Inspector Archie Penrose invites Josephine Tey down to his family home in Cornwall so she can recover from the traumatic events depicted in An Expert in Murder. Josephine welcomes the opportunity, especially since Archie's home is near the famous Minack open-air theatre perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. However, Josephine's hopes of experiencing a period of rest are dashed when her arrival coincides with the funeral of a young man from the village who had drowned when his horse inexplicitly leapt into the nearby lake. When another young man disappears and the village's curate falls from the cliffs of the Minack Theatre onto the rocks below, Josphine and Archie begin to suspect the involvement a cold-blooded murderer. As Josephine and Archie try to unravel the mystery, they begin to see death as an angel with two faces - one gazing at the violence in the present, the other looking back to the crimes hidden in the past.Review"Chilling and clever." Linda Fairstein "A new and assured talent." P D James "An ingenious concept, beautifully realised." Reginald Hill" About the AuthorNicola Upson was born in Suffolk and read English at Downing College, Cambridge. She has worked in theatre and as a freelance journalist, and is the author of two works of non-fiction and the recipient of an Escalator Award from Arts Council England. She lives with her partner, and shares her time between Cambridge and Cornwall.

Summer, 1936. The writer, Josephine Tey, joins her friends in the holiday village of Portmeirion to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, are there to sign a deal to film Josephine's novel, A Shilling for Candles, and Hitchcock has one or two tricks up his sleeve to keep the holiday party entertained - and expose their deepest fears.But things get out of hand when one of Hollywood's leading actresses is brutally slashed to death in a cemetery near the village. The following day, as fear and suspicion take over in a setting where nothing - and no one - is quite what it seems, Chief Inspector Archie Penrose becomes increasingly unsatisfied with the way the investigation is ultimately resolved. Several years later, another horrific murder, again linked to a Hitchcock movie, drives Penrose back to the scene of the original crime to uncover the shocking truth.Review'With a well-made plot and a fascinating cast of female characters, both haves and have-nots, this is an assured addition to an excellent series' GUARDIAN on Two for Sorrow Review'With a well-made plot and a fascinating cast of female characters, both haves and have-nots, this is an assured addition to an excellent series' GUARDIAN on Two for Sorrow

It takes a village to bury a child...September 1st, 1939. As the mass evacuation takes place across Britain, thousands of children leave London for the countryside, but when a little girl vanishes without a trace, the reality of separation becomes more urgent and more deadly for those who love her.In the chaos and uncertainty of war, Josephine struggles with the prospect of change. As a cloud of suspicion falls across the small Suffolk village she has come to love, the conflict becomes personal, and events take a dark and sinister turn.Blending a Golden Age mystery with the timeless fears of a child’s abduction, Dear Little Corpses is an atmospheric snapshot of England in the early days of war.

Violence finds its way to old Hollywood in the eleventh Josephine Tey mystery, perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear.September 1939, and the worries of war follow Josephine Tey to Hollywood, where a different sort of battle is raging on the set of Hitchcock’s Rebecca.Then a shocking act of violence reawakens the shadows of the past, with consequences on both sides of the Atlantic, and Josephine and DCI Archie Penrose find themselves on a trail leading back to the house that inspired a young Daphne du Maurier - a trail that echoes Rebecca's timeless themes of obsession, jealousy, and murder.

A snowy Christmas gathering on an island off the Cornish coast goes murderously wrong in this festive Golden Age mystery.December 1938, and storm clouds hover once again over Europe. Josephine Tey and Archie Penrose gather with friends for a Cornish Christmas, but two strange and brutal deaths on St. Michael's Mount—and the unexpected arrival of a world famous film star, in need of sanctuary—interrupt the festivities. Cut off by the sea and a relentless blizzard, the hunt for a murderer begins.Pivoting on a real moment in history, the ninth novel in the Josephine Tey series draws on all the much-loved conventions of the Golden Age Christmas mystery, while giving them the contemporary twist which has come to distinguish the books so far.

An Expert in Murder is the first in a new series that features Golden Age crime writer Josephine Tey as its lead character, placing her in the richly-peopled world of 1930s theatre which formed the other half of her writing life. It's March 1934, and Tey is travelling from Scotland to London to celebrate what should be the triumphant final week of her celebrated play, Richard of Bordeaux. However, a seemingly senseless murder puts her reputation, and even her life, under threat. An Expert in Murder is both a tribute to one of the most enduringly popular writers of crime and an atmospheric detective novel in its own right. From Publishers WeeklyMystery writer Josephine Tey (The Daughter of Time) makes a convincing sleuth in British author Upson's debut, the launch of a new whodunit series. On a train journey from Scotland to London in 1934, Tey meets a fan, Elspeth Simmons, who's traveling to the capital to attend a performance of Tey's hit play about Richard II. When Simmons is found brutally murdered—stabbed with a hatpin, posed with some dolls and partially shaved—after arrival at King's Cross, Tey's Scotland Yard friend, Insp. Archie Penrose, investigates and soon learns that the victim was adopted under irregular circumstances. After another death, the evidence suggests that both crimes are linked to a murder committed amid the devastating trench warfare of WWI. While the heroine falls conventionally into the killer's clutches before a solution many will anticipate, the engaging prose will leave even readers unfamiliar with Tey's fiction eagerly looking forward to the next in the series. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistJosephine Tey moves from classic real-life crime writer and playwright to unwilling fictional sleuth in this atmosphere-laden cozy. Tey is journeying from her home in Inverness to London in 1934, to see the final week of her hit play. She befriends a young woman who enters her carriage; of course, the woman is a completely agog fan. Tey disembarks in London; the woman reenters the carriage and is promptly murdered. A disturbing feature of the murder is its staging: the victim is propped up to look in admiration at two dolls who seem to be representing one of Tey’s scenes. What may be disturbing to the reader is the forced link between Detective Inspector Archie Penrose, who finds the body, and Tey herself; they’re longtime friends, inevitably drawing Tey into the inside of the investigation. Fun for historical details and backstage bits, though the machinery of the mystery is too obvious. --Connie Fletcher

