You meet Jem on a bad day, he is shown a letter that makes him turn to the past to find answers. On the way you learn who he is, and how he ended up where he is. You meet past friends of his, all of whom were broken in different ways by the murder of one of their own.
Are Jem's memories of his time at Oxford contain more fiction than fact? As Jem meets with his old friends he sees that they are just as followed by the past as he is.
Uncovering who killed Toby requires uncovering all that was happening around Jem and the rest of the "Seven Wonders".
Well written, and hard to put down. Building Jem's past brings all the characters fully into being and the world really finds form in their memories and their present. At some points you feel bad for Jem, other times you can't decide if you should trust him, or his memory.
Are the Seven Wonders what he remembers? And how did it all come crashing down?

5 stars

From start to finish, Death in the Spires is a historical mystery reader’s delight. The descriptions of life at Oxford in the early 20th century are rich and evocative without ever taking away from the characters or the plot, both of which kept my interest throughout. While reading, I kept feeling nostalgic for something that I never actually experienced. That takes talent!

Each character was distinct and memorable, and their secrets kept on coming. I love in mysteries like this when each and every person in the group has multiple hidden layers that may or may not be connected to the murder, and I was continually second-guessing my hunches as more information was revealed.

I would highly recommend this title.

This is my fifteenth book by this author. This is supposedly a bit of a departure for her in that it is not a romance but billed as a mystery, though most of her books have a large focus on mystery. That said, this one just wasn’t for me. The writing is good and what I have come to expect from this author. I just wasn’t all that interested in the subject. It’s a very slow burn mystery that takes place in a primarily academic setting, almost an ode to Oxford and peppered with references to Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, of which I had zero knowledge or reference.

The story follows a group of 7 students at Oxford in a dual timeline of the present in 1905 and the past when they met in 1892 and subsequent events that followed until one of them is murdered. While the characters are easily distinguished, I felt that their characterizations weren’t deep enough for a character study and the mystery was too slow to be a focal point. I did enjoy watching the building and tearing down of the relationships between the characters; however, I think the setting overshadowed everything else in the story.

I would give limited recommendations to this book for those that enjoy slow burn mysteries in an academic setting and especially those fascinated with Oxford.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for a copy provided for an honest review.

Death in the Spires is a historical murder mystery based in Oxford. University friends have lived with a secret for ten years, Jem has spent too long living under the cloud of his friend's death, and is determined to find out who killed Toby....but at what price?

I really enjoyed this book. I could picture the locations/scenes without it being overly descriptive. The characters were a mix of likeable and unlikeable, and this added to the atmosphere of the story. There weren't any 'slow' parts of the book as there was always something happening, and this made it a real page turner. I would be happy to read another book by KJ Charles.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I really loved this book! It's thrilling and mysterious and have a great plot as well. The author has even got the characters right with their personalities and backgroundstories, that really adds up to a great book! This is realle a great historical fiction, and I think this will be one of the best historical fictions this year!

I love it!

I loved loved loved this - I'm a huge fan of Charles' historical romances and wasn't quite sure if I'd be down for a straight up mystery, but this was fantastic. Everything I wanted from The Secret History but felt let down that I didn't get (I don't know why people love that book so much!) I'm already trying to get one of our library book groups to read it.

If you love If We Were Villains, may I recommend this book? I think the two have quite a few things in common, but this one is historical and, if my memory serves me right, more diverse. I loved it more, but this will be down to personal preference. I do think if you liked one, you'll have a good time with the other at least.

What can I even say about K.J. Charles at this point without sounding like a broken record? The writing? Super engaging, as usual. The characters? I was invested within the first couple of pages, also as usual. The relationships? Not just the romances, but all the different dynamics within the Seven Wonders were so good. And for a book that isn't even about a romance, why did the romantic elements still thrill me so much?

As a mystery, it probably could have been a bit tighter, or more effective, but I honestly just didn't care. I wanted to know what had happened, I wanted to see Jem reconnect with these people he once loved so dearly. I was salivating to get to his meeting with Nicky, because so much is made of him in the flashbacks, and it did not disappoint.

