Nine lessons

Nicola Upton includes real people as characters and places in her books. The author, Josephine Tey, regularly is a key character while in this novel the memory of M R James, Provost of Kings College, Cambridge, in 1913, and writer of ghost stories, also features.

In November 1937, Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose, from Scotland Yard, found himself in Cambridge investigating the deaths of members of the Kings College Choir who had performed in the 1913 Lessons and Carols Service.What is the connection between the men who are brutally killed and is there a link with the stories told by M R James? At the same time police in Cambridge investigate a series of rapes occurring in the city.

Although the investigation and resolution of the crimes plays a major part of the novel, the author is also concerned with the impact of crime on the victims and the families of victims. The author also uses the Armistice Day commemoration to illustrate the divisions within the community regarding war. For some, fears grow that there is about to be another war, while for many, issues from World War I have not been fully resolved. The relationships between Josephine, Marta, Archie and Bridget continue to  feature throughout the novel.

Like the other books in this series, Nine Lessons is a thought provoking, well written crime novel that is difficult to put down once you start reading it.

The University of Adelaide has made available free digital copies of books by Josephine Tey as well as ghost stories of M R James.

London rain

The setting for this novel is the coronation of King George VI in London on 12 May 1937. There is much excitement in the city as people plan how they will observe this momentous day. Red, white and blue decorations adorn the city streets and buildings. People line the streets to watch the rehearsal of the royal street procession. Josephine Tey is in London as she has tickets to watch the actual parade with friends. At the same time the BBC has decided to produce her stage play, Queen of Scots, as a radio drama so she attends the first rehearsal to see how how play has been adapted. The BBC occupies an impressive new building but the politics of the nation's broadcaster are about to be revealed when one of its best known broadcasters is murdered after commentating on the parade. Josephine's friend, Archie Penrose, who is involved in ensuring that security arrangements, including crowd control, run smoothly  is called in to investigate the murder.

This is a crime novel with many twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader guessing. It is also a story of several relationships. The portrayal of the coronation and its affects on the population of London plus description of the early days of radio broadcasting provides an impressive backdrop for this novel of 1930s London.

The Death of Lucy Kyte

When Josephine Tey inherits the house in Suffolk that belonged to her godmother she does not anticipate the story that she is to unravel involving the house and local inhabitants. Josephine knew the outline of the story of the Red Barn Murder and that her godmother, Hester Lackspur, had played the role of Maria in a play about the murder. However when she discovers the draft of a book that Hester was working on Josephine becomes immersed in the story and its sinister overtones that reach into the present, including her godmother's death.

 As in her previous books, Nicola Upson interweaves real stories and people with fiction and fictional characters to produce a story that keeps the reader involved until the end.

Fear in the Sunlight

On an episode of Flog It earlier this year, Paul Martin visited Portmeirion a village built on the Welsh north coat by architect, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, between 1925 and 1975. The main setting for most of this Nicola Upson novel is Portmeirion in the year 1936. Although the village was incomplete guests stayed at the hotel during the summer and during the day tourists also paid to visit the village, making it a busy place in the warmer months of the year.

As usual, the author includes real people in her work of fiction. Josephine Tey and her friends arrange to spend a few days at Portmeirion to celebrate her 40th birthday. Also staying at the resort was Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, plus a party of their guests from the world of film. When the bodies of two of the guests are found murdered along with a probable suicide Josephine's friend, Chief Inspector Archie Penrose, carries out the initial investigation until the local police arrive. The complicated relationships between many of the guests and their connections with the local area are revealed as the investigation proceeds. A crime story with many twists and turns, involving the world of show business set in an exotic location and told by a gifted writer make this novel well worth reading.

For those interested in Portmeirion there are a number of films on YouTube including one by Jools Holland.

Two for sorrow

Much of the plot of Two for Sorrow revolves around the hanging of two women at Holloway Prison in 1903 for baby farming, resulting in the death of most of the babies. Thirty years later repercussions from this event are still affecting the lives of families affected by the crime and its outcome.

Josephine Tey is researching the story for a novel that she plans to write and draft chapters of the book are interspersed among the chapters outlining the investigation by Detective Inspector Archie Penrose and his team of two murders which are suspected to be related to the events of 1903. One of the themes discusses the difference between fact and fiction and whether factual events should be used as the basis for a fictional work. An examination of friendship between men and women as well as between women is another theme in the book. This book by Nicola Upson has almost 500 pages but I found that I was so involved in the intricacies of the plot that I had to keep reading.

Angel with two faces

The second in Nicola Upson's series of books based around the novelist, Josephine Tey.

Inspector Archie Penrose has invited his friend, Josephine Tey, to holiday with his family in Cornwall. The story opens with a funeral where Archie is a pallbearer. Harry Pinching had ridden his horse into a lake and drowned. The funeral introduces the reader to the main characters and also suggests that this is a village of secrets which must be kept from Archie.

The local police invite Archie to lead the investigation which takes up much of his time. Meanwhile Josephine observes the villagers and learns some of the secrets they are trying to hide. She befriends Harry's sister, Loveday, a young girl not readily understood by most of the villagers, and tries to understand the power network that appears to exist. Archie has also been seconded to be the narrator of a play at an open air theatre and when the main character is murdered the need to find out what is really going on in the village intensifies.

This is a well written murder mystery that endeavours to uncover how events of the distant past can still affect the present.

An expert in murder

Nicola Upson's first book has playwright and author, Josephine Tey, as the main character in this detective novel. In 1934 Josephine is travelling by train from Inverness to London when she meets Elspeth, a fan of Josphine's play, Richard of Bordeaux, about to end a long run on the London stage. The two women become friends during the journey and arrange to meet again at the theatre. When Elspeth is murdered Detective Inspector Archie Penrose investigates the case and becomes convinced that the murder is connected in some way with his friend, Josephine Tey, and her play.

In this book the author describes theatre life in the 1930s and the reader meets actors and other people associated with putting on a successful play as well as learning of the jealousies occurring behind the scenes. This is a work of fiction although some of the theatrical characters can be identified. Josephine Tey is really a pseudonym for Elizabeth Macintosh and when she wrote Richard of Bordeaux she used George Daviot as a pen-name. One review of the book is written by a woman whose mother, aunt and father worked on the play and she recognised them in the characters and also recognised the description of the theatre. Archie Penrose is based on Alan Grant, the detective in a number of Josephine Tey's books. The author has therefore successfully interwoven fact and fiction to create the environment for this murder mystery. Set in the early 1930s a theme throughout sections of the book is the continued impact of World War I on the lives of the survivors.

This is the first book in a series and I will look out for other titles to read.