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An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey Crime Series)

Author: Nicola Upson
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

7 reviews
Sales Rank: 24920

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3

ISBN: 0571237703
EAN: 9780571237708
ASIN: 0571237703

Publication Date: March 6, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW - IMMEDIATE DISPATCH - UK DELIVERY 2-4 WORKING DAYS - 1ST CLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE - UK LTD COMPANY - UNBEATABLE

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - An Expert in Murder: A New Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey
•	Paperback - An Expert in Murder

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Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Pleasant and well-written without being particularly memorable July 27, 2008
Josephine Tey, the real-life writer of `golden age' crime fiction, is on a train travelling to London and to negotiate the future of her play `Richard of Bordeaux.' Then, a Young girl that she strikes up a conversation with is found murdered and her policeman friend, Archie Penrose, is convinced that there is a link to Josephine and the play. The novel brings London between the wars to life, and addresses the psychological impact of the fighting.

This is a very pleasant read, the characters are well drawn and the plot is involving and hangs together well. My only issue with the novel is that, as I read a lot of crime fiction, I didn't find a lot that was new about this book and therefore I don't think that it will be particularly memorable. Don't let you put this off though; this is a perfectly respectable read.

1 out of 5 stars

What a disappointment! July 19, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

As an admirer of Josephine Tey's detective novels, I bought 'An Expert in Murder' in the expectation of a great read. After all, Nicola Upson's idea of combining real lives and events with fictional characters set during the Golden Age of detective fiction seemed, well - novel. It just doesn't work. First, her heroine (Josephine Tey)and hero (D.I Archie Penrose) have absolutely no depth or substance. Indeed, Penrose, who is required to do very little sleuthing anyway, is as wooden as a fence post and about as attractive. The other characters have little to recommend them either. The plot is not only convoluted, it is ridiculous. Sorry, but I was completely unable to suspend my disbelief. There is no sense of period at all and the fact that all the characters appeared to accept a number of homosexual and lesbian relationships (even though they were in the theatre) as completely normal with no comment whatsoever from any of the straight characters and those who weren't part of the theatre is ludicrous. This book is set in 1934 when gays faced long prison sentences and were subject to the worst kind of blackmail! That the Penrose character also acccepted them beggars belief - as a policeman he was duty-bound to arrest them! To be fair, there were a couple of decent bits in the books: a few descriptions of the horrors of the trenches in the First World War. But these have been done better in many other works and it's simply not worth buyng this book for them. I certainly won't bother with any follow-ups.

4 out of 5 stars

Very good May 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is an extremely interesting crime story set in the 1930s; the mystery is absorbing, the writing excellent and the characters interesting and likeable. The inclusion of real-life '30s detective writer Josephine Tey, about whom we convieniently know very little, so the author can take whatever liberties she likes with her life, makes it even more charming and the fact that it is not her that does the detecting helps to keep it realistically plausible. The portrayal of the "lost" generation, which came out of WW1, and how that war affected the mindset of an entire country takes it to a whole other level, as the book becomes worth reading in its own right, regardless of the mystery angle.
My only possible objection is that it doesn't seem to stay true to the period in certain aspects. For example, homosexuality certainly existed and I am willing to believe that in the theatre world it was even more or less excepted, but the idea that a homosexual couple would kiss in public, when homosexuality was an actual crime, is a bit of a stretch. However, anybody but a contemprary writer is bound to get at least a few things wrong, so this does not detract greatly from the novel.

4 out of 5 stars

Theatrical murder May 4, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

The writer becomes the detective in this first novel by Nicola Upson. Josephine Tey was one of the best writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age. In this novel, she becomes a character, a suspect, and maybe even the next intended victim. Tey also wrote plays under the pseudonym Gordon Daviot, and had a great success in the 1930s with Richard of Bordeaux, her play about Richard II. On the train to London from Edinburgh for the final week of the run, Josephine meets a young fan, Elspeth Simmons, and is horrified when, on arrival at Kings Cross, Elspeth is murdered. There are hints that Josephine's play had something to do with the murder. Was Josephine the intended victim? Detective Inspector Archie Penrose of Scotland Yard, a friend of Josephine's, investigates. The novel gives a wonderful picture of London theatre life in the 30s, all the backstage gossip, the artifice behind the on-stage glamour. There were almost too many characters with too many hints of possible connections & motives. I enjoyed Archie Penrose, with his obvious echoes of Tey's fictional detective, Alan Grant, but there was a little too much flitting from one character to another. I would have liked more emphasis on the police investigation. This is an enjoyable novel with a great deal of atmosphere, and I'm looking forward to the next novel in the series.

5 out of 5 stars

great book March 12, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I loved the blend of fact and fiction in this clever crime novel. To see Josephine Tey brought to life in this way was fascinating, and I'm particularly grateful that she wasn't made into some kind of amateur sleuth, but remained a real person caught up in events beyond her control. I found all the characters engaging and sympathetically protrayed, and like all good books in this genre I didn't guess the perpetrator until it was revealed, but when it was all the pieces fell neatly into place.

The book has since been passed on to my girlfriend (who had to take a day off work to finish it she got so caught up by the story) and my parents, where it received a similarly warm reception.

Can't wait for the next one.