Sir Giles Drury is in fear of his life. Letters have arrived threatening his imminent death, and the blame seems to be directed at Victor Silvius, a man consigned to an asylum after attacking Drury. But how could he be sending such messages?

Meanwhile Victor Silvius is also under threat of death, with someone trying to kill him by putting glass in his food. His sister is convinced that the perpetrator is, somehow, Sir Giles? But could they really each be trying to kill the other?

Joseph Spector and Inspector Flint find themselves at Sir Giles’ home, each being called in by one of the two involved parties. But when someone else dies, with their body found, impossibly, in a boat frozen in the middle of a lake, it seems that there is far more going on in the Drury household than anyone could have expected…

OK, a slight disclaimer. As people who get to the afterword can see, I did a plot-critique on an early draft of this one – it was ages ago, and I’ve completely forgotten what I said, so just assume that all the good bits are down to me and anything you don’t like, blame Tom! That seems fair, no?

In my little mystery reading book group, there was a disagreement over part of The Murder Wheel, the previous book. Personally, I loved that aspect, but I can see why some might not. I don’t think, however, there is anything here that the classic mystery fan can take offence at.

This is one of those books that I like to describe as complex but simple. Even once you know what’s going on – and I seriously doubt anyone will put everything together – it’s still a complex tale and yet it’s also very easy to follow. The impossibilities are pretty straightforward and while there is one misdirection late on that I doubt many people will fall for – and to be fair, Tom reveals it pretty quickly – there is such a busy book that somehow doesn’t feel busy or rushed.

The characters are nicely distinct, there are some maps for those who like that sort of thing, and even a creepy afterthought at the end.

I loved the first two books in the series, and I think this might be the best of the three, despite my best efforts to help. Looking forward to book four – or a collection of the Spector short stories? Any chance of that?

Cabaret Macabre is out today in the UK in hardback and ebook from Head of Zeus. Many thanks for the review copy.