Part of the fun for the artist in both instances is making sure the audience is looking in the wrong direction. I’ve said before that a murder mystery plot is like a magic show, and that’s the approach I use when I’m writing. I think these subjects are very relevant to the field of mystery fiction. In addition, I’ve read tons of books about the practice and theory of stage magic, including the psychology of misdirection. So the period setting was essential, and it enabled me to explore the history, fashions, ideas and culture of London during that fascinating decade. If I had to define Death and the Conjuror in terms of genre, I would call it neo-GAD, as it’s a conscious tribute to the golden age while also hopefully providing readers with something fresh and entertaining in its own right. The ‘30s was a natural choice, since that decade was the heart of the Golden Age of Detective fiction (GAD). My research for this book was twofold: first, I focused on the period (the 1930s), and second I focused on the magic. Which part of the research did you enjoy the most? That’s the sensation I’m trying to give to readers. The best writers, like Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr, are so adept at hiding the clues in plain sight, so that you can go back through their works and think to yourself, “Of COURSE, why didn’t I spot that?” To me, that’s what makes the solution so satisfying. What appealed to me from a very young age was the fair-play aspect of classic mysteries the way you as the reader have all the same clues as the characters, but the author has orchestrated the plot so carefully that you still can’t crack the puzzle. I want to give readers that same feeling of delight and excitement I get when I’m reaching the end of a really good mystery and things are finally beginning to fall into place. And I’ve always wanted to write mysteries because that’s what I love to read. To be honest, it’s something that’s always been in my mind over the years, even when I was working other jobs. When did you know you wanted to be an author? –-Charles Todd, New York Times bestseller of A Game of Fear and 23 additional titles in the Inspector Rutledge series Greetings, Tom! Glad to have you here!

Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead