I’m not familiar with this series, but what an engaging romp! Locked room premise, but with a clever ghostly twist that takes this into the realms of the gothic supernatural whilst being firmly grounded. It’s cosy in that people are bumped off, but there’s no gory crime scenes, it’s clever, because there are twists, turns and red herrings galore and it’s tense, I was surprised to find I was actually holding my breath a couple if times, caught in the moment if what’s going to happen next! Engaging characters, a truly great, spooky setting, this is a take for a dark night around Halloween. Loved it and I’m going to look for other titles in the series. What a little gem.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

Retired stage magician turned amateur sleuth, Joseph Spector, is like a 1930s Jonathan Creek in this brilliant golden-age style crime novel.

With multiple locked-room mysteries, seances, sleight of hand (by both the characters and their author!) and cleverly hidden clues make this a brilliant puzzle for a reader to try and solve.

The House at Devil's Neck is my first Tom Mead novel, and I didn't realise it was the fourth in the series.

I enjoyed the novel. It certainly excelled at setting the scene, and it did take my eagle-eyes to realise the split narrative was taking place at slightly different times, although almost at the same time. It did feel quite gothic at times. However, I found the ending to be slightly too convuluted, and this did somewhat spoil the resolution for me.

However, it is a fast-paced, well-written and intruguing mystery, and I steamed through it in only two days. I will be checking out more of the books in the series.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

Tom Mead’s The House at Devil’s Neck is a locked room mystery that revels in its complexity and delights in its period-accurate sense of doom. Set on the eve of World War II, as Germany invades Poland, the novel uses the looming specter of conflict not merely as background detail, but emotional ballast to create a sense of poignancy, drawing its disparate cast toward a house steeped in secrets, grief, and theatrical misdirection.

The premise could easily veer into pastiche, which has been overplayed in other works by other authors. But what unfolds is far more intelligent and controlled than it first appears. In The House at Devil’s Neck, Mead merges the trappings of classic whodunnit written in homage to the Golden Age with gothic tension and psychological depth, delivering a narrative that is as intricate as it is unsettling.

At the centre of it all is retired magician turned amateur sleuth, Joseph Spector, whose intellect and background in illusion make him a spiritual descendant of Sherlock Holmes, Jonathan Creek, and Hercule Poirot. Much like the early Miss Marple novels, Spector does not dominate the narrative. He is more of a calm observer, content to let events unravel while others rush about with the intricacies of their daily lives. The true protagonists, in many ways, are the characters who accompany him, especially Scotland Yard’s methodical Inspector George Flint.

The mystery genre is a crowded space, but what sets Mead apart is his commitment to the standalone form. Though The House at Devil’s Neck is the fourth full-length novel in the Joseph Spector series, which also includes a handful of excellent short stories, it demands no prior knowledge of the earlier works. Each work, whether a novel or a short story featuring Spector, stands firmly on its own, offering a complete, satisfying, and enjoyable experience. But for those who return, there’s a cumulative richness. Mead is quietly layering detail and depth that gradually builds a fuller picture of Spector himself and the world he inhabits. Rather than following a traditional character arc, Mead develops his sleuth through implication and insight, letting facets of his personality emerge subtly across cases. It’s a structure that caters to both first-time readers and devoted followers. When Mead does refer to other works (and he does in The House at Devil’s Neck), it is done with style – it is not overbearing or sensationalised.

Mead’s has a flair for Golden Age conventions. The house itself, perched on an isolated stretch of the English coast and accessible only by a causeway, is pure Christie. I had distinct vibes of And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun. Before long, a séance is held. Hours later, someone is found dead in a locked bedroom. Then another. With the tide rising and the road impassable, the guests are trapped in a classic closed-circle mystery, only this time, enhanced by strange mechanisms, silent watchers, and a setting full of eerie contradictions.

Spector is sure the truth is grounded in reality, not superstition. As whispers of an old scandal resurface, tensions rise. When tragedy strikes under the most watchful of circumstances, Inspector Flint steps in to unravel a puzzle that defies logic and seems designed to mislead at every turn. What follows is a tightly woven, dizzyingly clever narrative full of red herrings, hidden motives, and clues disguised as throwaway details. The pacing is tight, the characters fully realised, and the emotional stakes surprisingly resonant, meaning the narrative is masterfully given.

