The Murder Wheel

by Tom Mead

The second delightfully difficult locked-room mystery from Tom Mead, featuring amateur sleuth Joseph Spector. A sparkling return to the Golden Age of Crime Fiction, where even the most fiendish of mysteries can be unlocked by a keen eye and a sharp mind...

1938, London. Ambitious lawyer Edmund Ibbs has got his teeth into the case of a lifetime – defending the young woman accused of shooting her husband in the infamous ‘Ferris Wheel Murder’ case. Despite a plethora of evidence against his client, Ibbs is certain he can secure her acquittal.

But after a night of magic and illusion at London’s Pomegranate Theatre, Ibbs finds himself behind bars, accused of a double murder. The renowned prestidigitator Professor Paolini and the operator of said notorious Ferris wheel are dead, and as far as Scotland Yard’s Inspector Flint is concerned, all signs point to the lawyer’s guilt.

Luckily for Ibbs, illusionist turned sleuth Joseph Spector also attended the theatre that night. Can Spector’s eye for detail pierce the veil of deceit in a world of illusion and misdirection, where seeing is not always believing?

Reviews for The Murder Wheel

'A delight to read.' Daily Mail
'Pure nostalgic pleasure.' Wall Street Journal
'Highly entertaining.' Sun
'Ingenious... packed full of period detail.' CrimeReads
'Gripping.' BBC Bristol
'Confirms Tom Mead’s status as a master of the locked-room mystery.' Tim Major
'Pitch perfect magical locked-room extravaganza.' Barbara Nadel
'A delicious locked room feast of impossibilities. I love the Mephistophelean Joseph Spector!' Ovidia Yu
‘An absolute masterclass in the locked room mystery.’ Victoria Dowd

• ISBN10: 1837932522
• ISBN13: 9781837932528
• Publish Date: 12 October 2023 (first published 11 July 2023)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 21 September 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Imprint: Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Murder Wheel is the second Joseph Spector locked room historical mystery by Tom Mead. Released 11th July 2023 by Penzler, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out second quarter 2024 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is such a stylish and well written historical mystery set in the interwar period in England. Stage magician Joseph Spector joins forces with Scotland Yard inspector Flint to solve several "impossible" crimes. Readers who enjoy figuring out how before the sleuths will find a fiendishly clever puzzle. I gave up trying to beat the mystery about halfway in (impossible crimes upon impossible crimes) and just enjoyed the ride. 

The writing is top shelf; engaging and smooth. The characters are believably rendered and the plotting is well engineered and sophisticated. The whole is redolent of the time period without being clunky or archaic. 

Four stars. A good addition to a well written classic-style historical series. For fans of Golden Age classic mysteries, this is a good one. The classic great authors of the period aren't producing any more stories, and it manages to evoke the time period without being derivative or precious. The third volume (The Cabaret Macabre) is due out from Penzler in July 2024.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.