This book teeters on the cliff-face of “Famous Five (plus 2) go to Oxford” and an episode of “Morse”, but all done in a rather charming way. The register, considering we’re in 1892, is fairly wrong, but again it does not grate.
K.J. Charles’s mystery about a suspicious death at an Oxford college in the last years of the 19th century is quite well woven with a tight cast of seven. The “reveal” was a bit lengthy, hence 3.5*, rounded up to 4*.
An entertaining read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this - K.J. Charles always has a deft hand with words and storytelling and there's no difference here. This story takes a group of marginalized students (some with more marginalization than others) and juxtaposes their college years and friendship with events years later as one attempts to find the real truth of a murder.

No character here is wholly without flaw - there are valid suspicions for everyone to have been involved in the murder of their friend Toby, and what it costs Jeremy to find it out means unearthing stories and the truth of his friend group. I loved Charles' way of forming the characters, giving them all secrets and flaws that made absolute sense in both their time and their relationships with one another. As secrets are revealed, it makes events and other scenes make more sense. Jem's pursuit of knowledge--his dogged pursuit of the TRUTH, no matter the cost to himself or anyone else--culminates in a complicated confrontation with the potential to harm more than it might heal.

Morally grey characters are one of my favorite things, complicated personalities that don't allow a simple good/bad dichotomy, and K.J. Charles knocks it out of the park with giving everyone depth and reason and motive. I refuse to spoil the ending but I loved it; it was reasonable, clear, and most of all, human. These felt like real characters we were privileged to peek into the lives and minds of, and it was a wonderful read.

Death in the Spires, KJ Charles’ Edwardian Oxford-set mystery, is a past-present narrative centered around a vibrant group of friends (the “Seven Wonders”) before and after the death of their charismatic ringleader, Toby, a future Marquess, who arrives at Oxford openly looking to “collect” interesting people, including our narrator, Jem Kike, a scholarship student who can’t believe his luck at befriending the colorful, charming Toby and his crew.

There are shades of If We Were Villains and The Secret History here: an enviable, entangled group of friends fractures along already existent fault lines after the death of one of their own, though the mystery is more at the forefront in Death in the Spires, as Jem desperately tries to solve Toby’s ten-year old death after receiving a threatening letter at his place of business.

Toby’s death shattered Jem, whose bright future at Oxford was lost to “nerves”, which left him unable to complete his degree or pursue interesting or meaningful work and perhaps, more tragically, unable to contemplate human connection after facing the knowledge that one of his dearest friends was likely a murderer.

Jem’s amateur detective work begins to unearth the other secrets the Seven Wonders have worked to bury and Charles uses both the dark academia and mystery genres to explore issues of class, race, sexuality, and gender to great effect.

Charles was clear with her readers that this is not a romance, though there’s a fragile, tender love story at its core, and the many forms of love, including romantic, platonic, and familial, drive the Seven Wonders in both the past and present.

I’m glad to see Charles branching out; Death in the Spires is a well-done mystery and I look forward to many more.

Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and KJ Charles for the ARC.

4.5 stars

Wow… this book was… everything! It’s dark and funny and so much queer! Love it so much! I love the mystery and the thrilling and all those secrets… Wow. Just wow. I finished it one week ago and I literary can’t stop thinking about it. It’s the first book I read written by Charles, and know I want to read everything that she had written and everything that she will write.

This was my first book by KJ Charles, and it will NOT be my last. Death in the Spires was one of my top books so far this year. Lots of mystery, intrigue and drama to keep you guessing right until the end. Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

How do you get me to read a book that is not a romance? When one of my favourite romance writers decides to write a book that isn’t a romance! I would read anything KJ Charles writes, and wow am I happy I read this one!

Death in the Spires is a historical mystery that follows the story of Jem, who is working class and went to Oxford on a scholarship. While he was there, one of the members his group of friends was murdered. The story jumps between the past and present day. I loved getting to know all the characters in both timelines, and trying to figure out whodunnit.

While it was not the central focus, there are some romantic elements to the book, and of course I absolutely adored those parts! The way the mystery was unravelled was expertly executed, which is no surprise from KJ Charles who is a master at managing elaborate plots. This book has a lot to say about class, justice, friendship, and forgiveness. Recommended!

