Death and the Conjuror

I selected this novel for the Monthly Key Word Reading. The word "death" is one of the options for October. Due to my vacation last month, I am just getting around to my October reads and I am desperately trying to catch up. The book was in Publisher Weekly's top ten mysteries of 2022 and it is a locked room mystery. Death and the Conjuror has a macabre atmosphere and plenty of period detail.

The publisher's summary:

In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study, and there seems to be no way that a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective on the case calls on retired stage magician-turned-part-time sleuth Joseph Spector. For who better to make sense of the impossible than one who traffics in illusions?

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colorful cast of suspects among the psychiatrist’s patients and household, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets—or motives for murder. When the investigation dovetails into that of an apparently-impossible theft, the detectives consider the possibility that the two transgressions are related. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize that the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.

I enjoyed this story somewhat. It is a British detective story and I don't like this genre much. A reader has to really like this kind of storytelling where, in the end, the explanation for everything that happened is long and detailed. I had a hard time concentrating on the plot because the writing was tiresome. I literally became sleepy every time I picked the book up. It's a shame because I love locked room mysteries. The plot was exciting though. I love that the suspects were Rees' patients. There were plenty of twists from these eccentric characters.  

I don't know how to rate this novel. It has good qualities but I couldn't get past the writing style. I guess I will just say that if you like classic British detective stories then this book is for you.