We have a book with an intense “Golden Age of Mystery” flavor and I couldn't be more happier about it!

In this story we have our detective Joseph Spector, who I confess is the first time I've had contact with him, trying to unravel a series of deaths that take place in the Devil's Neck house.

I have to confess that when I started to get into the story I thought there would be a lot of occultism and spiritualism going on, but I was sorely mistaken. Tom managed to make that theme overshadow what was happening in the narrative.

For a reader of classic crime thrillers, I can tell you that there are several tropes here, such as locked room murder, mistaken identities, optical illusions, and suicides disguised as murders and vice versa. In fact, it's these tropes that enrich the story. However, I have to highlight the fact that The Reader's Challenge was so good to have in the story, reminiscent of Ellery Queen in his works.

The only negative point is that at the moment when the truth was revealed, I felt so confused by the names and all the detective's detailed explanations that I had to read that part more than once (note: I'm Portuguese, so maybe that's why it didn't work so well for me).

Finally, the whole narrative is written with detail, a wealth of vocabulary (so I'm Portuguese, I had some difficulty understanding them, but the dictionary helped), and, above all, by an author whose admiration for the Golden Age of Mystery is perfectly evident.

More Tom Mead in this contemporary age, please!

The House at Devil’s Neck by Tom Mead

Synopsis

An apparent suicide in a London townhouse uncannily mirrors a similar incident from twenty-five years ago, prompting Scotland Yard’s George Flint to delve deep into the past in search of the solution to a long-forgotten mystery.

Meanwhile, Joseph Spector travels with a coach party 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 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. Before long, the guests begin to die one by one, and it seems that the only possible culprit is the phantom soldier.

Flint’s and Spector’s investigations are in fact closely linked, but it is only when the duo are reunited at the storm-lashed Devil’s Neck that the truth is finally revealed. Tom Mead once again creates a brilliant homage to John Dickson Carr and the Golden Age of mysteries with this intricately plotted puzzle.

Review

This Agatha–Christie-style locked-room murder mystery was a little of my reading comfort zone but entertaining all the same.

I loved the character list (dramatis personae) introducing the cast of protagonists of the mystery. It brilliantly added to the text’s theatricalism.

I did feel that the narrative was at times convoluted, and I found some of the terminology to be anachronistic. For instance, terms such as “oral fixation”, “expat”, and “hungover” are used.

Below are the plotted graphs for the diachronic usage of the above terms according to the Google Books Ngram Viewer. As you can see, although these terms do crop up in 1939, when this mystery takes place, they were barely in common usage.

While the third part of the novel does get much better and faster in pace, a level of suspension of disbelief is required as Flint’s deductions come seemingly out of nowhere.

The final reveal was very interesting although it did turn into a double twist, which, in my opinion, furthered the slightly over complicated nature of the novel.

Star rating
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus (Aries Fiction) for this advance reader copy.

This book is full of characters and mystery. It's part of a series that I didn't realise. However, it could easily be a standalone book.
I did find it hard to keep up with the characters and the storyline, however, very cleverly written, maybe too clever for me!

Thank you Head of Zeus for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book generally. I took notes to try and work out who the killer was, but found there were some fairly big leaps of logic to get to the conclusion. The epilogue was quite confusing due to the number of characters and crossed wires, but at face value it's a good atmospheric read.

On the last day of August 1939, a band of travellers make their way to Devil’s Neck House via coach. The house is reputed to be haunted, so on board the coach there is a believer, a sceptic, a writer/companion, a spiritualist and as yet some undisclosed interested parties. Plus, of course, the driver Mr Fred Powell. What makes their journey so interesting is that the house has never before been open to the public, but now under new ownership it is accepting paying guests. Whilst the merry (!) band are on their travels, Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard is up to his ears in an unexplained death. Thought at first to be a suicide, Flint is of the opinion that it is a ‘locked room’ murder, and hopes for the assistance of Mr Joseph Spector, a one time music hall magician (otherwise known as a professional trickster), who has helped him in the past. Regrettably, Mr Spector is one of the mixed bag of passengers on the coach to Devil’s Neck.

This is the fourth book in the series, but is entirely acceptable as a standalone.

Full of purple prose, this book is a flashback to the writing style of the 30’s, with echoes of all the old favourites. Whilst I did enjoy reading something a little different, the laboured explanations and denouement were something of a turnoff. Not the most exciting of reads, though the characters were good. I liked the start of the story, but as it became more convoluted and twisty it lost its way. Sometimes less is more and being too clever doesn’t work for the reader.

