"Armchair detectives take note, a real brain-teaser awaits in this knotty labyrinth of a locked-room mystery set in 1938."
Highly entertaining, this murder mystery takes place over the lead-up to the Christmas before the Second World War begins, and absolutely revels in its fiendishly intricate depths. This retelling of a tale from the early 1600’s, set within the Golden Age of crime, is the third in the Spector Locked-Room Mystery series.
Joseph Spector leads the charge as magician turned sleuth while Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard is an admirable second. Author Tom Mead sets layer upon twisted layer of mystifying puzzles for the reader to solve. While I found myself celebrating certain wins, I was left reeling by the revelations as they played out in front of me.
The setting of a country house suffering from dark deeds is full of atmosphere and plays wonderfully against the theatre of Spector. While the locked-room element sits within this tale with panache, there is so much more to discover. There are a whole host of suspects, and I delighted in how perfectly dreadful they could be.
Cabaret Macabre deserves a round of applause, as it takes all of the elements required for a Golden Age crime mystery and magics them into a fabulously twisty yet beautifully readable and satisfying novel.
Victor Silvius has spent nine years as an inmate at The Grange, a private sanatorium, for the crime of attacking judge Sir Giles Drury. Now, the judge's wife, Lady Elspeth Drury, believes that Silvius is the one responsible for a series of threatening letters her husband has recently received. Eager to avoid the scandal that involving the local police would entail, Lady Elspeth seeks out retired stage magician Joseph Spector, whose discreet involvement in a case Sir Giles recently presided over greatly impressed her.
| Primary Genre | Crime and Mystery |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
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Closing date: 15/10/2026
Victor Silvius has spent nine years as an inmate at The Grange, a private sanatorium, for the crime of attacking judge Sir Giles Drury. Now, the judge's wife, Lady Elspeth Drury, believes that Silvius is the one responsible for a series of threatening letters her husband has recently received.
Cabaret Macabre features in the following genres: Crime and Mystery, Fiction, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Historical Fiction, Early 20th century c 1900 to c 1950, Historical crime and mysteries, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, c 1500 onwards to present day, Time period qualifiers, Fiction: narrative themes
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
Cabaret Macabre was written by Tom Mead and published by Mysterious Press an imprint of Penzler Publishers
Yes it is part of Joseph Spector Series series
