Death in the Spires by KJ Charles Narrator: Tom Lawrence
Published by Storm Publishing on April 11, 2024
Source: Library
Genres: Historical Mystery
Length: 9 hrs 8 mins
Pages: 273
Format: Audiobook
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The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.
1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.
Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?
As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby's killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?
Some secrets are better left buried…
I don’t really know where to start with Death in the Spires. Jem, our main character/amateur sleuth, has just lost his job thanks to an anonymous letter accusing him of murder. It’s not a surprise. He’s been getting letters on and off for ten years and he is tired – tired of the insinuations, tired of the not knowing, tired of his empty room. So he decides it’s time to ask questions and find a killer.
Jem is not a “good” amateur sleuth. What he is is dogged and determined. The story is told from his point of view, both in the present, 1905, and ten years before. We see the school and the people through his eyes, and he’s not without biases. It’s a sad, moody book and even the weather plays along, with plenty of fog and drizzle, and clear, but melancholy, nights.
We have a closed circle of suspects. It had to be one of the six friends who were there the night Toby was murdered. As Jem talks to everyone and goes back over the night and their time at school, it’s not the clues and the mystery that holds our attention. It’s the personalities and the relationships and secrets. It’s about love and trust, jealousy and betrayal. It’s about the seven young adults whose lives were so entwined. Each of the characters was fully fleshed out, even the deceased Toby.
The reveal is not a surprise, but it was done so well! The ends are wrapped up, the characters get closure and a chance at new starts. But it also asks us to think about forgiveness and justice and choices. And it left me with hope for some happiness for Jem, who deserves it.
About KJ Charles
KJ Charles was a fiction editor in the UK for over twenty years, before turning her hand to writing. She has self-published over thirty novels – mostly in the queer historical romance genre, has garnered a huge following for her work and been nominated for a Romance Writers of America RITA award.
She lives lives in London with a supportive husband, two eye-rolling teenagers, and a cat.
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