As a lover of old time crime and thriller writers I think this was a good attempt at recreating those times, just need to be a bit snappier, less florid and definitely less precocious.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus.

I love this series, it’s so very clever. This one, however, was a little too clever for me, the twists came so thick and fast that they left me dizzy.

Thanks to Aria & Aries and Net Galley. This is the fourth book in the series and i would say it is the best, it is absolutely fantastic, I couldn't put it down. I loved the back and fourth between Flint's story and Spector's and the time difference slowly catching up until the two merge. The twists just keep coming too. I really hope there will be a fifth, will be interesting with the seting now in WW2

This is a sort of late night review after having turn the last page. it's the best in this series, a series which improves with each new novel.
Fast paced, a page turner that kept reading till very late in the night.
There's gothic atmosphere, plenty of twists and turns, locked rooms, tricksters, plenty of surprises. It's fast paced and I couldn't stop reading if if I had to get up by 6.30 and it was nearly 2 am. Sleep deprived and happy
It also helped to solve my reading slump and I thoroughly enjoyed.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I loved the different characters in this book! The storytelling is concise and riveting, and I thought this was perfect to read on a plane or train as it’s entertaining and easy to get through. I liked the twists at the end and all the world building.

Set on the cusp of world War 2. This mystery starts in London, when a man is found dead from apparent suicide. Police Inspector Flint recognises the victim's name from a similar and mysterious case that took place 25 years ago.

At the same time a coach is leaving London for Devils Neck, a former field hospital and now apparently haunted house on an island in Essex. Onboard are a group of people who on the surface don't seem to have enough in common to be off on a weekend break together. Soon after arrival Madame La Motte, an apparent medium holds a séance to try to contact a long dead wounded soldier who died near the house after the end of the First World War.. Before the night is over two more people will be dead. Joseph Spector, conjurer and amateur sleuth sets about solving the mystery, during the night while the group are separated from the mainland during a storm.

Although the three deaths don't seem to be related, Inspector Flint and Sergeant Hook head to Devils Neck to join up with Spector and solve the case. I didn't' realise that Tom Mead's book was part of a series until I was quite a way through. But this one stands alone quite well anyway. I enjoyed the intrigue and complex analysis. The characters are intriguing and I'm going to go back and read some more.

Thank you to Netgalley, The Aria and Aries team, and the author for the opportunity to read : The House at Devil's Neck

☆Initially drawn in by the cover and title but stayed because the story was absolutely fantastic.☆

I'm a bit late to the Joseph Spector series, but this could be read easily as a stand-alone. Although there were a few references to other stories, they didn't make me feel excluded as a reader or hinder my enjoyment of the story. It encouraged a spark of curiosity about the other books.

The story moves between two locations and two groups. First, there is a suicide (or is it?) in a London townhouse with the investigation being led by Scotland Yard's George Flint. The incident has similarities to a mystery from 25 years ago.

Meanwhile, Joseph Spector and a couch party arrive at the isolated location of Devil's Neck .

Devil's Neck has a dark past and hides secrets of its own.
The visitors conduct a seance to reach the spirit of a soldier. But things start to get chilling as the guests begin to die one by one.
As flood water rises, the house is cut off, turning it into an island. There's no leaving. The party soon realise they are caught with the killer. One of their own or a phantom solider?

It was a superb cast of characters, and the writing made me feel like I was at Devil's Neck and very suspicious of them all!

I enjoyed reading for clues and piecing it all together. The mystery was so clever, and the reveals and conclusions had me cheering out loud. I loved the intricacies and how the story was put together.

The ending and how everything came together was just wonderfully satisfying.

The author's voice is that of a very good storyteller, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading.

🔎🔎🔎🔎/5

This was fine but honestly nothing special.
I found the ‘tricks’ a bit over the top and the fact that the book needed 30 minutes to clarify the end just shows it was too much.
There were so many swaps it just made it tiresome to read rather than surprising.

Not greatly impressed.

Release Date: 14 August 2025

A locked-room whodunnit with a classic, atmospheric feel! The House at Devil’s Neck is the fourth book in the Spector Locked Room series, but as a first-time reader of Tom Mead’s work, I can confirm it absolutely stands alone.

Set in a spooky old mansion that once served as a First World War field hospital, the novel brings together an intriguing mix of characters: Imogen, a determined reporter; Francis, a paranormal enthusiast; Virginia, a grieving mother; Madame Adaline La Motte, a spiritualist; and my personal favourite, Joseph Spector—a professional trickster turned sleuth.

