Ransom PR – Emma's Biblio Treasures

Published August 1st, 2024 by Head of Zeus
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this nostalgic and riveting locked-room mystery. Thank you to Poppy and Sophie at Ransom PR for the invitation to take part, and to Head of Zeus for the gifted copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Cabaret Macabre really had it all… [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 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 from Tom Mead, set in an English country house just before the Second World War.

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

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, and a killer’s bullet is fired through a locked window without breaking the glass. Spector and Flint’s investigations soon collide as they find themselves trapped by the snowstorm where anyone could be the next victim – or the killer…

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MY REVIEW:

“Closing the doors again, Spector looked up at the exterior of Marchbanks. It was a place of secrets, he thought. Secrets and death.”

Clever, twisty and addictive, Cabaret Macabre sees the return of sleuth and illusionist Joseph Spector in his most intricate mystery to date.

Hampshire, 1938. Spector is asked to investigate after Sir Giles Drury, a prominent judge, begins receiving sinister letters that his wife thinks are being sent by Victor Silvius, a man who was sent to a sanatorium after attacking Sir Giles nine years ago. Meanwhile, Victor’s sister, Caroline, fears for her brother’s safety and is convinced that Sir Giles is plotting to kill Victor and turns to Inspector Flint for help. Their and their investigations collide after the discovery of a body at the Drury’s country house. As they investigate a snowstorm hits, trapping potential victims with the killer and the race is on to identify the culprit before they kill again.

Locked-room mysteries are my favourite sub-genre of thrillers, so I was very excited to finally read a book from this series. Tom Mead drew me in immediately, transporting me back to pre-war England with the books’ old-fashioned mystery vibes. This was my first time reading this author and this series, and while it is a great standalone, I will definitely be going back and reading the other books in the series as I enjoyed it so much. Well-written, sharply plotted and pacy, this complex web had so many different threads that I have no idea how the author came up with this or kept things straight in his head. I’m usually quite good at figuring out culprits and predicting what will happen next, but this one had me completely stumped. And when the truth was finally revealed my jaw hit the floor, astounded at the small, detailed clues I’d missed that unveiled the killer.

“It’s like a jigsaw, but with all the wrong pieces.”

The story is filled with a large cast of colourful, fascinating and memorable characters that leaped from the pages. Joseph Spector is a compelling protagonist and I think that having an investigator who used to be an illusionist is such an original concept that allows for some really fun and intriguing moments. There is no obvious villain and everyone has a possible motive, which I liked as it made it impossible to unravel the mystery and I got to simply enjoy the wild ride.

Nostalgic, riveting and inventive, Cabaret Macabre is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an entertaining cosy mystery.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Tom Mead is a Derbyshire mystery writer and aficionado of Golden Age Crime Fiction. His debut novel, DEATH AND THE CONJUROR, was an international bestseller, nominated for several awards, and named one of the best mysteries of the year by The Guardian and Publishers Weekly. Its sequel, THE MURDER WHEEL, was described as “pure nostalgic pleasure” by the Wall Street Journal and “a delight” by the Daily Mail. It was also named one of the Best Traditional Mysteries of 2023 by Crimereads. His third novel, CABARET MACABRE, will be published in 2024.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.

BLOG TOUR: The Fall by Rachael Blok

Published: April 14th 2022
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Police Procedural, Medical Thriller

It’s a little late due to health problems but welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Fall. Thank you to Sophie at Ransom PR for the invitation to take part and Head of Zeus for the eBook ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

The sins of the past echo in the present in the new literary thriller from crime-critic favourite, Rachael Blok.

The bigger the sin, the further the fall…

With Easter approaching, the verger of St Albans Cathedral was supposed to be readying the church. Instead he discovers a man lying dead, fallen from the famous 150-foot-high tower. Did he jump, or was he pushed?

For DCI Maarten Jansen, it’s a simple case of suspected suicide. Until a witness, Willow, prompts a deeper investigation into a long-buried past, involving a psychiatric hospital, a pregnant woman, and fifty years of silence. As Willow’s own family history entwines with the case, Jansen starts to wonder how everything is connected.

The Fall is a haunting literary thriller about loss, trauma, silence, and how our past shapes who we are.

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MY REVIEW:

“Secrets don’t stay buried forever. Even those cast in stone.”

After a long day of travel Willow Eliot finally arrives at St Albans ready to prepare for her exhibition. But in the darkness she hears a scream and witnesses a body falling from the cathedral in the shadows. Did he jump or was he pushed? And are the fall of a young man who works at the cathedral a few days later and the disappearance of Willow’s twin sister connected or simply tragic coincidences?

A story of sins, secrets and suspicion, this literary thriller hit all the right notes for me. Taut, tense and intricately woven, it takes us on a twisty journey as past and present merge together and dark truths are slowly revealed. This book was my introduction to Rachael Blok and I didn’t realise that it is the fourth instalment in a series until I had almost finished reading. But that means I can tell you it makes a great standalone as I never felt like I was missing out on anything or confused about what was going on.

Told in three parts from multiple points of view, I loved the very different voices the author chose in which to tell the story. I found young Alice’s chapters were especially compelling and powerful, drawing into her tragic story. Many of the characters are keeping secrets, some of them with the power to shatter entire lives, leaving us with a complex puzzle to solve that looks nothing like I thought it would.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was that it is rich in history. But it is an awful history that dates back to the psychiatric hospital, Hill Barnes, a bleak, grim place where people were sent when they didn’t know how to deal with them, often committed for what now seem like trivial reasons. Behavioural issues, epilepsy, a wife disagreeing with her husband and being a young mother could all see you committed and subjected to barbaric treatments that did more harm than healing. It is a potent reminder of how we used to treat mental health and those we didn’t understand.

Dark, twisty and captivating, The Fall is a great read for anyone who enjoys a steadily paced thriller.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rachael Blok is a best-selling author of the UK crime series set in the cathedral city of St Albans. Here, DCI Maarten Jansen struggles against his plain-speaking Dutch upbringing when faced with the seemingly polite world of the picturesque city. Under the Ice, The Scorched Earth and Into The Fire are out now. The Fall is coming April 2022.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones*| Amazon*| Bookshop.org*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles 😊 Emma xxxx