I don't know if this is the kind of book where you can predict the twists, or sleuth along with the main character, because as the reader you're missing a lot of information. But I liked how everything unraveled in the end, and if Charles chooses to write more mysteries, I'm there for them all.

ONE: I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. KJ Charles is my favorite X1000 author. God, I love it.

Okay... TWO: Jem as a detective is art, literally. I love his inexperience, his doubts and how he doesn't seem to have the slightest idea. 10/10
THREE: I loved the way Charles wove an ending that was both coherent and intriguing.

FOUR: I already want to read another one like this, seriously, it has left a mark on me that reading another book will hardly be able to fill. I Love it x2.

Death In The Spires delivers a gripping and immersive tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Ten years after the tragic murder of his college friend Toby, Jeremy embarks on a quest for truth, determined to uncover the culprit among his estranged friends. Jeremy's journey is fraught with danger and uncertainty, but his unwavering determination to seek justice is truly admirable. The author skillfully crafts a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motives and secrets, adding depth and intrigue to the narrative. Set against a gothic backdrop, the story unfolds with atmospheric flair, drawing readers into a world where darkness lurks around every corner. For fans of historical mysteries, Death In The Spires is a must-read that promises both suspense and satisfaction.

This was an interesting read. I loved the thrill and the back and forth to the present and past.

The characters were good with great depth and I loved the storyline.

Very cleverly written. A highly enjoyable read.

The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.
1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.
Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?
As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby's killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?
Some secrets are better left buried…
This book is not like the other books that K.J. Charles has written. It has a historical mystery and no romance. It is 10 years since the unsolved mystery of Toby’s death and the police have not been contacted. Jem is calling them together in order to figure out the crime. I loved this book and what it does to all the members when the murderer is announced. Read it for yourself and see if you can figure out who did kill Toby and why. If you love mysteries that are unsolvable then you will love this book.

The overriding impression gained from this literary, historical mystery is of lost happiness and potential, making it a poignant read. As Jem investigates the murder of Toby, his friend, who died in suspicious circumstances ten years before, he relives his and his closest friends' fall from fame and potential. The story explores social class differences and sexuality. It shows how a tragic event can change many lives, mirroring the Shakespearean literature the seven friends revered. Insightful characterisation immerses the reader into the lives of the seven and keeps you invested in the outcome. Jem is a clever and tenacious detective driven by his need to make something of his life that promised so much. The mystery is full of twists in a time of social changes and forbidden love. It's an absorbing literary mystery with historical and socio-political details and intricate characterisation.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Another excellent read from K. J. Charles!

After really enjoying the murder mystery of Proper English, I was excited to dive into this one. The setting, the group of friends and their dynamics were so intriguing. And the fact that you knew, inevitably that Toby would meet his demise, presumably at the hand of one of these lovable characters you were getting to know kept me turning pages to see what would happen. The revelations came out at just the perfect pace, and the way it bounced between present day and the past really helped piece things together just right. I had no idea who the culprit could be, I had my hopes, and what I thought might be red herrings or clues. And some breadcrumbs that were dropped earlier on had very satisfying conclusions (Oh, I totally picked up on how suspicious it was when that character said that, and I was right!) The ending had a lot that I didn't see coming, but I left extremely satisfied that everyone got what they deserved in the end.

The author may say that this is not a love story, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of moments that will make your heat flutter. It is a K. J. Charles book after all. The queer pining, and romantic scenes, while not as explicit as we usually expect are incredibly well done. And there were some themes in the book, though this is set in the past, are still extremely relevant to society of today.

I had a thoroughly good time reading this book, and hope you give it a read as well!

Ps. I love the audiobook narrator they did a wonderful job with all the voices.

This is my fourth Charles novel and, while Charles herself makes a point to tell her readers this is not a mystery, I’ve been thinking of commonalities. Charles tends to centre on a character who is smart, dogged, and down-and-out, either in “disgrace with fortune” or in “men’s eyes”, or both. (At least of what I’ve read of her so far.) Charles focuses on characters who are Jane-Eyre-like in one capacity or another: “poor, obscure, plain, and little.” They may have one or more of Jane’s self-descriptions. Except they’re not “poor, obscure, plain, and little,” no more than Jane. Charles places them in precarious circumstances implicating class conflict, sometimes with a love interest, in this case, not quite.

