London Rain

Starred review from January 4, 2016
The coronation of George VI in 1937 provides the backdrop for Upson’s psychologically complex and twisty sixth whodunit featuring real-life mystery writer Josephine Tey (after 2014’s The Death of Lucy Kyte). At BBC headquarters in London, where Josephine has come to view the rehearsals of a play of hers that has been adapted for radio and will air as part of the celebration, she happens to be present when Vivienne Beresford, a Radio Times editor, learns that her husband, Anthony, the BBC’s leading news announcer, is unfaithful. That revelation sets in motion a series of events that result in murder on the day of the coronation. That case, which is handled by Josephine’s close friend at Scotland Yard, Det. Chief Insp. Archie Penrose, seems to be open-and-shut, but that perception changes when a second corpse turns up. Upson adroitly confounds the reader’s expectations, and her subtle and emotionally intelligent exploration of Josephine’s relationship with her lover, Marta Hallard, adds depth. Agent: Gráinne Fox, Fletcher & Co.

January 15, 2016
Revenge, murder, and royal pageantry in the fictional adventures of a real-life author. As visitors to London eagerly await the coronation of George VI and prepare to stand in line overnight for a glimpse of the solemnities, Josephine Tey is more interested in the adaptation of her play Queen of Scots for the BBC. When Josephine attends a read-through at Broadcasting House, she thinks her play may actually work better over the radio. To her disappointment, however, her friend Lydia Beaumont, who had the lead on Broadway, has to settle for a secondary role and yield the lead to the current mistress of Anthony Beresford, the best-known voice of the BBC. Although Beresford's wife, Vivienne, has her own career, she can't escape either the humiliation of her husband's infidelities or the notoriety of her dubious past. Evidence that Anthony is planning to run away to Canada with his inamorata pushes Vivienne to confront him in his broadcasting cubicle during the coronation, when thousands and thousands of cheering voices cover up the sound of a single gunshot. Although Vivienne admits to the murder, Josephine's friend DI Archie Penrose of Scotland Yard is initially sympathetic. So is Josephine, who's caught in a triangle of her own: she has to share Marta, the woman she loves, with Lydia. In an effort to keep Queen of Scots on track despite her personal issues, Josephine makes a shocking discovery that takes an even stranger twist as the truth about Vivienne's past and a long-ago death come to light. Although Upson (The Death of Lucy Kyte, 2014, etc.) keeps her readers anticipating action nearly as long as British subjects wait for the crowning of their king, the complexity of the overlapping relationships and a burst of momentum make her fictionalized heroine's sixth case a worthy sequel to its predecessors.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 1, 2016

Writer and amateur sleuth Josephine Tey arrives in London from Scotland just in time for the 1937 coronation of George VII. In honor of the event, Tey's play Mary, Queen of Scots is being presented as a radio broadcast. On the day of the coronation, Anthony Beresford, a renowned announcer who once had an affair with the lead actress, is shot to death in his broadcasting booth during the live coverage of the ceremony. His wife, Vivienne, confesses to the murder, driven by her rage at his numerous infidelities. But Viv will not admit to the killing of his mistress, and Tey must investigate. VERDICT For fans of period British crime fiction, this sixth series entry (after The Death of Lucy Kyte) delivers deft plotting and evocations of the era through charming descriptions of London. As little is known about Tey, Upson's speculations on her life create intriguing (fictional) biographical footnotes.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
Author and amateur sleuth Josephine Tey, who's in London in 1937 for the BBC radio broadcast of one of her novels as part of King George's coronation festivities, finds herself in the midst of another murder. Vivienne Beresford, wife of beloved BBC broadcaster Anthony Beresford, has finally had enough of her husband's philandering. After discovering his plans for divorce, she shoots him and promptly confesses to Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose, Josephine's close friend. When Beresford's latest paramour, actress Millicent Gray, is found strangled at her home on the same day, Vivienne is charged with this crime, too, but denies committing it. Asked by Vivienne to help, Josephine finds evidence overlooked by police involving the 10-year-old, supposedly accidental death of Vivienne's sister, Olivia Hanlon, operator of a notorious Soho nightclub in the 1920s. Old secrets come to light involving murder as well as the personal lives of persons close to Josephine and Archie in the sixth entry in this series, notable for its well-wrought characters and involving plots that vividly capture a time and place.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)