An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey)

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It was not so different to what she herself had done and–in the face of her own father’s fragile health–what she continued to do. I did love the feel of the traces of the First World War and its effects since were still leaving their marks on all the characters there was a sadness to it and it added a certain something to the book. In that briefest of moments, somewhere between waking and oblivion, between life and death, she was aware of all she would miss but the longing was soon over, replaced as she fell to her knees by a lasting, if premature, peace.

It’s been a long time since I read the classic mysteries of that age, but as if memory serves me correctly, Upson could seamlessly take her place alongside Christie, Sayers, and yes, Tey. There was a decent mystery there, and engaging characters, and a believable setting in a London theatre. When she arrived at the theatre section, which she had purposely saved until last, she smiled to herself at the news that Richard of Bordeaux–her own play and now London’s longest run–was about to enter its final week.

And the aforementioned Wilde and Poe were larger-than-life characters not remotely averse to putting themselves in the public eye; I imagine they would have no problem with featuring in another author’s fiction as long as they took centre stage! One of the passengers sharing Tey's compartment is traveling to London to visit relatives and to attend Tey's play with her new love interest. Still,’ she added, a little wistfully, ‘I like to think my original parents had some theatrical blood in them somewhere. To use aliases and inventions for many of characters but expect us to believe in a fictionalised Tey is clumsy and to be honest it comes across as a little lazy – why not just create new and interesting characters if you have a story to tell, instead of hanging a thin plot on a real person and expecting us to believe in them.

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. It sounded to be just what I enjoy most - an historical mystery, set in England with an interesting main character. The book was dramatised in ten parts by Robin Brooks for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Drama, [5] starring Meg Fraser. An arm reached out towards her, drawing her into a deadly embrace which seemed to mock the physical affection she had so recently come to know. Clues and circumstance suggest that Tey may have been the intended target, so the narrative follows her and her time at the theatre.It had been hard to get to know her, as she discouraged intimacy and rarely gave her confidence to anyone, but the effort had been worthwhile. You know, I often think that for all the nonsense these racing pundits talk, I could get a job doing it myself,’ she said. The climax of the story was melodramatic, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s not a very good thing here.

With Lydia, though, there had been a mutual appreciation from the outset–a genuine trust stemming from their shared frankness and hatred of vanity in all its guises–and Josephine had come to value the friendship greatly, whilst marvelling that it should be hers. When there's a second murder in the West End he knows that there's a ruthless and sadistic killer in the theatre set. She should be meeting me at King’s Cross if this train arrives before she has to be at the theatre,’ Josephine explained, tucking in to her meal and encouraging Elspeth to do the same.Elspeth studied the menu and, when the waiter arrived, chose a no-nonsense steak and kidney pudding. Then there was King’s Cross itself; he always thought that the station’s facade–two main arches separated by a clock tower of dreadful yellow brick, turned black with the dirt of ages–looked more like the entrance to a gaol than the gateway to a capital. So, when I saw that someone had written a series of mysteries with Josephine Tay as the central character, I was intrigued and had to try one. Fortunately, before Josephine could go further down that road, a restaurant attendant passed through the carriages to announce the next sitting for lunch.

As long as it doesn’t take you away from the stage,’ she replied, and–as she noticed Josephine’s surprise–looked aghast at her own familiarity. She befriends a young woman fan on the train, who is then murdered in a fashion that points towards the play and so “Josephine” and Archie are drawn into the investigation. As she took her seat, she could not help but feel a rush of excitement in spite of the delay: in a matter of hours, she would be in London. But he didn’t realise that I had tried with the first book once before when I borrowed it from the library and I stalled quite early on.

Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the killing is connected to the play, and that Tey herself is in danger of becoming a victim of her own success. I’m not used to first class,’ she admitted, picking up a silver butter knife to admire the railway crest on the handle. 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 herself is one of the principal characters. Josephine is also contradictory in some aspects - for example, we are told she is retiring and likes peace and quiet, but in London she chooses to stay with the noisiest, most flamboyant characters in the book. The ornate station clock declared that it was a quarter past eight when the train finally left the mouth of the station and moved slowly out into the countryside.