystery but three different murders, all tied into each other. All of the them are intricate, or the reasoning behind them are, and played fairly with clues in the footnotes for readers to go back and find. I really enjoy that touch. This is a perfect book for golden age detective fans, the whole amatuer aspect, the police and their actions, the murders that probably would have been ignored if they just shot these men in the street, but over complicating murder makes good reading. The cast is large with a lot of suspects, and a lot of alibis to look at. The lawyer Edmund Ibbs is just naive enough to fill in for the reader, and of stout stuff that no matter what comes up, Ibbs is always ready for more. Spector is mysterious, with little known about him, bits that are slowly revealed over the two books, and is also morally ambivalent, which is odd in these kind of mysteries, but I enjoy the contrast. I really enjoyed the story, the mystery and the feeling and work that the author obviously put into it.

For fans of fair play mysteries, locked room, or just plain fun mysteries. This is the second book that I have read, and really enjoy the stories. I look forward to many more.

Thus far, Tom Mead has only written two volumes in his Joseph Spector mystery series. Let us all hope that he will produce many, many more. If I weren't aware that this novel is coming out in July 2023, I would be absolutely convinced The Murder Wheel came from the "golden age" of detective fiction. The puzzles are wonderfully puzzling. Joseph Spector, the central character, is a former stage magician who now works informally with Scotland Yard's Inspector George Flint as a consultant on particularly outré cases, the kind of cases that seem as if they could involve magic—though they don't because Spector is as devoted to rationcination as was Holmes.

The Murder Wheel begins with a confounding murder. A man has been shot at an amusement park while riding the Ferris wheel. His wife, who was with him, insists that a) he hadn't brought a gun with him, b) that she did not kill him, and c) that he did not commit suicide. Edmund Ibbs, a lawyer and amateur magician is working for the defense on this case. As the narrative grows more complex, readers discover that there must be a connection of some kind between this murder and criminal activity within The Pomegranate, a variety theatre.

Ibbs is in The Pomegranate's audience watching a performance by Professor Paolini and finds himself called on stage to serve as the shooter in a bullet trick. All goes well with that trick, but shortly after events turn deadly. Inspector Flint arrives at the scene of the crime. He'd met Ibbs prevously due to Ibbs' work on the Ferris wheel case, and viewed him as, if not an ally, then a honest man going about the work involved in his job. But encountering Ibbs again, Flint grows increasingly suspicious of Ibbs. Spector joins Flint, making Ibbs an awkward, and possibly criminal, third wheel in the Pomegranate investigation.

Besides the inexplicable shooting at the amusement park, other conundrums abound. There's a locked room, a mysterious man who appears inexplicably backstage—as a corpse, multiple interlocking witness statements, and so much more. If you're a lover of "old school" mysteries, The Murder Wheel will absolutely delight you. Even if you have no idea what the "golden age" of mysteries is, if you're a reader who enjoys puzzles of any kind, you'll want to pick up a copy of this book.

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

Fans of Golden Age mysteries will appreciate Mead's homage in this sequel to Death and the Conjuror.

Edmund Ibbs, a young, idealistic lawyer, was assisting with the Carla Dean case when his supervisor became ill. Now, he's stuck with the impossible, infamous case. Carla Dean and her husband, Dominic, went up on the Ferris wheel at a fair. Dominic was shot in the stomach and died, but Carla insists she didn't shoot him, and he didn't have a gun on him. Ibbs believes her. Several witnesses claim to have seen a limping man leave the scene. An impossible crime? Maybe. But Ibbs is an enthusiastic amateur magician, fascinated by what he cannot see. That night, after he starts his investigation, he goes to the Pomegranate Theatre to see master illusionist, Paolini. When a dead man falls out of Paolini's crate, Ibbs insists they call the police. Paolini is later found shot in a locked room with Edmund Ibbs. Although he's arrested,. and protests his innocence, but his insatiable curiosity puts him in all the wrong places. Former stage magician Joseph Spector is the only one who can see the impossible solutions to all the murders.

I love the combo of magicians and murder. Add in the Golden Age feel and Mead’s Joseph Spector novels have me hooked.

This time around, Edmund Ibbs is a rather new solicitor helping represent Carla Dean who is accused of killing her husband at the top of a Ferris Wheel. Ibbs, an aspiring magician, takes a break from work to attend a performance of the Great Paolini. A second dead man is revealed during one of the tricks, a man slightly connected to the Dean murder. Luckily, Joseph Spector, retired magician and sometimes Scotland Yard consultant, is also in the audience.

What follows is a high-stakes investigation by Spector and Ibbs. The characters are well-written and believable. There are several potential suspects and a big baddie who may or may not be involved. As in any good mystery involving magic, there are plenty of misdirections and distractions. We’ve got essentially two locked-room mysteries here and while the author plays fair I didn’t guess the whodunnit.