Mead, like his fictional detective, is both showman and scholar. He knows exactly when to dazzle, when to distract, and when to draw the curtain back. With The House at Devil’s Neck, he cements his place as one of the finest modern practitioners of the locked room mystery, crafting a story that feels at once timeless and unnervingly relevant.

This is Mead’s best work to date.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of the ARC!

This was a really fun read!! I will admit that, at first, I did think it was tropey and predictable. Whilst it was tropey (in a good way), all of the twists and turns left me gagged. Even the epilogue!

I'm definitely going to be checking out more of Tom's work; Mr Spector intrigues me greatly!

I do like a good, old fashioned mystery and, when it comes to the Joseph Spector series, Tom Mead has created the most excellent, old fashioned mysteries. There are few things more satisfying that rooting out a killer after a series of a seemingly impossible murders, although with this latest case, The House at Devil's Neck, if you figure out the whodunnit and the why before Joseph Spector's grand reveal, you're a very good Detective. This latest locked room mystery is full of suspense, wrapped in brilliant storytelling, with fabulous characters, and a mystifying sleight of hand that even our series hero must admire. Not just one murder, but three. And not just a locked room, but a, house on a locked down island to boot. Well, at least cut off by tidal waters, but you get my meaning.

This book is set on the cusp of World War II, but lends itself more to a particular set of circumstances that occured during World War One, when the eponymous house took on the role of a hospital for wounded soldiers. It is one such soldier that has given cause for several of the main suspects - and potential victims - in this book to travel to Devil's Neck. Or at least, his spirit. Newly opened to paying guests, the first group visitors, of which Joseph Spector is one, includes a ghost hunter, a medium, a grieving mother and an unexpected last minute guest. Add in the two resident Housekeepers and the cast of victims/suspects is finite. And yet Tom Mead still manages, once again, to create a whole heap of suspense and misdirection and, just as you think you know which way is up, something happens to prove you completely and utterly wrong. It's a delightful mystery and, murders aside, a whole lot of fun.

Spector doesn't take all of the limelight in this mystery, with Inspector Flint investigating his own locked room murder. This is pivotal in our understanding of what is happening at Devil's Neck, the two investigations seamlessly intertwined, and the story feeding back and forth between London and Essex in a way that adds intrigue to the cases, and perhaps a touch frustratingly, creates more tension as we have to wait to see what happens next.

With creepy automaton dolls, potential ghostly goings on and a mystery murderer in the midst of the small gathering at Devil's Neck, there is plenty to delight, sometimes chill, and utterly confound mystery aficionados. I tore through the book. It helps that I love the character of Joseph Spector. He is kind of a Houdini crossed with Hercule Poirot, with plenty of style, perhaps even panache, when it comes to his big reveal. And as for scene setting, Tom Mead is so adept at transporting us through time that I could feel every chill, and picture every affectation that feels so authentic to its place in time and location. I love that this was a remote destination, cut off by a tidal causeway and storm, but no so remote as to feel conveniently contrived. Everything about this book made me smile - even the creepy doll believe it or not. Not exactly scary in Chucky proportions, but still enough to unsettle.

If you've enjoyed the previous books in the series, you will love this one, a brilliant addition. Even if this is your first foray into the world of Joseph Spector, there is plenty to delight with this story on the cosier side of crime fiction. Reading previous books is not essential, but why limit yourself to just one when there are four brilliant stories just waiting to be devoured? Highly recommended, especially for mystery traditionalists. Christie-esque but with a vein of lighthearted good humour.

Malheureusement, à cause d'un problème de la plate-forme, je n'ai pas pu avoir accès à l'ebook. Je ne l'ai donc pas lu, alors qu'il était dans mon e-reader, mais rien ne s'affichait. Que des pages blanches. Dommage !!

