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  • Death in the Spires

  • By: KJ Charles
  • Narrated by: Tom Lawrence
  • Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)
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Death in the Spires

By: KJ Charles
Narrated by: Tom Lawrence
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Summary

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…

From the bestselling, acclaimed author of The Magpie Lord and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen comes a chilling historical mystery with a sting in the tail. You won’t be able to put this gripping story down!

©2024 KJ Charles (P)2024 Storm Publishing

What listeners say about Death in the Spires

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Oxford, dreams and death

A wonderfully read audible, with an excellent cast of characters and complex plot. A college group of wealthy, upper class students invites two scholarship/working class new arrivals to join them. The difference in background, income, attitude and social class is explored, but close friendship ensues. Wealthy Toby funds treats, introduces ideas and exploits, the picture of generosity, if not in academic study. The other six circle him, as friends but lesser people, until they start to settle in, work hard, find interests and spread their wings.
Over the 3 years of their studies, closer relationships form, causing strain and regret as well as attachments. Nicky, Toby's close friend and frequent critic, suffers from Toby's constant need for support, sympathy and comfort. The group stage Cymbeline, but the last performance is disrupted, and the cast fall out, temporarily it seems.
The rifts grow larger, one student is found murdered, just before finals, and the police do not finally identify a culprit.
Ten years later, a shocking anonymous letter arrives, leading to working class Jem, who never sat his finals, being sacked. In desperation, he sets out to solve the murder, drawing in, one by one, all his erstwhile friends, and interrogating them.
Needless to say, given that all of them know inwardly that the murderer was one of their group, reluctance, lies, misleading comments and deliberate withholding of what they separately knew, turns into violence. Will Jem find out the answer and put grief and anger to rest?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Superb as ever from KJ Charles

As can be relied upon, KJ delivers character, plot, nuance and humanity with an assured hand. Never trite or trope-ish while leaning into relatable story.

She has mentioned that ‘this one isn’t a romance novel.’ Well, I always recommend the Will Darling Adventures as spy novels so take from that etc.

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  • Overall
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Gripping mystery with such likeable characters and setting

Great mystery that I could not guess, such likeable characters and just gripped me from chapter one!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Pacy period murder mystery

Set in Oxford in 1905 and 1895, this tightly-paced whodunnit is an examination of friendship, betrayal, and the injustice of the law - both in who it protects, and who it doesn’t. It covers an interesting period when women were permitted to study at Oxford but were not awarded degrees for their study. Excellent performances by the narrator, giving distinctive voices to the characters without a misstep.

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KJ Charles never disappoints

I was hooked from start to finish! I do hope there is a part 2. I would like to follow Jem's journey 😊

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A good yarn

Gripping story and a great narrator, a hugely enjoyable listen. My first listen to this narrator and one I’ll seek out again, a great performance

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Wonderful mystery

This book absolutely lived up to my excitement.

We have superb senses both of place in Oxford (the college description was so familiar to my Cambridge experience that I assumed before looking it up that St Anselm's was a reall college!) and of our cast, and especially Jem.

Charles hauntingly builds the mystery up through the first half of the book, and the dénouement was immensely satisfying.

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Excellent book, excellent narration.

I've been hyped for this one since it was announced and it did not disappoint! Fans of The Secret History or If We Were Villians will absolutely adore this one. It's a gentler, more nuanced and ultimately hopeful dark academia murder mystery, with KJ Charles' usual wit and charm.

Charles has had bad luck with narrators in the past (the guy who reads the Doomsday books is particularly awful) but thankfully that isn't a problem with this book. The narration is great!

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Murder mystery with romantic twist

KJ Charles dips into the waters of murder mystery genre with an ease and certainty of an expert she is, delivering a story that ticks all the boxes - haunting atmosphere, beautifully drawn characters, moral conundrums, stirred emotions, bittersweet romantic twist and resolution that goes beyond satisfactory. Plot is carefully and meticulously planned, challenging the reader with complex questions for which there are no easy answers and offering unexpected warmth and hope. Not sure a murder mystery is supposed to be so feel-good, but damn, I am here for it.

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