'Cabaret Macabre really had it all... The twisted and complex puzzle totally foxed me, and although I hate to admit it, I really didn't have a clue whodunnit! Entertaining and fiendishly clever.' Joy Ellis, #1 bestselling author

Sleuth and illusionist Joseph Spector investigates his most complex case yet in this gripping new locked-room murder mystery, set in an English country house just before the Second World War.

Hampshire, 1938. When prominent judge Sir Giles Drury starts receiving sinister letters, his wife suspects Victor Silvius, a man confined to a sanatorium after attacking Sir Giles. Meanwhile, Silvius' sister Caroline is convinced her brother is about to be murdered... by none other than his old nemesis Sir Giles Drury.

Caroline seeks the advice of Scotland Yard's Inspector Flint, while the Drurys, eager to avoid a scandal, turn to Joseph Spector. Spector, renowned magician turned sleuth, has an uncanny knack for solving complicated crimes - but this case will test his powers of deduction to their limits.

At a snowbound English country house, a body is found is impossible circumstances. Spector and Flint's investigations collide as they find themselves trapped by the snowstorm where anyone could be the next victim - or the killer...

Reviewers on Cabaret Macabre:

'An intricately plotted golden age locked room mystery. Inventive and intriguing.' Ambrose Parry
'There are so many intricate layers to this ingenious plot. It truly is the matryoshka of mysteries!' Victoria Dowd
'A twisty-turny, fun and very satisfying mystery.' Alison Moore
'Stunning. Magic and murder and cleverness. Protagonist Joseph Spector will put a spell on you.' Barbara Nadel, author of the Cetin Ikmen series, adapted into Paramount+'s The Turkish Detective
'There are Agatha Christie-like twists aplenty.' Michael Dirda, Washington Post

Reviews for Tom Mead

'Ingenious' Guardian
'Great fun' The Times
'What more could any fan of classic crime wish for?' Martin Edwards
'A sharply drawn period piece' New York Times
'An intricate "impossible" crime that completely fooled me' Peter Lovesey

The third gripping locked-room mystery featuring illusionist Joseph Spector from critically acclaimed Derbyshire author Tom Mead.

About the Author

Tom Mead is an aficionado of Golden Age crime fiction. His short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Lighthouse, as well as Best Crime Stories of the Year (ed. Lee Child). Death and the Conjuror, his debut novel, featuring illusionist turned sleuth Joseph Spector, was highly acclaimed by the UK and US press and was one of Publishers Weekly's Mysteries of the Year. He lives in Derbyshire, England.

Follow Tom at tommeadauthor.com, @TomMeadAuthor and facebook.com/tommeadauthor

Reviews
It made such a refreshing change to read something so different. It really had it all, and his characters are so well 'fleshed out' that you can picture them with ease. The twisted and complex puzzle totally foxed me, and although I hate to admit it, I really didn't have a clue whodunnit! Entertaining, even if it did give me one heck of a headache trying to work out the fiendishly clever answer to both the locked room mystery and the body in the lake! * Joy Ellis, #1 bestselling author *
A delightful Golden Age puzzle... There are Agatha Christie-like twists aplenty and a final scene that Patricia Highsmith might have imagined. All in all, if you're looking for diversion, this latest novel in Mead's Joseph Spector series will do the trick. * Michael Dirda, Washington Post *
Lovingly wrought and fiendishly plotted... Terrific fun with just the right amount of malice aforethought * Mail on Sunday *
For the lover of locked room mysteries, for the devotee of Golden Age tales, for the book connoisseur whose heart leaps at the sight of maps and diagrams, and-above all-for the reader who won't be satisfied with anything less than a twisty and ingenious plot: Ladies and gentlemen, I offer you the incomparable Tom Mead. * G.M. Malliet, Agatha Award-winning author of the St Just and Max Tudor mysteries *
A tour de force of devious plotting and malicious wit. * Judith Cutler, author of the Matthew Rowsley Victorian Mysteries *
Cabaret Macabre, the third book in Tom Mead's Joseph Spector series, is absolutely stunning-a locked room mystery that's so masterfully executed, "twisty" doesn't begin to describe it. With its atmospheric setting and characters as real as your next-door neighbors, this book is a pure delight. * Karen Dionne, author of the #1 international bestseller THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED SISTER *
Utterly delicious! If you love locked-room mysteries, as I do, this book delivers. With its clever plot, creepy atmosphere, and characters I couldn't help but cast for an upcoming movie (which I hope someone will have the sense to make), Cabaret Macabre is a winner on every level! * Ellen Hart, MWA Grandmaster Award winning author of the Jane Lawless mysteries *
Another wonderful locked room mystery * Criminolly *
Mead is at the pinnacle of his powers as he adapts an obscure classic play, transforming it into a whip-smart whodunnit set in the 1930s * Criminal Element *
Atmospheric * Crime Monthly *
Armchair detectives take note, a real brain-teaser awaits in this knotty labyrinth of a locked-room mystery set in 1938 * LoveReading *
A devilishly intriguing read and a pleasing homage to Golden Age mysteries...My appetite is whetted for more of Spector's cases after this very enjoyable book. Recommended. * Historical Novel Review *
Masterfully plotted whodunnit * Woman's Own *
Always highly original * Ragnar Jonasson, i newspaper *
The locked room mystery is enjoying a welcome revival [and] leading the way is Tom Mead... a classic brainteaser * Daily Mail *



Book Information
ISBN 9781837932597
Author Tom Mead
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC