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An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey)

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It's March 1934, and Tey is travelling from Scotland to London to celebrate what should be the triumphant final week of her celebrated play, Richard of Bordeaux.

Standing back against the window to allow everyone else to gather their belongings, they took a minute to compose themselves sufficiently to leave the compartment. Little is known about the 'real' Josephine Tey – which is actually one of the pen names of Elizabeth Mackintosh – but fans of her crime fiction will find the fictional Miss Tey convincing. These relabellings are presumably made for the same reason that Mackintosh is represented by a nom de plume, signalling an honourable concern about the proprieties of using historical figures in fiction.I didn’t race through this because I kept having to re-read a few bits here and there, I did enjoy it though and it was surprised how dark it was in parts – which I am a fan of in crime. The main character (Josephine Tey) was extremely dull -- she didn't like being open or personal with anyone, including many if not all of her closest friends, though we are to feel sorry for her because she has suffered a horrible tragedy. And she meets Lydia, and obtains autographs, and then realizes she’s left baggage on the train and goes back in – where, a little while later, she is found dead. Set in 1938, Upson’s outstanding ninth outing for real-life mystery author Josephine Tey (after 2019’s Sorry for the Dead) takes Tey to Cornwall, where benefactor Hilaria St. I don’t know anyone else who could spend a day with all that enthusiasm and still look sane at the end of it.

I was given an insight into the emotional state of a generation haunted by The Great War and already standing in the shadow of the next one. Gosh–how lovely,’ said Elspeth, looking round at the bronze lamps, plush carpets and walnut veneer panelling, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anywhere as luxurious as this before. The first thing that struck me about the book was that that tone of the writing was a good fit for the period, without becoming a pastiche. When its contents spilled out onto the floor, she looked mortified and Josephine–whose instinct towards amusement was overcome by her sympathy for Elspeth’s vulnerability–came quickly to her aid. The hand that gripped the back of her neck, holding her close, was swift and sure, and by now no strength was needed.There is also simply too much in this novel that feels modern – from the open acceptance of relationships that might raise eyebrows in the 1930’s (Upson relying on the open mindedness of the theatre) to the very modern language, including copious swearing, which, along with the modern attitudes, just do not quite work as typical to the period. I’m sure you could do with a rest after such a long day, and I need to be at the theatre on time or Johnny will be a bag of nerves throughout the entire first act.

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