Tom Mead is just getting better with every book. In Joseph Spector he has created a wonderful character. Highly intelligent with a wry sense of humour and although old he appears to be ageless. In this novel Mead once again places Spector in peril. A spooky old mansion that is cut off by a flood tide, a house full of guests who are here for a séance. There is also the Stepney Lad, a life like automaton who frankly gave me the creeps.

It doesn’t take long before guests start dying in gruesome, inexplicable ways. This is where Mead really excels, Devils Neck was once used as a First World War Field hospital and the darkness of that time seeps into the atmosphere of this tale. The terrible things that were witnessed within its walls seem to have left an indelible mark and there is a growing sense of dread that builds throughout the novel. Despite this, Mead still manages to work in a fair sprinkling of wry humour courtesy of Joseph Spector. The light and shade really offset each other quite beautifully. Mead is a writer at the top of his game, undisputed king of the locked room mystery. He is also a master of characterisation, everyone of his house guest’s spring off the page and have a truth to them. Spector, an ex-magician turned investigator, could be described as a Sherlockian figure. To me he has a similar intellect but he is a warmer, kinder human being. His relationship with his old ally Inspector Flint is one of mutual respect, there is a genuine warmth between the characters which really adds to the dynamic.

The way Mead has drawn the damage and heartbreak of the first world war and set his story in a dark, creepy mansion cut off by a flood tide with a list of characters that make Cluedo look predictable, is brilliant. Every character is there for a reason, each has their own back story and secrets. Mead even manages to give Inspector Flint a separate case that actually has a link to Devils Neck and…I’ll leave that there as we don’t want any plot spoilers.

I’ve heard many readers wax lyrical about “The Golden Age of Crime,” but I would humbly suggest that with Tom Mead’s Joseph Spectre novels, this is the golden age of crime. Highly recommended.

Guy Hale, author of The Shakespeare Murders