A nod to the publisher’s blurb offers details:

The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.

1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.

Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?

As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby’s killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?

Some secrets are better left buried…

Charles’s mystery is less thriller-ish and fast-paced than what we can gather from the blurb, thanks to Jeremy Kite’s characterization. His small size, clubfoot, and working-class origins, a “scholarship” student when the Seven were formed, makes for a diffident sleuth, but one whose mathematician’s mind methodically and persistently upends every stone.

Jeremy “Jem” Kite’s anonymous letter is the first of many he receives, as have the remainder of the “Seven Wonders”. As Jem sets out to discover Toby’s killer, Charles alternates the narrative between Jem’s pursuit and the Seven Wonders’ Oxford years, their friendships, lovers, and adventures, moving the narrative from Edwardian back to late Victorian England. When the letter arrives, Jem loses his clerk’s position; near-destitute, having lived in the shadows since he left Oxford, degree-less, he tenaciously determines to uncover Toby’s killer. He knows, as they knew at the time, the killer has to be one of the “Wonders”, but which one? Jem’s search sees him call on each of the “Wonders” and we’re introduced to an ensemble of characters as he finds and talks to each one; in the meanwhile, we learn about their shared past through Jem’s memories. This may slow down the “whodunnit”, but adds depth.

We meet Toby’s brilliant twin, Ella, whose intellect can’t earn her an Oxford degree because she’s a woman; the mercurial Nicky Rook, now an Anglo-Saxon don at the very college, St. Anselm’s, where the Seven Wonders were golden…until they weren’t; Hugo Morley-Adams, an upcoming politician; Aaron, the Black medical student, now a near-Harley-Street doctor; and Prue, working-class like Jem, now a grieving widow and mother, once the girl Toby held aloft at the end of playing Imogen in the Wonders’ Cymbeline production. In Jem’s memories, we encounter a timeless world, near Harry-Potter-like, of gowned students, amateur theatrics, rowing clubs, “seasons in the sun,” in their cups, wild, funny, and awe-inspiring to their fellow-students. But as Jem encounters every diminished “Wonder,” as successful as they may be, we understand how they’re haunted by Toby’s death.

Charles’s cleverness is to make of an expanse of time, ten years, and a hero’s journey that takes him back to the scene and people of the crime, a closed-circle, if not room, mystery. I wasn’t surprised by whodunnit because that’s not Charles’s purpose. It’s the why dunnit and, even more importantly, the complicated relationships and emotions that led to Toby’s death. And, Toby, who we know only via Jem’s memories and the rest of the Wonder’s testimonies, is revealed in such a way to make his death the centre of a collective tragedy. Charles’s historical mystery is engrossing, less for its plot, and completely for its character revelations. Even though this isn’t a romance and it lacks Charles’s lighter touches of humour and wit, there’s something beautifully peaceful and positive about its ending.

KJ Charles’s Death In the Spires is published by Storm Publishing. It released on April 11th. I received an e-galley, from Storm Publishing, via Netgalley. This doesn’t impede the honest expression of my opinion, written without the aid of AI.

Jeremy Kite is scratching a living as a civil servant when an anonymous letter is sent to his superior accuse him of being a murderer, Jem loses his shit and quits before he is fired because ten years ago he was part of a glittering group of young Oxford students named the Seven Wonders. Collected by the Honorable Toby Feynsham this group of bright young lights had everything going for them until Toby is found murdered in his rooms and one of the did it. Ten years on Jem has had enough and with nothing to lose weeks to find the killer once and for all. The was excellent I absolutely devoured it. K J Charles is wonderful in all ways. The characters are all suitably sharp and brittle and not always likeable some of them are downright swines! There’s grey morals and crimes covering other crimes and everybody is hiding something and through it all Jem is entirely adorable and won’t someone please just give him a hug. Wonderful, loved it 100% would recommend.

With the emotional depth of the story, the mystery, the compelling characters, angsty romance, and a twist that's so satisfying readers will still be thinking about it for days, DEATH IN THE SPIRES will easily top best of 2024 lists. If you love complicated characters and those second chance romance feels to go along with your whodunnit, KJ Charles has written a book you won't be able to set down until you've finished.

