An addictive character-driven locked room mystery series for fans of Golden Age Crime Fiction, of Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Robert Thorogood, Richard Coles, M.C. Beaton, Richard Osman, Elly Griffiths and Anthony Horowitz, and of films such as Knives Out, The Illusionist and The Prestige.

DEATH AND THE CONJUROR (Book 1, July 2022)

“[An] affectionate tribute to the golden age of impossible murder mysteries… This ingenious debut is also great fun.” — The Times

“Mead’s debut is a novel to intrigue and delight.” — John Connolly

“Mead maintains suspense throughout, creating a creepy atmosphere en route to satisfying reveals.” — Publishers Weekly

“A sharply drawn period piece with memorable characters.” — New York Times

“Secrets, red herrings and sleights of hand abound in an ingenious piece of intriguing escapism.” — The Guardian

“Mead faithfully replicates all the loving artifice and teasing engagement of golden-age puzzlers in this superior pastiche.” — Kirkus Reviews

‘A wonderful debut novel from a new British author harks back to the glories of the Golden Age locked room mystery genre with both bravado and affection, inaugurating a most pleasurable opening instalment in a new series.’ Crime Time (Book of the Month)

‘A true delight for mystery lovers!’ Charles Todd

‘A real treat for mystery fans.’ Ragnar Jónasson

‘A fiendishly clever puzzle wrapped in a beautiful, dark atmospheric story.’ Victoria Dowd

‘An intricate “impossible” crime that completely fooled me.’ Peter Lovesey

‘Locked room mysteries are back in fashion and in Death and the Conjuror, Tom Mead gives us one to savour. With fluid prose, sharply defined characters, and an ingenious set of puzzles, this is a book that references the Golden Age of crime fiction in the best possible way.’ Vaseem Khan

1936, London. A celebrity psychiatrist is discovered dead in his locked study. There seems to be no way a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, Inspector Flint, the Scotland Yard detective on the case, calls on retired stage magician turned part-time sleuth Joseph Spector.

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colourful cast of suspects, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets… or motives for murder. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.

THE MURDER WHEEL (Book 2, July 2023)

‘The Murder Wheel harks back to an earlier type of mystery […] Making things even more fun here is the combination of two vintage templates: the locked-room puzzle and the theater mystery. Add a charismatic protagonist, and you have a recipe for pure nostalgic pleasure.’ The Wall Street Journal

‘A triple-barreled puzzle…. Even readers who live to match wits with canny authors and detectives are likely to be outwitted by this one.’ Kirkus

‘Mead plays scrupulously fair with his readers … Lovers of John Dickson Carr’s puzzle mysteries will hope Mead has many more Spector tales up his sleeve.’ Publishers Weekly

‘Bears every sign of being possessed by the ghost of the master of the locked-room mystery, John Dickson Carr’ The Daily Telegraph

“Can you solve the Ferris wheel murder case?”

When a sensational killing rocks 1938 London, local newspaper ads offer a hefty sum to the person who can say whodunnit. A man has been shot dead at the top of a Ferris wheel, and his wife — the only other person in their carriage — insists on her innocence. But who else could have fired the deadly bullet and escaped unseen?

The sheer implausibility of the claim is enough to whip the press into a frenzy and, for young and idealistic Edmund Ibbs, the lawyer representing the accused, that frenzy may be his only hope at discovering the truth of the mysterious murder. As he digs into the case, Ibbs unwittingly enters a shadowy web of conspiracy and murder, soon finding himself implicated in not one but two other seemingly impossible crimes. First, a corpse appears out of thin air during a performance by a famed illusionist, then a second victim is mortally wounded in a locked dressing room backstage.

Edmund is in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time, attracting the suspicion of Scotland Yard inspector George Flint. His only hope at freedom comes in the form of retired stage magician Joseph Spector, a man steeped in the art of misdirection, who happens to be in the audience for the deadly show. Spector’s mastery of illusion is capable of piercing the veil of deceit, but will his deductive powers be strong enough to explain this utterly confounding series of crimes?

Featuring a puzzling plot with a brilliant and fairly clued solution, The Murder Wheel is a delightful homage to the Golden Age mystery sure to please fans of classic crime fiction; Tom Mead’s atmospheric writing and memorable, complex characters prove him to be one of the best new talents in the historical mystery of today.