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2024 CWA Historical Dagger (longlist)
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
Genre: Historical Mystery
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
Genre: Historical Mystery
Praise for this book
"An ingenious locked room mystery. This is a fiendishly clever puzzle wrapped in a beautiful, dark atmospheric story. Utterly captivating!." - Victoria Dowd
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Used availability for Tom Mead's The Murder Wheel