Death In The Spires – K.J. Charles

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!

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Death In the Spires is foremost a murder mystery. While there are some queer romantic elements, it is one man’s quest to solve the decade-old murder of his friend, an incident that destroyed his life.

The story is set in Oxford at the turn of the century and in Jeremy Kite’s POV. Jeremy, a mathematics major, is there on a scholarship. He’s painfully conscious of his club foot and provincial accent, especially when surrounded by sons of lords and maharajahs.

On his first day, he was adopted into a group that became known as the Feynsham set.

Toby Feynsham – a marquis’s son and fearless leader of the group. He has the audacity of someone who doesn’t worry about the consequences.
Nicky Rook – Toby’s best friend since childhood. Nicky is blunt and sarcastic. He’s also known to be in love with Toby. Later became Jem’s lover.
Hugo Morley-Adam – a rich man’s son and a celebrated athlete. He and Nicky were fencing rivals. Hugo is a likable fellow and has political ambitions
Ella – Toby’s twin sister and the more cerebral of the two. A statuesque woman, Ella is a chemistry major. She and Aaron started dating later on
Pru – Ella’s friend and a mathematics major. Pru is petite, more introverted and, like Jem, came from a working class background
Aaron – an African man majoring in medicine. Aaron is also into athletics and frequently runs with Hugo. They also discovered he cannot act when the group auditioned for a Shakespearean play.

The group made waves around the campus and even starred in Cymbeline, a hit among the students. At their peak, the Feynsham set was glorious. Then Toby was found dead, everyone was suspect.

Ten years later, Jem received a letter accusing him of the murder, so he decided to investigate.

I love Jem! He’s smol, he’s tired, he’s jobless and almost broke, and his leg hurts, but our boy’s not leaving any stones unturned. He’s a man who wants to start living his life and he can only do that if he puts spectres of the past to rest once and for all.

The plot alternates between flashbacks to university days and the present day. Jem was forced to swallow bitter truths, reopen old wounds, and reveal secret crimes during his investigation.

The complicated relationships of different personalities, their spectacularly vitriolic fallout, and their begrudging reunion interweave with the author’s go-to themes of class difference, excesses of privilege, the importance of consent, and the right to bodily autonomy.

Jem also reunites with Nicky. The romance here is very HFN. I didn’t like it but we were warned this is not romance-centric.

I love the dark academia vibe! K.J. Charles always has a way of making her settings immersive. Gaslit streets, pea soup fog, imposing ancient buildings, and shadowy figures stalking Jem popped up like movie scenes in my mind.

The mystery was twisty-turny, suspenseful, and very effectively made me thoroughly invested in finding the truth. I thought I had a handle on it, knowing the author’s style, but she still pulled off some unexpected reveals.

And, of course, the writing. Apart from the nuanced characters and plot twists, the author’s sharp wit, humor, and overall word wizardry make reading a breeze while also being a masterclass in writing.

Overall, Death In The Spires is a vision of youth through rose-colored glasses and jaundiced eyes. Brilliantly written, wonderfully atmospheric and as gripping and addictive as promised!

Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: Shake It Out
Artist: Florence + The Machine
Album: Ceremonials

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