Cabaret Macabre

Bloomsbury presents Cabaret Macabre by Tom Mead, read by Philip Battley.


'Cabaret Macabre really had it all. . . 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, 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 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. Spector and Flint's investigations collide as they find themselves trapped by the snowstorm where anyone could be the next victim or the killer. . .


What reviewers are saying about Cabaret Macabre:


'An intricately plotted golden age locked room mystery. Inventive and intriguing.' Ambrose Parry


'There are so many intricate layers to this ingenious plot. It truly is the matryoshka of mysteries!' Victoria Dowd


'A twisty-turny, fun and very satisfying mystery.' Alison Moore


"Stunning. Magic and murder and cleverness. Protagonist Joseph Spector will put a spell on you." Barbara Nadel, author of the Çetin Ikmen series, recently filmed for Paramount+ as The Turkish Detective


'There are Agatha Christie-like twists aplenty' Michael Dirda, Washington Post


Reviews for Tom Mead


'Ingenious' Guardian


'Great fun' The Times


'What more could any fan of classic crime wish for?' Martin Edwards


'A sharply drawn period piece' New York Times


'An intricate "impossible" crime that completely fooled me' Peter Lovesey