Thank you NetGalley and Aries for the ARC of this story. This is another installment in a series of detective stories by Tom Mead, however for me it was the first encounter with George Flint and Joseph Spector. There were mentions of other adventures of those two but the author made sure that the book is a well-contained story in itself. And what a story it was!
It was such a fun ride with a wide cast of distinctive characters. At first, the reader may believe that interest in all things occult is the only thing connecting guests at the Devil's Neck house but quickly those expectations are thrown out the window. I must say that I did not expect so many twists and turns, at the end it became a little bit too whimsical for my taste but I do believe that it adds a certain charm to this unusual story.
There is a locked-room murder mystery, ghosts, an inheritance scheme, a charlatan's house and even more murders!
It may seem like a lot of themes and tropes blended together but I must say that the author did a fabulous job at making sure that the reader is not overwhelmed and that each part of the story is relevant to the conclusion. This again, was quite surprising as some of the connections were totally unexpected.
Additionally, what I think was really lovely, the author gave a warning when the murderer was to be revealed, so the reader could take a step back, think about the solution and then return to the story to see if they guessed correctly. It was the first time for me to see such an approach and I appreciated it a lot as I like to at least try to guess the big reveal.

The House At Devil’s Neck is the fourth book by Tom Mead in his series about illusionist-turned-sleuth Joseph Spector.

It opens on the eve of World War II, with a coach slowly making its way through the rainy English countryside to visit an allegedly haunted house on a lonely island called Devil’s Neck. The house, first built by a notorious alchemist and occultist, was later used as a field hospital in the First World War before falling into disrepair. The visitors plan to hold a seance to conjure the spirit of a long-dead soldier. But when a storm floods the narrow causeway connecting Devil’s Neck to the mainland, they find themselves stranded in the haunted house. Included in the party is Spector, who is there as a skeptical observer but finds that his sleuthing skills are needed when the stranded guests start to die. Meanwhile back in London, Scotland Yard detective George Flint finds himself investigating an apparent suicide, which uncannily mirrors a similar incident from twenty-five years ago.

The House At Devil’s Neck is a very enjoyable, old styled murder mystery of the ‘locked room’ variety. The opening sections are very good, and Mead effectively evokes the mood of classic British detective stories as he assembles his cast of victims and suspects. The supposedly haunted house at Devil’s Neck is a marvellous creation and its unfortunate history as a field hospital at the end of the First World War is given extra poignancy by the pending start of a new World War.

The mystery elements are well handled and despite the cleverly planted clues, few readers will be able to solve ‘whodunit’ before Spector and Flint. Spector is an engaging character, and I really liked Mead’s use of the point view from a young woman on the coach. The revelatory monologue towards the end is perhaps too drawn out, but not enough to detract from the pleasure of the book.

Book 1: Death and the Conjuror
Book 2: The Murder Wheel
Book 3: Cabaret Macabre

I love this series so much and I want it to go on and on. It's a classic whodunnit and really arks back to the good ol' days of Agatha Christie. They have that same classic feeling and I could see them having long lasting appeal.

The cover was wonderful and really caught my eye.

There are always a lot of characters in these books and this one is no different, which can be confusing, especially for someone as bad with names as I am, but it never felt overwhelming.

It really does suck you straight in, but then gets a little quieter. Tom has weaved both paces in very well to make it easy to read.

When you get a series like this that focus on the same characters with similar stories, they can get a bit samey and predictable and boring. But somehow Tom has made them familiar enough so you get what you expect, but different enough that it still keeps your hooked. This is book four and I personally think it's the best one. I really didn't have it figured out - although I had my suspicions. It's so clever, and to keep doing it time and again, with the same characters, but still keep it fresh it very impressive.

It's almost like we have two stories. We have the scenes with Spector and the scenes with Flint, and then we see how they interweave.

I found this one very involved, a lot of characters, a lot of moving parts, but the business didn't bother me, in fact it probably meant it held my attention all the more.

I read a lot of thrillers, mysteries, and crime novels, and I always think "this will be the one I work out" and I never do! And I'm always so impressed by Tom's ability to write these "impossible" books because I wouldn't have the first clue how to start, let alone finish.

It's not really a book to read when doing other things. It requires, and deserves, your full attention.

