Intrepid writer and amateur sleuth Josephine Tey returns in this sixth installment in Nicola Upson's popular series-perfect for fans of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Jaqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs-that unfolds in 1930s London as England prepares to crown a new king.
London, 1937. Following the gloomy days of the abdication of King Edward VIII, the entire city is elated to welcome King George. Just one of the many planned festivities for the historic coronation is a BBC radio adaptation of Queen of Scots, and the original playwright, Josephine Tey, has been invited to sit in on rehearsals.
Soon, however, Josephine gets wrapped up in another sort of drama. The lead actress has been sleeping with Britain's most venerable newsman, Anthony Beresford-and his humiliated wife happens to work in the building. The sordid affair seems to reach its bloody climax when Beresford is shot to death in his broadcasting booth at the deafening height of the coronation ceremony.
Josephine's dear friend Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose has the case wrapped up before long. But when a second, seemingly related murder throws Penrose for a loop, it falls to Josephine to unravel a web of betrayal, jealousy, and long-held secrets … caught all the while in a love triangle of her own making.
Charming and provocative, thick with the atmosphere of prewar England, London Rain is a captivating portrait of a city on the edge-and an unforgettable woman always one step ahead of her time.
"Narrator Wanda McCaddon switches effortlessly among Scottish, English, and Welsh accents, expertly coloring the intriguing subplots in Upson's sixth historical crime novel… McCaddon's range of expression and pace greatly enrich the well-drawn novel, which is as much historical fiction as mystery. Her clear, crisp, and inviting narrative voice perfectly channels 1930s England, offering listeners a time warp that is hard to leave."
"The author continues to blend history and fiction seamlessly, both in the portrayal of her main character (a real-life contemporary of Agatha Christie) and in the setting…[and] constructs a murder mystery that will keep readers guessing. The glimpses into the changing face of feminism and the politics of the BBC in the late 1930s prove equally intriguing."
"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."
"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."
"Notable for its well-wrought characters and involving plots that vividly capture a time and place."
"The complexity of the overlapping relationships and a burst of momentum make her fictionalized heroine's sixth case a worthy sequel to its predecessors."
"This book is what historical crime is all about."