When I saw a new KJ Charles book I had to request it. I really enjoyed the previous books I have read by this author and this one in particular sounded simply too good to pass. And let me tell you that I am quite happy to have read it, even if it wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
Mind me, it delivers what it promises but in the other books I read by this author there always was banter, irony, and some humor that would light up the atmosphere, it’s not that all the other books were happy and lighthearted, there were some darker aspects to them too, because life is not always a happy merry go round, sure, but the humor and the banter made for really nice reading. And in this one, we don’t have any of that. Not banter, not irony, and not humor, if not really sparingly.


But still, I had a great time with it. It strongly reminded me of The Secret History by Donna Tart, if we speak in broad terms and vibes, but while I am not the biggest fan of the more famous book, I couldn’t put this one down. Even if some things usually don’t make me so happy, like going backward in time, since the book is about a killing that happened when the characters were at the university, and now they all are grown up and have gone on with their own life. And usually, I am not so happy about a dual timeline, but in this particular case, I didn’t mind at all. And even if there was always a bit of distance between me and the characters, I couldn’t really feel them at 100%, I still enjoyed spending time with them.


Jem efforts to discover what really happened are so vivid on the pages, and his internal turmoil is made really clear to us: the problem is that when he was at the University he was in a tight group of friends who all had brilliants academic career, they were all so promising and full of life, and they were a close group. Up until the killing of one of them. And now he is sick and tired of living in a sort of standby because from that frightful day onward he was suspended in life, he went through the motions but he didn’t truly feel alive anymore. Up until this point. Something has happened and now he has reached his limit. He wants to discover the truth. He needs it. But the killer has to be one of the people in their group. So he, or one of his former friends, is the killer, and this was the hard truth that made this awful affair even more painful.
Not so easy to accept, right? And what’s more is that now everyone has a life, and a future, and the murder happened a lot of time ago. The risk is to bring to light things that are better left uncovered.


And we feel the angst and the fear of Jem. We feel them keenly. But we also feel his need to be finally free.
And it was also pretty good to see the old group come, reluctantly, together again. This author is great at portraying relationships, and I am glad to say that this book was not exception. It is really different from the other books I have read by the same author, but this is still the same!
I was fascinated by the story, and I had a difficult time coming out of it until the resolution. It was different from what I was expecting, for sure, but I am not disappointed in the least!

3.5 stars

First thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review of Death In the Spires.

I am a huge fan of KJ Charles and I was excited to get my hands on her her first murder mystery that wasn't also a romance. But, I wish I liked this book more. The mystery is fine and has decent twists but my favorite part of KJ Charles books is always the characters and I just did not get attached or vibe with any of the characters. Nothing was wrong with them I just found them lacking charm. If you are looking for a good mystery for a long train ride this is perferct. But it just wasn't what I wanted it to be.

When I started this book I thought about The It Girl by Ruth Ware. It was a fleeting impression because this one of the best book I read that features people from Oxford (the best is GAudy Night).
There's a murder in the past, a group of friend that were called The SEven Wonder til one of the was murdered.
Jem, or Jeremy, is the frailest and the one who was left behind as he dropped out. The poison letter he receives accusing him of being the murderer cause problems and he lose his job.
This is the start of a mystery that mixes past and present, people in their 20s and people who are ten years olders.
Fascinating, twisty, intriguing. An adrenaline-fuelled last chapter that surprised me
I would be happy to read more about Jem and his friends.
I throughly appreciated this mystery and it's highly recommende.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
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Death in the Spires is a historical fiction, murder mystery with grabbing twists and gothic setting.
A college friendship is formed between an odd circle of friends, somehow fitting well together. They stand together, they enjoy every aspect of college life together. Until one of them dies.
A shadow of suspicion is cast on every member surviving.
Haunted by the night, Jem is affected by the murder the most. His career goes down the drain. Barely surviving, he loses his job when an anonymous letter accusing him of murder arrives at his office.
Determined to not let it affect his life any further, he sets on a path to catch the killer.
It takes him back to his college and to the people he once called friends.

Every character has their secrets closely hidden and also, they each have a motive to kill.
A captivating read though overly descriptive at times, it deserves 3 stars.