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An Expert in Murder: A New Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey
 
 

An Expert in Murder: A New Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey (Hardcover)

by Nicola Upson (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (Jun 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0061451533
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061451539
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 3.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,321,390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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 an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, 21 May 2008
By Maria (Greece) - See all my reviews
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.
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars great book, 12 Mar 2008
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.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous murder & mystery packed romp into 1930's theatreland, 9 Mar 2008
By Gill Anderton "Crime Addict" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars I Didn't Guess Whodunnit !
This is a very clever and unusual idea, using a real life writer (Josephine Tey) to help in solving a fictional crime set in the theatre world of the 1930's. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Mrs. C. Colbert

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic shaken not stirred
I read the Josephine Tey stories many years ago. Obviously The Daughter of Time was my introduction to the author, but soon the Grant mysteries were devoured. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Elizabeth OB

4.0 out of 5 stars A good take on the 'Golden Age' of crime
Nicola Upson's book takes real life crime writer, Josephine Tey, as its main character. I'm usually cautious about fiction that involves real people, but this didn't seem to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by H. Barratt

4.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric and well-written... but not as good as the second in the series
I read Upson's Angel with Two Faces recently and loved it so much that I then read this, her first book in the series. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Roman Clodia

4.0 out of 5 stars Theatrical goings-on
Nicola Upson has done excellent research on London in the 1930s and its theatrical world. Her heroine is Josephine Tey, who, under that name, had written detective stories and... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ralph Blumenau

5.0 out of 5 stars An Expert in Murder
Excellent service., The book arrived very promptly and in
excellent condition. Very impressed.
Published 7 months ago by Lila M

5.0 out of 5 stars Lilies are more fashionable...
I am not a particular fan of detective fiction, and got this book two days ago when a friend offered me the free book in a three for the price of two offer. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ms. M. Hoare

3.0 out of 5 stars Marple Redux
The writer Josephine Tey (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Mackintosh) forms the central character for this who-dunnit set in the theatrical world of 1930s London. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Dr. Cath L. Murphy

4.0 out of 5 stars *HOMAGE TO THE INCOMPARABLE JOSEPHINE TEY*
Choosing Josephine Tey to 'star' in a mystery series is a bold move. How can anyone match her? My expectations were unrealistic & Nicola Upson's novel is crowded with so many... Read more
Published 14 months ago by mcHaiku

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite good enough
I so wanted to like this book. I have read the Josephine Tey novels and many others of the so-called Golden Age of Detective Fiction and was hoping for something along the same... Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. Carter

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