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Product Description
Review
A wonderful period murder mystery which recruits real-life crime writer Josephine to investigate a slaying at the opening of her own West End play. Fans of Tey herself and Agatha Christie will relish this both for its authenticity and its gripping plot.
--Evening Standard --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--Evening Standard --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
From a great new talent in British crime writing, this is the first in an engrossing new series that cleverly blends fact and fiction.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am extremely impressed by this first novel. To precis it is a superbly wrought mix of a literary Agatha Christie blended with the fine characterisation and narrative of P.D. James ; giving a beautifully crafted sense of people, place and time.
Set in the 1930's, a period I personally have little interest in, and based around a fictional portrait of the author Josephine Tey (about whom I confess I knew next to nothing) I was immediately won over and sucked very rapidly and willingly into the plot concerning murders committed around and connected to the Josephine Tey play "Richard of Bordeaux" in its final weeks run at a London Theatre.
The plot interweaves family history, WW1, the vain glories of the theatre players, dark secrets and poignant love affairs in a most satisfying way. And of course there are murders and a police investigation headed up by Josephine's old friend - and soon I hope serialised sleuth ,Archie Penrose. Nicola Upson creates hugely memorable characters about whom you care, and there is a dry sardonic wit running through the book that refreshes.
I have a 2-a-week crime novel "addiction" and after so many years can usually identify the murderer before the end. Here I knew who it was by page 235 - and was totally wrong! Hurrah to Ms Upson for writing a super evocative first novel that kept this old crime story addict guessing right until the end!
Bring on book 2 of the series I say.
Set in the 1930's, a period I personally have little interest in, and based around a fictional portrait of the author Josephine Tey (about whom I confess I knew next to nothing) I was immediately won over and sucked very rapidly and willingly into the plot concerning murders committed around and connected to the Josephine Tey play "Richard of Bordeaux" in its final weeks run at a London Theatre.
The plot interweaves family history, WW1, the vain glories of the theatre players, dark secrets and poignant love affairs in a most satisfying way. And of course there are murders and a police investigation headed up by Josephine's old friend - and soon I hope serialised sleuth ,Archie Penrose. Nicola Upson creates hugely memorable characters about whom you care, and there is a dry sardonic wit running through the book that refreshes.
I have a 2-a-week crime novel "addiction" and after so many years can usually identify the murderer before the end. Here I knew who it was by page 235 - and was totally wrong! Hurrah to Ms Upson for writing a super evocative first novel that kept this old crime story addict guessing right until the end!
Bring on book 2 of the series I say.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointing for Josephine Tey fans
As a big fan of the novels of Josephine Tey, I had hoped that Nicola Upson intended to write in a similar style, but was sadly disappointed. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Avocet
An Expert in Murder
Using the real life character of Josephine Tey and the real life setting of a successful play written by Tey, Nicola Upson successfully captures the feel of thirties detective... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Moonlit
Expert in Murder
It would be difficult to fault the research or the writing in this novel, as both are of a very high standard. Read more
Published 12 months ago by LML
disapointing
Have read Tey's own work and was looking forward to this, but I found it very disappointing. Story seemed dragged out with unbelievable badly formed characters and plot. Read more
Published 13 months ago by BooBoo
Suspenseful
Nicola Upson's first novel takes as its heroine, the acclaimed crime novelist, Josephine Tey. This was a bold move, which could have gone disastrously wrong, but I think Upson... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
A Modern Agatha Christie
This book is well constructed, and Upson introduces her charecters in such a way the reader gets to know them. Read more
Published 21 months ago by The Commuting Bookworm
You Don't Have To Have Read Tey To Enjoy This
Having not, as yet, ever read anything by the crime author Josephine Tey I wasn't sure how well I would get along with Nicola Upson's debut novel `An Expert in Murder' as Tey... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Simon Savidge Reads
A good first attempt
It's a clever idea; take an established classic crime writer, whose life is not particularly well documented, and turn her into a classic detective as well. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mrs. C. A. Mikolj
A hark back to the past.
This is the first Josephine Tey novel and having read her second first I thought I would go back to where it started. Read more
Published on 30 May 2010 by Joanne D'Arcy
A great classic murder
I enjoyed it, it is the true tradition of Agatha Christie, the characters were believable and there's a nice little plot. Well worth a read
Published on 26 Feb 2010 by J. E. Wells
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