An Expert in Murder – Nicola Upson

Crime novelist and playwright Josephine Tey is travelling from her Inverness home to London where her latest play “Richard of Bordeaux“ is nearing the end of its successful West End run. She meets on the train young Elspeth Simmons who is an admirer of the play and has tickets for a show; the two pass a pleasant journey, sharing a meal, and agreeing to meet again.

Though they alight together Elspeth realises she has left a bag on the train and goes off to retrieve it, promising to meet Josephine at the theatre the following night. It is an appointment she cannot keep; back on the train she meets with a grisly end.

Enter Archie Penrose, detective inspector, called in to investigate the murder, who finds the corpse not splayed in disarray but carefully arranged in a theatrical tableau clearly full of meaning. What is the meaning is unclear, but its theatrical nature fills him with concern not only for the victim but also for Josephine, for whom he thinks the attack may have been intended.

Archie’s protective instinct is clearly based on more than just professional regard for Josephine. They are old friends (their history emerges later) and Josephine is lodging with her friends, his cousins, the Motley sisters. They are theatre set designers and with most of the other characters also involved in the dramatic arts (actors, directors, producers, even stage managers) the scene is firmly set for the whodunit.

It is a well-crafted tale with a few red herrings to negotiate before a clever, unpredictable reveal. The setting gives an insight into the theatre world of the late 1930’s, both luvvy and seedy. The writing style is articulate without being wordy; with enough inconsequential detail to add authenticity and atmosphere without becoming overblown. The plot is as complicated as necessary for the genre, but can be followed with minimal turning back of pages. And don’t be misled by the gentile nature of the lead characters; there is violence, gore, action and tension.

This is (I think) the first of Upson’s “Josephine Tey” novels (Tey was a real author, in the mould of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers). It is the second I have read and enjoyed, though I did prefer “Two for Sorrow” [reviewed Nov 2013].