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Tom Mead's Joseph Spector series
We are really pleased to have sold film/TV rights to Aurelia Pictures – see attached for the BookBrunch coverage (and at the link below)!
An addictive character-driven locked room mystery series for fans of Golden Age Crime Fiction, of Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Robert Thorogood, Richard Cole, M.C. Beaton, Richard Osman, Elly Griffiths and Anthony Horowitz, and of the films The Illusionist and The Prestige.
Book 1, DEATH AND THE CONJUROR, was
shortlisted for Debut Crime Novel of the Year in the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards
shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award
one of Publishers Weekly's Mysteries of the Year
one of The Guardian’s Best Crime & Thrillers of 2023.
Published in North America by Mysterious Press and in the UK by Head of Zeus, and in English audio by Highbridge Audio in North America and by W.F. Howes in the UK & Commonwealth, Tom’s debut novel has been sold in 8 languages so far: in Italy (to Mondadori), Japan (Hayakawa), Russia (AST), China (Shanghai Culture), Taiwan (Faces), Romania (Rao), Spain (Newton Compton Editores) and Slovakia (Spisovatel-IKAR).
US cover UK cover
Death and the Conjuror: A Locked-Room Mystery by [Tom Mead]Logo
Description automatically generatedIn 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study, and there seems to be no way that a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon.
Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective on the case calls on retired stage magician-turned-part-time sleuth Joseph Spector. For who better to make sense of the impossible than one who traffics in illusions?
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 among the psychiatrist’s patients and household, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets—or motives for murder.
When the investigation dovetails into that of an apparently-impossible theft, the detectives consider the possibility that the two transgressions are related.
And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize that the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.
Book 2, THE MURDER WHEEL, was
shortlisted for Historical Crime Book of the Year in the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards 2024
longlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger Award 2024.
Rights sold: English (North America): Mysterious Press, hardback July 2023, paperback June 2024; English (UK & Comm.): Head of Zeus, hardback October 2023, paperback June 2024; North America Audio: Highbridge Audio; UK & Comm. Audio: W.F. Howes; China (Chinese simplified): Shanghai Culture Publishing House; Japan: Hayakawa; Russia: AST; Slovakia: Slovenský Spisovatel
UK cover US cover
LogoDescription automatically generatedShape
Description automatically generated“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.
Here are just some examples of the ample praise given to the Joseph Spector series so far:
‘A sharply drawn period piece with memorable characters.’ New York Times on DEATH AND THE CONJUROR
'Mead's debut is a novel to intrigue and delight.' John Connolly on DEATH AND THE CONJUROR
'A real treat for mystery fans.' Ragnar Jónasson on DEATH AND THE CONJUROR
‘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 on THE MURDER WHEEL
‘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 on THE MURDER WHEEL
‘Bears every sign of being possessed by the ghost of the master of the locked-room mystery, John Dickson Carr’ The Daily Telegraph on THE MURDER WHEEL
“[Mead's] 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 on CABARET MACABRE
“What a great read. An intricately plotted golden age locked room mystery. Inventive & intriguing.” Ambrose Parry on CABARET MACABRE
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