"Murder as a puzzle."
Dr. Anselm Rees is a famous psychiatrist in 1903s London. He has three patients who are all famous, too, but only Rees knows their secrets. Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard is called in when Rees is found murdered in his study. The real puzzle is that all the windows and doors of Rees' study were locked from the inside. So, how did the murderer get in and back out again? Flint needs a little help with this one, so he calls in Joseph Spector, a retired magician, for his illusionist insights.
"When they'd first met a number of years before, Inspector Flint had viewed Spector with the guardedness he reserved for clever con men. After all, Spector was a famed devotee of the macabre and maintained one of the most comprehensive libraries on both crime and the supernatural. But it was this very 'otherness' surrounding Spector that made him a perfect foil in instances of impossible crime. The useful part about knowing a magician is learning how the tricks are done."
Locked room mysteries are always fun to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. In addition to the murder, there's also the theft of a painting to solve, and an interesting array of characters from a successful stage actress, to a writer, to Rees' own daughter, Lidia, and her wealthy fiancée. Spector was my favorite, of course. I loved the way he put the puzzle pieces together over the course of the investigation and then revealed the truth of it all at the end with a true magician's flourish. The narrative style and tone of this novel is very reminiscent of the best Golden Age mysteries, which I also like. All in all, this was a very fun mystery.
Happy Reading!
Oooh, I love a locked room mystery too and the fact that it's based in Victorian times is a double draw. :-)
ReplyDeleteExactly! That's what made me want to read this one...oh, and the fact that one of the main characters is a retired magician. :D
DeleteThis sounds like an absolutely wonderful book, I love a good detective and this time-period is one of my favorites. Thanks for the tip, I will put it on my list.
ReplyDeleteKind regards,
Hi, Bettina! I love this time period, too. And this mystery was very readable and fun. :D
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this! I did too and loved the way it felt so much like a Golden Age mystery. I'm hoping there are going to be more books about Joseph Spector.
ReplyDeleteI really hope he writes another mystery with Joseph Spector, too! This one was so fun to read. :D
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteThis does sound quite good. London in that era is such an evocative setting for a mystery as well!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that Victorian London setting! It's one of my favs. :D
DeleteI do enjoy a good mystery :) Great review!!
ReplyDeleteIf you like that old-fashioned mystery feel, this is a very fun read.
DeleteI loved closed door mysteries. This ones sounds great and I've added it to my list!
ReplyDeleteI love closed door mysteries, too...especially at how the solutions to them can be so different.
DeleteCuriously, I have never cared that much for locked room mysteries. But I don't avoid them, and I like the time that this is set.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the two main characters went about solving this one.
DeleteI don't think I've ever read a locked room mystery. This looks really good.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun read. :D
DeleteSounds like a mystery I'd enjoy! Agatha Christie like. I'll keep it in mind. :)
ReplyDeleteIt does have a bit of that Agatha Christie feel to it, which I always like. :)
DeleteThis sounds right up my alley, but I'm sorry to report they seem to have misspelled the name Reese... ;-)
ReplyDeleteHa! Love it. :D
DeleteThis sounds like such a great read. I love locked room mysteries. :)
ReplyDeleteThey're a lot of fun. And I think you'd like Joseph Spector in this book. He's a retired magician and such a great character.
DeleteThis sounds fantastic! I could see myself enjoying this one.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one!
DeleteI love the sound of this one. Love when I see a post like this and it seems like just the kind of story I'd enjoy about now.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one a lot, but then I love all those British Library Crime Classics and this one has a very similar feel to those.
DeleteLocked room mysteries ... interesting. Reminds me of Clue.
ReplyDeleteI love playing Clue! It's almost as much fun as reading this book. :)
DeleteI'm a sucker for these kinds of mysteries!
ReplyDeleteMe, too! And I loved that the main police inspector works with a magician to help solve this one. I think that was my favorite part.
DeleteThat sounds like it would be a good one to read.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was fun. :D
DeleteI love a good locked room mystery. Thanks for putting this one on my radar. :)
ReplyDeleteLocked room mysteries are a lot of fun, aren't they?
DeleteFirst, that cover is just spot on and I would pick it up so fast! And then I would be thrilled with how cool this sounds!! Great review!
ReplyDeleteThe cover is great, isn't it? And the mystery is a lot of fun, too.
DeleteThis sounds like a good read. And I like it that there's a character who is a magician. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's what made me want to read this one!
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