The Murder Wheel

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 Tom Mead's Spector Locked-Room Mystery series

'In Joseph Spector, Tom Mead has created an amateur sleuth to rival Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.' M.W. Craven

'Great fun.' The Times

'An affectionate tribute to the Golden Age locked-room mystery.' Irish Times

'Highly entertaining.' Sun

‘An absolute masterclass in the locked room mystery... I love this series.’ Victoria Dowd

'A sharply drawn period piece with memorable characters.' New York Times