Angel with Two Faces
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Within a relatively short period, Nicola Upson has established herself as one of the most inventive and unusual of crime writers, marrying a sure storytelling grip to a non-pareil skill at evoking both period atmosphere and English locales. However – as Angel with Two Faces comprehensively demonstrates -- her real coup lies in her canny utilisation of a classic English writer, Josephine Tey (of The Franchise Affair and The Daughter of Time fame) as the protagonist of her books. And, what’s more, doing full justice to her much-loved predecessor's memory; it’s easy to feel that Tey herself would be delighted with these fictitious imaginings of her life an investigative figure.
The first book in the series, An Expert in Murder, was acclaimed by no less a figure in the field than PD James (admittedly, a stablemate at the same publisher), and this second outing maintains the quality of the first. Set against a strongly realised Cornish landscape, Upson begins her tale with death of a young man in the Loe Pool while on a riding excursion. Archie Penrose, a policeman whose family are the custodians of the estate, looks at the death askance – particularly when another young man goes missing, and a village prelate falls to his death from a nearby cliff. Josephine Tey, a friend of Archie Penrose, finds her wish for a quiet holiday banished when she becomes involved in a grim and baffling mystery.
The interaction between the duo here is delightfully handled, and the metaphor they adopt – death as an angel with two faces looking at both past and present -- is as allusive and strange as the narrative itself. Let’s hope Nicola Upson has more plans for the imaginary amateur detective life of Josephine Tey. --Barry Forshaw
Review
Chilling and clever. --Linda Fairstein
A new and assured talent. --P D James
An ingenious concept, beautifully realised. --Reginald Hill --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
A new and assured talent. --P D James
An ingenious concept, beautifully realised. --Reginald Hill --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nicola Upson's first crime novel featuring Josephine Tey was set in London, packed with period detail of Theatreland and with an unusual but intriguing plot. Sadly this second novel fails to live up to the promise of the first. Upson sticks with her detective, Archie Penrose and with Josephine Tey but moves the location to Cornwall. The plot has its dramatic moments but frankly gets sillier and sillier. Although, according to the blurb, Upson lives for part of the year in Cornwall, she is far less confident in conveying a sense of place this time round, the dialogue is lumpen and, as another reviewer has commented, this could be set in modern times. It fails to create any sense of period. I turned instead to the real Josephine Tey and read 'Miss Pym Disposes'. What a revelation. Beautifully written and understated and a carefully revealed denoument which had the power of surprise. If you are keen to read period crime, try Tey herself.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the third Nicola Upson 'Josephine Tey' novel I have read (previously read 1&3) and I was very disappointed by it. Not so much because of the dialogue (though the criticism of the reviewer above is justified, convincing 'golden age' dialogue is perhaps too much to ask) but because of the plot. I don't want to spoil it for potential readers, but will just say that I thought the amount of sexual deviance, domestic violence, domestic tragedy, etc was wildly over the top. I did finish it but it was an effort as I got to the point where the plot seemed silly rather than tragic. In this sort of novel a bit of restraint and building suspense are important ingredients in my view.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was very disappointing. Dialogue was very unconvincing, plot weak and not very engaging and the whole thing about twice as long as needed. A poor follow-up to her debut.
And there was very little actual detection!
And there was very little actual detection!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Where was the editor??
This is one of the worst books I have ever read (or rather not read as i couldn't finish it). It is advertised all over the place in Porthleven where I have recently been on... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Roger Southard
an enjoyable read
This is the second novel with Josephine Tey as the central character and I thought it was a better story than the first one, perhaps because the additional characters were... Read more
Published 22 months ago by margaret
Dark and brooding
This really never got going and was a bit disappointing. The author appears to have a morbid interest in incest that clouded the plot. Read more
Published on 21 May 2010 by C. B. Tomkinson
Lovely to discover a new author
I've been a Josephine Tey fan since I found one of her books left in a hotel room somewhere in Yorkshire, and have always wished she'd either lived longer or written more books! Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2010 by Elsie
What a treat
Having devoured Expert in Murder, I couldn't wait for the second in this series, and how wonderful to find out that Angel With Two Faces is set in a place in Cornwall where my... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by Mary Angrove
More than just a thriller
I loved this book. So much more than just a thriller - a moving and honest portrait of a place and time. Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2009 by Mr. N. B. Adcock
A disappointing follow up
I had thoroughly enjoyed the first Josephine Tey book and had eagerly awaited the second one. Sadly I was very disappointed with this one. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2009 by slb
Angel of Death
Where to start. Nicola Upson writes a fine novel. The story is engaging, the plot imaginative, the settings evocative, the characters not. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Donald Thompson
Think Midsommer Murders - Just with more weirdoes!
It took a while to get into this for similar reasons to those already mentioned, in particular the overwhelming intrigues peppered though the books, you almost long for a character... Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by Mr. M. P. Duffy
Golden Age shouldn't mean boring
I'm sorry but I just couldn't get into this book - the other reviews mention atmospheric golden age and harking back to a golden age of crime writing. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2009 by Bridget O
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