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A review by robinwalter
The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Mr Mead's second Spector mystery is a real delight. A twisty, complex series of interconnected "impossible murders" that are ultimately unravelled in a way that shows meticulous devotion to the Golden Age "Fair Play" ethos.
One of the things I most enjoyed about the book was the way it highlighted the difference between Mr Mead's books and those of his idol John Dickson Carr. It's all about character.
I don't read mysteries to try to crack them, and ESPECIALLY not mysteries as complex and convoluted as Mr Mead's or Carr's. I know that solving them is beyond me,so I don't even try. As an example, in this story there is a name that was instantly and obviously meant to be an anagram. I knew that but did not even try to unscramble it.
Rather than read to crack the puzzle, I read to be entertained and Spector does, while Fell does not. Carr's works leave me cold because I find Fell tedious at best, odious at worst. Spector on the other hand is genuinely entertaining. Not necessarily any more LIKEABLE than Fell, but a helluva lot more FUN. Nowhere is that better illustrated than in the "twist in the tail" - the VERY end of the story when Mr Mead threw me by finishing with a frankly terrifying and (to me) very Dahlesque swerve. Magnificent!
One of the things I most enjoyed about the book was the way it highlighted the difference between Mr Mead's books and those of his idol John Dickson Carr. It's all about character.
I don't read mysteries to try to crack them, and ESPECIALLY not mysteries as complex and convoluted as Mr Mead's or Carr's. I know that solving them is beyond me,so I don't even try. As an example, in this story there is a name that was instantly and obviously meant to be an anagram. I knew that but did not even try to unscramble it.
Rather than read to crack the puzzle, I read to be entertained and Spector does, while Fell does not. Carr's works leave me cold because I find Fell tedious at best, odious at worst. Spector on the other hand is genuinely entertaining. Not necessarily any more LIKEABLE than Fell, but a helluva lot more FUN. Nowhere is that better illustrated than in the "twist in the tail" - the VERY end of the story when Mr Mead threw me by finishing with a frankly terrifying and (to me) very Dahlesque swerve. Magnificent!