I’m looking forward to the next locked room Spector runs across.

Tom Mead has my reader loyalty cemented with the 2nd installment in the Joseph Spector series. This one involves not one, but TWO locked room murders!

Aspiring magician Ibbs takes a brea from defending Carla Dean, who is accused of murdering her husband at the top of a Ferris wheel, to attend a performance of the Great Paolini. Corpses come out of the woodwork - literally, but luckily Spector is also in the audience. What follows is a high stakes, rapid-fire investigation by Spector and Ibbs. This fair-play mystery nonetheless left this reader stumped until the end. So much misdirection and offhand clues help keep the action going.

Cannot wait for a third story!

A husband and wife ride up a Ferris wheel together, but only one of them comes down alive. The wife is bereft with grief as she screams for help to come, but it’s too late. Enter Edmund Ibbs, a green solicitor helping represent newly widowed and imprisoned Carla Dean.

As Ibbs searches for possible solutions, he indulges his interest in magic by attending Professor Paolini’s stage show at the Pomegranate Theatre. But when a corpse appears in front of the audience during the act, Ibbs soon finds himself involved in two impossible murders. With the aide of renowned conjuror Joseph Spector and Scotland Yard’s Inspector George Flint, Ibbs will have to look beyond all the illusions to find the truth.

After reading “Death of the Conjuror” by Tom Mead awhile ago, I was so happy to see him release another novel and grateful to receive an ARC. What I love about mysteries, especially locked room mysteries, is that there is always a definitive conclusion that can be reached by reason and logic. As a CPA in my “real” life, I appreciate a tidy solution and am always in awe of the tiny hints dropped throughout the story that support the resolution. I liked how Mead referenced where in the book to find the clues as the culprits were revealed and how deeply layered the deceptions were.

This book is a smart, hard-to-put-down mystery. Its characters are well-written and relatable, and I can’t wait to see what Joseph Spector gets himself involved with next.

This reads like and is constructed like an old fashioned murder mystery. All the clues to uncover the murder are contained within the main text body. At the end of the book, the author breaks the fourth wall to discuss where the necessary clues are even in this case, given page numbers.

I was at a disadvantage having received a galley copy that was poorly formatted. Because of this, I couldn’t verify if the cited clues existed on the pages given. Even so I may not have bothered to check since this sort of ‘’old ladies’s book circle’’ novel isn’t my cup of tea. I thought the main body text was well done and involving from the get go. It’s presented in a quasi-Victorian style that has a few style turns unimagined by the authors of 150 or so years ago.

If a new iteration of a style that many enjoyed but now is non-existent if existent at all is something readers want to try, this book should do well.

Another mystery involving magic and locked room murders? Yes please! Edward Ibbs is a young lawyer tasked with representing Carla Dean, a woman accused of shooting her husband while atop a Ferris Wheel, though she denies it and he believes her - the perfect locked room mystery! Ibbs is also a fan of magic and a wannabe magician himself, which brings him to attend a performance by Professor Paolini. But before the night is through, two more bodies appear, one of which is in another locked room and implicates Ibbs himself. Fortunately, former stage conjuror Joseph Spector is back to help solve the killings, which may all be tied together.
Tom Mead has produced another intriguing novel that is a throw-back to mystery classics. Having a magician as the "detective" makes for a unique and fascinating sleuth. The dual mysteries of the murder at the fair grounds and the two at the theater which seem to be connected, or maybe not, was played out very well in a fast-moving, well-plotted story. The only real hitch in the novel is the fact that the explanation for the murders was kind of a let down. The mysteries were much more enticing, while the solutions seemed a bit mundane and required way too much explanation. Nonetheless I look forward to seeing more books in this series in the future.

If I could post one word in these reviews it would be " Woah". Because thats all I have for this. WOAH. Thank you so much for this ARC.

I was a huge fan of Death and the Conjuror. When I was a child, my friends wanted to be doctors, lawyers, or teachers. I wanted to be a magician (my parents were not impressed).
In The Murder Wheel, Edmund Ibbs,is a lawyer and an amateur magician who is representing Carla Dean. She is in jail for the murder of her husband. But why would she pick a place to commit the crime where it seems impossible that anyone else could have done it? It makes no sense to Edmund, who is determined to figure out whodunnit,why, and how.
But he is soon implicated in another murder when he goes to the magic show of Professor Paolini. Could this nice lawyer( I know that’s almost unbelievable), actually have a dark side? Or is someone smart enough to frame him just like poor Carla?
How many more people will die before the famous Joseph Spector, a former magician, will figure these seemingly unrelated lock door mysteries out?
Did I pick up on any of the clues or figure out the killer/killers before the author reveal? Alas, only one, but I patted myself on the back for that. If you are interested in magic and a good mystery, this is well worth reading. I just hope the author has more to say and that I see Joseph Spector again.