I don't even know what to say. I am stunned. A masterpiece. Truly. THIS IS WHY I READ. THIS BOOK!!! I am emotionally wrung out. Jem, Nicky, Ella Aaron, Prue, Hugo and Toby. Did I say Jem and Nicky!!! If I could give this book 100 stars, I would. I feel like I've been on a rollercoaster.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This is my first time reading this author so like many others I wasn’t aware of her background in writing romance novels. That being said, the writer skillfully intertwines some “romance” in the murder mystery plot. Jem is a likeable character who comes from a poor upbringing and struggles with a physical disability. He continues on to the university where he earns opportunities for advancement both academically and socially….until a murder interrupts his growth.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

4,5⭐️
It’s November 1905. Ten years have passed since the unresolved murder of Toby Feynsham that tore apart The Seven Wonders. A once close-knit group of friends who studied together at Oxford University, until one of them stabbed a knife in Toby’s chest.

Which one the Seven Wonders killed Toby remains a mystery, even for Jeremy Kite. His life hasn’t been the same since his friend died. After he received yet another letter calling him a murderer, he decides to take the matter into his own hands. He’s lived long enough in the shadows, ruined by the murder of his friend. He must find out who killed Toby. Determined to find and expose the murderer, he seeks contact with his old friends, who he hasn’t spoken with since that night..

My thoughts
Death In The Spires was moody, mysterious, full of dark academia vibes and somehow comforting. What I loved most about it was the diverse cast and how KJ Charles connected the mystery with social and political issues from that timeperiod, which were taboo or even forbidden (and unfortunately still relevant today). The story comments on racism, misogyny, homophobia and classicism. The cast has queer, disabled and Black characters, as well as people from different economic classes.

I enjoyed the set up of the book with the dual timeline, alternating between before and after the murder and watching Jeremy reconnecting with people he once knew, or so he thought. They are all put in a different light after the murder, even Jem. I don’t know if I loved Jem or hated him. He frustrated me a lot at times. But he was very well written, just as the other members of The Seven Wonders, or shouId I say suspects?? I had no idea who was lying and who told the truth and was guessing until the end! The mystery kept growing and developing, only unfolding bit by bit.

I hope KJ Charles will write more queer mysteries, but in the mean time I can catch up on her other books! I want to thank NetGalley & Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

You meet Jem on a bad day, he is shown a letter that makes him turn to the past to find answers. On the way you learn who he is, and how he ended up where he is. You meet past friends of his, all of whom were broken in different ways by the murder of one of their own.
Are Jem's memories of his time at Oxford contain more fiction than fact? As Jem meets with his old friends he sees that they are just as followed by the past as he is.
Uncovering who killed Toby requires uncovering all that was happening around Jem and the rest of the "Seven Wonders".
Well written, and hard to put down. Building Jem's past brings all the characters fully into being and the world really finds form in their memories and their present. At some points you feel bad for Jem, other times you can't decide if you should trust him, or his memory.
Are the Seven Wonders what he remembers? And how did it all come crashing down?

5 stars

From start to finish, Death in the Spires is a historical mystery reader’s delight. The descriptions of life at Oxford in the early 20th century are rich and evocative without ever taking away from the characters or the plot, both of which kept my interest throughout. While reading, I kept feeling nostalgic for something that I never actually experienced. That takes talent!

Each character was distinct and memorable, and their secrets kept on coming. I love in mysteries like this when each and every person in the group has multiple hidden layers that may or may not be connected to the murder, and I was continually second-guessing my hunches as more information was revealed.

I would highly recommend this title.

This is my fifteenth book by this author. This is supposedly a bit of a departure for her in that it is not a romance but billed as a mystery, though most of her books have a large focus on mystery. That said, this one just wasn’t for me. The writing is good and what I have come to expect from this author. I just wasn’t all that interested in the subject. It’s a very slow burn mystery that takes place in a primarily academic setting, almost an ode to Oxford and peppered with references to Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, of which I had zero knowledge or reference.