“A new and assured talent….Nicola Upson is to be congratulated.”—P.D. JamesAuthor Nicola Upson brings legendary mystery writer Josephine Tey back for a third investigation in Two for Sorrow, the spellbinding follow-up to An Expert in Murder and Angel with Two Faces. Fans of P.D. James, Agatha Christie, and Jacqueline Winspear will relish this ingenious literary creation, as one of the most beloved mystery writers of the twentieth century, while doing research for a new novel based on a horrific case of multiple child murder in 1903 London, is drawn into a chillingly related hunt for a sadistic, present-day killer.Review“This excellent entry in this highly recommended series provides all the classic detective components with a contemporary kick. The case is intricate and surprisingly intimate, weaving in and out of two historical periods and featuring that Upstairs Downstairs class element.” (Library Journal (starred review) )“Excellent. . . . Upson upsets readers’ expectations with a surprise that keeps the suspense high to the satisfying conclusion. Puzzle fans as well as admirers of psychologically rich crime authors such as Ruth Rendell will find a lot to savor.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )“Upson illustrates the ripple effects of misdeeds here and her smoothly flowing dialogue and deftly handled plot mark this worthy addition to the series.” (Booklist ) From the Back CoverThey were the most horrific crimes of a new century: the murders of newborn innocents for which two British women were hanged at Holloway Prison in1903. Decades later, mystery writer Josephine Tey has decided to write a novel based on Amelia Sach and Annie Walters, the notorious “Finchley baby farmers,” unaware that her research will entangle her in the desperate hunt for a modern-day killer.A young seamstress—an ex-convict determined to reform—has been found brutally slain in the studio of Tey’s friends, the Motley sisters, amid preparations for a star-studded charity gala. Despite initial appearances, Inspector Archie Penrose is not convinced this murder is the result of a long-standing domestic feud—and a horrific accident involving a second young woman soon after supports his convictions. Now he and his friend Josephine must unmask a sadistic killer before more blood flows—as the repercussions of unthinkable crimes of the past reach out to destroy those left behind long after justice has been served.

At once a compelling murder mystery and a moving exploration of love and grief, critically acclaimed author Nicola Upson's eighth Josephine Tey mystery is a force to be reckoned with. In the summer of 1915, the sudden death of a young girl brings grief and notoriety to Charleston Farmhouse on the Sussex Downs. Years later, Josephine Tey returns to the same house—now much changed—and remembers the two women with whom she once lodged as a young teacher during the Great War. As past and present collide, with murders decades apart, Josephine is forced to face the possibility that the scandal which threatened to destroy those women's lives hid a much darker secret.

December 1938, and storm clouds hover once again over Europe. Josephine Tey and Archie Penrose gather with friends for a Cornish Christmas, but two strange and brutal deaths on St Michael's Mount - and the unexpected arrival of a world famous film star, in need of sanctuary - interrupt the festivities. Cut off by the sea and a relentless blizzard, the hunt for a murderer begins.Pivoting on a real moment in history, the ninth novel in the 'Josephine Tey' series draws on all the much-loved conventions of the Golden Age Christmas mystery, whilst giving them the contemporary twist which has come to distinguish the books so far.

'A perfect Christmas crime story.' Elly Griffiths A Christmas murder mystery featuring the real-life couple who invented Cluedo 'An ingenious plot' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A great read for Christmas . . . nostalgic and thoroughly entertaining.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Unexpectedly emotive, engaging and sweet.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Christmas Eve, 1943. Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to run a murder mystery game - and instead discover a real murder. The Pratts had planned for festive cheer, despite the wartime shortages: with Elva's map of the hotel and Anthony's prop weapons to use as clues, the guests in their parlour game would move through the rooms to figure out whodunnit. But when Anthony discovers the cook's sister Miss Silver beaten to death, they instead find themselves investigating a shockingly real crime. The hotel manager Mr Browning is trying to keep the peace but the guests are agitated, Colonel Colman is about to take over the hotel for the war effort - and the mysterious Mrs Threadgold...

Author Nicola Upson brings legendary mystery writer Josephine Tey back for a third investigation in Two for Sorrow , the spellbinding follow-up to An Expert in Murder and Angel with Two Faces . Fans of P.D. James, Agatha Christie, and Jacqueline Winspear will relish this ingenious literary creation, as one of the most beloved mystery writers of the twentieth century, while doing research for a new novel based on a horrific case of multiple child murder in 1903 London, is drawn into a chillingly related hunt for a sadistic, present-day killer.

Inspector Archie Penrose invites Josephine Tey down to his family home in Cornwall so she can recover from the traumatic events depicted in An Expert in Murder. Josephine welcomes the opportunity, especially since Archie's home is near the famous Minack open-air theatre perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. However, Josephine's hopes of experiencing a period of rest are dashed when her arrival coincides with the funeral of a young man from the village who had drowned when his horse inexplicitly leapt into the nearby lake. When another young man disappears and the village's curate falls from the cliffs of the Minack Theatre onto the rocks below, Josphine and Archie begin to suspect the involvement a cold-blooded murderer. As Josephine and Archie try to unravel the mystery, they begin to see death as an angel with two faces -- one gazing at the violence in the present, the other looking back to the crimes hidden in the past.