I love locked room mystery thrillers and I enjoy horror as well, so The House at Devil’s Neck looked like the perfect mix of genres for me!

On a rainy night, a bus carrying paranormal investigators makes its way to Devil’s Neck – a former First World War field hospital. What ghosts and secrets might they unearth in the dark?

This book is the fourth instalment of the Joseph Specter series, but I haven’t read the previous books and think it works quite well as a standalone. There are a few events from the other books mentioned but these are just to add flavour and are not relevant to the plot. The reoccurring characters of Inspector Flint and illusionist Joseph Specter are interesting and well-rounded, and I would be interested in reading more books featuring them in future.

The setting of Devil’s Neck, the old field hospital is a great one, as our characters find themselves stranded inside as the storm cuts off their only escape route. I enjoyed the character of the medium Madame and the way that Specter debunks her tricks felt well researched. The addition of the creepy doll also added a little bit of a horror twist to the story which I enjoyed.

The book itself feels quite old-fashioned, and not just in it’s setting. It’s a classic murder-mystery involving locked rooms, scandals and plenty of red herrings. Although I really enjoyed the first half of the book and was invested in the mystery, it did lose me a little towards the end as the plot is very complex and involves a lot of moving parts. The epilogue in particular where the entire solution is turned on its head is quite confusing and I’m not entirely sure I fully understood what happened by the end.

There’s an odd narrative technique employed where if a clue is referenced in the denouement, there’s a footnote denoting the page number of where this clue was first presented. This felt a little like the author trying to show off – by that point as a reader I will either have remembered that clue from earlier or am happy to just take the authors word for it that it was included. There are also drawings of various rooms which were an interesting touch, I’m not sure if it’s just because I was reading the ARC but these are very simplistic hand-drawn pictures which I think will look a little odd in the final print version.

Overall The House of Devil’s Neck is a fun and twisty locked room mystery – just be warned that it’s quite a complex case to be solved! Thank you to NetGalley & Head of Zeus – Aries Fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Tom and Ive thoroughly enjoyed it. I love a locked room mystery, and add in a big house, a stormy causeway and a bit of murder, and it couldn’t be more up my street.

This is a book to sit down and absorb. You do need to spend time on it, picking it up and putting it down every 10 minutes is just going to cause confusion.

Sit down. Grab a cup of something. Enjoy!

My thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The House at Devil's Neck was a fantastic experience. I spent a rainy weekend glued to the pages, taking copious notes and trying to solve the locked-room mystery by myself.

The novel is masterfully written, fast paced and engaging, with the narrative threads cleverly woven around the murder of Robert Edgecomb whose past is a shady business, while also following a colorful group of characters exploring the mysterious House at Devil's Neck, and the strange events that take place upon their arrival.

This read like a classic detective mystery mixed with a gothic ghost story. It reminded me of Agatha Christie novels, specifically Hallowe'en Party or the movie the Prestige. A conflict of identity takes place at the heart of this novel, and while the groundwork made it possible to solve parts of the mystery, the final twists had me reeling! It was both cozy and thrilling, familiar, nostalgic and yet fresh. I was left with some minor questions about certain plot elements that initially felt like conveniences but I suspect would clear upon a re-read.

I am definitely excited to pick up more books by Tom Mead and I definitely recommend The House at Devil's Neck.

This is the fourth book featuring Tom Mead’s Joseph Spector and I think it is the best one yet. It is a brilliant locked room mystery that kept me guessing throughout. Spooky old house, ghostly happenings and a collection of intriguing characters makes for a very interesting book.
I love all the Spector novels and the characters of Spector and Inspector Flint are growing in strength from book to book. Tom writes these locked room stories so well and though the other three in the series are all great you don’t need to have read them in order to enjoy this one, it works very well as a standalone book.
I do hope there will be more to come in this series and I can highly recommend The House at Devil’s Neck to all mystery lovers.

This is a fantastic locked-room murder mystery with a ghost story woven into the mix.

Inspector Flint has been presented with a very unusual case. A man has died in a locked room scenario. Was it suicide, or murder?

