Nesmith Library

Death and the conjuror, Tom Mead

eng

no index present

fiction

Death and the conjuror

Tom Mead

A Joseph Spector locked-room mystery, [1]

A tribute to the classic golden-age whodunnit, when crime fiction was a battle of wits between writer and reader, Death and the Conjuror joins its macabre atmosphere, period detail, and vividly-drawn characters with a meticulously-constructed fair play puzzle. Its baffling plot will enthrall readers of mystery icons such as Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr, modern masters like Anthony Horowitz and Elly Griffiths, or anyone who appreciates a good mystery"In 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 colorful 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."--, Provided by publisher

Part one: The thief's tale. Fierce stuff ; Miss Death -- Part two: The liar's tale. Entr'acte (I): The man in the long black coat ; Three telephone calls ; The night in question ; El Nacimiento ; Der Schlangenmann ; Dufresne Court ; Patient C ; Case notes ; A brief disquisition on the locked-room problems ; Snakeman unmasked -- Part three: The imposter's tale. Entr'acte (II): Mister Weaver makes a purchase ; The vampire trap ; The madman, Espina ; How to disappear entirely; or, The Proteus cage ; Interlude: Wherein the reader's attention is respectfully requested ; One last trick -- Epilogue: The conjuror's tale