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.

“[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

DEATH AND THE CONJUROR (Book 1, July 2022)

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.