Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead

​This one had me at conjuror. The crime-solving magician sounds like an awesome character for a story. Not just any story either, a murder mystery, specifically an impossible by design locked variety of one.
This was a pitch perfect pastiche of golden age mysteries, from personae dramatis to the appropriately convoluted solution to the puzzle. Twisting and turning and casting suspicion this way and that, with a bunch of perfectly golden-age-style characters all of whom could theoretically do a murderous turn or two, this challenging murder nugget has a lot to offer. The lead detective and the detecting magician certainly have enough to stay busy.
I really enjoyed this read. It had all the charm of a bygone era without any of its dated nonsense and a charming meta-wink-wink-nudge-nudge quality to it too daring the readers to play along. This cunning nostalgia tinted mystery is sure to delight armchair detectives. The solution is tougher than you think. All my early suspicions were going out fo the window chapter by chapter. Made it all the more fun. Such a quick read too. Like a good magician, this book tricks you and makes you enjoy it. And yes, there are some magic tricks in here too along with the other tricks, of a more murderous variety. Conveniently enough, all of the tricks come with explanations. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.