When the house is cut off by floods and a ghostly soldier is rumoured to be causing mischief, the eerie atmosphere intensifies. But when guests start turning up dead, Spector and Inspector Flint must untangle the mystery before another victim—perhaps even Spector himself—falls prey to Devil’s Neck.

With plenty of twists and turns, this is a cleverly plotted, engaging mystery that keeps you guessing. The perfect blend of cosy crime and gothic suspense, it’s a must-read for fans of locked-room puzzles and classic detective fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

#TheHouseAtDevilsNeck #TomMead #LockedRoomMystery #JosephSpector #CosyCrime #BookReview #MysteryLover #NetGalley #Bookstagram #WhoDunnit

This was such a fun read! I haven’t read this series before, but I loved the characters and the descriptions were so vibrant I felt like I was there. Creepy, funny, and clever, I enjoyed it all. It gave off Sherlock/poirot/And Then There Were None vibes. Thank you for letting me read it!

Another chilling and gripping locked room murder mystery with Flint (who deserves more praise than he gets) and Spector. By this, the fourth book, the writer really has a handle on his characters, his puzzles and his confidence is very much on show with a story that ties into the real world with the tragedy of the Titanic and the even bigger tragedy of the Great War weaving throughout the story, as plot points, reflections and how things have changes. All the while, history is repeating, not only in a supposed suicide the echoes a death 25 years in the past, but also the larger conflict that is brewing in Europe.

This one was very much like a ghost tale, a horror story conjured up in a house, on an island, not unlike another from 'And Then There Were None'. The bodies start to rack up quickly, as all paths converge on a mysterious house where nobody and nothing is as it seems. And there's a super creepy puppet that freaked me out, so bravo.

As with previous books, there are tricks within tricks, answers within answers and a world that shifts completely depending on how you look at it.

A brilliant read and I'm curious, with history marching on, where book 5 (hopefully there is one) will take us...

~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review of the book~

An apparent suicide mirrors a similar incident from a quarter of a century ago in this new case for Joseph Spector. Quite literally a locked room mystery, as the police head in his direction, Spector and a cast of unpredictable characters are making their way to Devil’s Neck, an island on which the house was built by a famous occultist and alchemist. While there, plenty of dodgy, quite scary things happen (if you are sensitive to gore, some of the scenes are a little gruesome), all until the watchful eye of Spector, who must solve this investigation. With the possibility of a phantom soldier and plenty to unsettle even the most hardened of hearts, can he find out who is responsible, and why? I haven’t read all of the Spector books – there are now four – but this would encourage me to seek them out.

The fourth title in the Joseph Spector series.

This book was excellent. The mystery begins with Spector joining a coach trip to the Haunted ‘Hotel’ called Devil’s Neck. Meanwhile, Inspector Flint and Sergeant Hook are investigating an apparent murder made to look like suicide in London. The two stories run alongside each other with details emerging that show they must be connected, though it’s only at the explosive climax that the true picture is revealed!

I love Mead’s writing. In the characters of Spector and Flint he has created a detective duo that are obviously intelligent but have to work out the solution to the mystery with the same information provided to the reader. The heavy weight left by World War 1 on the characters as the world stands on the cusp of a fresh conflict is also particularly poignant.

As always the mystery is clever and I loved the opportunity to try to solve the case before the main characters (spoiler - I only half managed it!). The setting was also heavily reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (definitely to the benefit of the story) though it remained a unique and original tale.

I thoroughly recommend this book. Although it is the fourth in the series it can easily be read as a standalone as the brief references to previous titles don’t require you to have detailed knowledge and don’t spoil those stories. For those who haven’t had the pleasure though the first title is Death and the Conjurer and I thoroughly recommend it as well!

*** Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher ***

Going into this book I thought it would be everything I enjoy in a mystery but unfortunately it failed to deliver. Set just before the outbreak of WW2, with split locations between London and our ominous house on the coast it has a classic cast of characters who are well introduced in the opening chapter. The charlatan of a medium with her young female companion, the young male believer, the old cynic and our mystery passenger are on board a coach to Devil’s Neck, while the police officers are busy with a locked room case in London.

The book sets up the mystery well but once we get into the second half of the book it all becomes overly complicated and convoluted. There is one big reveal, followed by another and I struggled to care about who was committing the crimes or why. It felt a little like it was trying to be too clever, and none of the characters felt fully fleshed out.

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.