The story follows a group of 7 students at Oxford in a dual timeline of the present in 1905 and the past when they met in 1892 and subsequent events that followed until one of them is murdered. While the characters are easily distinguished, I felt that their characterizations weren’t deep enough for a character study and the mystery was too slow to be a focal point. I did enjoy watching the building and tearing down of the relationships between the characters; however, I think the setting overshadowed everything else in the story.

I would give limited recommendations to this book for those that enjoy slow burn mysteries in an academic setting and especially those fascinated with Oxford.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for a copy provided for an honest review.

Death in the Spires is a historical murder mystery based in Oxford. University friends have lived with a secret for ten years, Jem has spent too long living under the cloud of his friend's death, and is determined to find out who killed Toby....but at what price?

I really enjoyed this book. I could picture the locations/scenes without it being overly descriptive. The characters were a mix of likeable and unlikeable, and this added to the atmosphere of the story. There weren't any 'slow' parts of the book as there was always something happening, and this made it a real page turner. I would be happy to read another book by KJ Charles.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I really loved this book! It's thrilling and mysterious and have a great plot as well. The author has even got the characters right with their personalities and backgroundstories, that really adds up to a great book! This is realle a great historical fiction, and I think this will be one of the best historical fictions this year!

I love it!

I loved loved loved this - I'm a huge fan of Charles' historical romances and wasn't quite sure if I'd be down for a straight up mystery, but this was fantastic. Everything I wanted from The Secret History but felt let down that I didn't get (I don't know why people love that book so much!) I'm already trying to get one of our library book groups to read it.

If you love If We Were Villains, may I recommend this book? I think the two have quite a few things in common, but this one is historical and, if my memory serves me right, more diverse. I loved it more, but this will be down to personal preference. I do think if you liked one, you'll have a good time with the other at least.

What can I even say about K.J. Charles at this point without sounding like a broken record? The writing? Super engaging, as usual. The characters? I was invested within the first couple of pages, also as usual. The relationships? Not just the romances, but all the different dynamics within the Seven Wonders were so good. And for a book that isn't even about a romance, why did the romantic elements still thrill me so much?

As a mystery, it probably could have been a bit tighter, or more effective, but I honestly just didn't care. I wanted to know what had happened, I wanted to see Jem reconnect with these people he once loved so dearly. I was salivating to get to his meeting with Nicky, because so much is made of him in the flashbacks, and it did not disappoint.

I don't know if this is the kind of book where you can predict the twists, or sleuth along with the main character, because as the reader you're missing a lot of information. But I liked how everything unraveled in the end, and if Charles chooses to write more mysteries, I'm there for them all.

ONE: I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. KJ Charles is my favorite X1000 author. God, I love it.

Okay... TWO: Jem as a detective is art, literally. I love his inexperience, his doubts and how he doesn't seem to have the slightest idea. 10/10
THREE: I loved the way Charles wove an ending that was both coherent and intriguing.

FOUR: I already want to read another one like this, seriously, it has left a mark on me that reading another book will hardly be able to fill. I Love it x2.

Death In The Spires delivers a gripping and immersive tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Ten years after the tragic murder of his college friend Toby, Jeremy embarks on a quest for truth, determined to uncover the culprit among his estranged friends. Jeremy's journey is fraught with danger and uncertainty, but his unwavering determination to seek justice is truly admirable. The author skillfully crafts a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motives and secrets, adding depth and intrigue to the narrative. Set against a gothic backdrop, the story unfolds with atmospheric flair, drawing readers into a world where darkness lurks around every corner. For fans of historical mysteries, Death In The Spires is a must-read that promises both suspense and satisfaction.

This was an interesting read. I loved the thrill and the back and forth to the present and past.

The characters were good with great depth and I loved the storyline.

Very cleverly written. A highly enjoyable read.

The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.
1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.
Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?
As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby's killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?
Some secrets are better left buried…
This book is not like the other books that K.J. Charles has written. It has a historical mystery and no romance. It is 10 years since the unsolved mystery of Toby’s death and the police have not been contacted. Jem is calling them together in order to figure out the crime. I loved this book and what it does to all the members when the murderer is announced. Read it for yourself and see if you can figure out who did kill Toby and why. If you love mysteries that are unsolvable then you will love this book.