His friend Joseph Spector is an illusionist turned sleuth, and is on his way to Devil's Neck, a spooky old house that has become a favourite location for ghost hunters. On the bus ride there, he meets the people he will be staying with - an eclectic group of people who are all heading to Devil's Neck for their own reasons.

When they reach the house, the murders start to happen. The murders are very elaborate, and Joseph Spector takes the lead in finding out the guilty party.

This is a wonderful murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There are many twists and turns, and the conclusion will have your chin on the floor.

This was my first time with the series, but I was immediately pulled in. the characters are brilliant, and the setting is so vividly drawn it felt like stepping right into the story. Clever, eerie, and sharp with just the right dose of humour. A perfect pick for fans of classic whodunnits with a modern twist.

Locked room mysteries are a plenty in Tom Mead's fourth installment of Joseph Spector novels.

Set in the pre-war London of 1939, the story begins with the body of Rodney Edgeware found in a locked room by Inspector Flint who having been heavily influenced by Joseph Spector in the previous three books doesn't take this apparent suicide at face-value and suspects foul play.

Meanwhile Joseph Spector, the former Conjuror, is on a coach heading to the titular House at Devil's Neck, a former army hospital built on a tidal island which has recently reopened as a haunted house. Amongst his fellow travelers are a 'ghost hunter', a psychic and her assistant, a private investigator and a lady who's son died at the house when it was a hospital.

The coach makes it across the causeway before the house is cut off from the main land by high tide, leaving all of the passengers and driver trapped along with the hosts Mr. and Mrs. Lennox. A nice setup for a few more locked room mysteries at the House at Devils Neck.

Tom Mead really does capture the mood and atmosphere of an old Agatha Christie novel. Joseph Spector is clearly based on Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot with Inspector Flint reminiscent of Watson or Hastings. Spector is a great character and I do enjoy how he reads a crime scene and explains his reasoning.

My main issue with this book was the plot became overly complicated. Too many lock room mysteries with ridiculously convoluted explanations. Its such a shame as the story comes together quite nicely up until we start tying a piece of string around 6 door handles to ring a bell. This was perhaps the most far-fetched part and when the story started to get to fanciful.

There is a nice note to the reader three quarters of the way through stating that you now have all of the clues to solve the mystery which I'm pleased to say I did. Although I didn't connect the hundreds of dots Spector did to get to the murderer.

The Means and Motive felt very unsatisfying for my little grey cells which was a shame as I had really enjoyed the journey for the most part.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus, Aries Fiction for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

The House at Devils Neck is due to be released on 14th August 2025.

This locked room mystery set in the eponymous abandoned house and former hospital, Devils Neck, brings together a group of people connected tangentially to a single, elusive man Rodney Edgecombe. The master solver of the clues is Joseph Spector, a Mephistopheles like character, Illusionist turned sleuth who solves the murders with the support of inspector Flint of Scotland Yard. Identity, the horrors of World War One and greed are the key to this mystery that kept me guessing until the end. If you like puzzles, you will enjoy this. I prefer characters to have more emotional depth whereas this is all about tricks and solutions rather than character development hence my rating.

I was privileged to read this excellent book on NetGalley. There’s something rather special about the way this author writes that draws you instantly into the intricacies and intrigue of the locked-room mystery. I am enthralled with the book which rattles along at pace and throws up so many questions! It takes the brilliance of the main character Joseph Spector to fully make sense of the action.
I love the way the detective who is investigating believes he’s solved everything based on what he’s previously learnt from Spector, only to be proved wrong and gently corrected in the end by his friend. I don’t presume to have an inkling all the way through! Such fun to read! I cannot wait for more from Tom Mead! A well-deserved and easy 5 stars!

Excellent golden-age-esque locked room mystery, the fourth in this series. Atmospheric and littered with references to classic horror and weird fiction, this is a haunted house tale on an island accessible only by a causeway, all linked to a suicide (murder) in London. With parallel events - Spector in devil’s neck and inspector flint back in London - the clues are carefully set out (made clear in footnotes through the dazzlingly complex resolution) and - by this reader at least - almost entirely missed. Excellently complex mystery - even if I admit to being a bit lost during the final explanations at first read!