Shot With Crimson (Josephine Tey Mysteries Book 11) by Nicola Upson

 

Shot with Crimson (Josephine Tey Mysteries) by Nicola Upson.

Published 2nd November 2023 by Faber Books.

From the cover of the book:

I will never understand why murder is considered such a lowbrow speciality in Hollywood.

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.

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September 1939. The reality of living in a country at war is starting to hit home, as author Josephine Tey says goodbye to her dear friend DCI Archie Penrose and steps aboard the Queen Mary, wondering if she will ever return. She is looking forward to a tender reunion with her lover Marta, who is working with Alfred Hitchcock on his film production of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.

The crossing is fraught with anxiety, despite the luxurious surroundings, and not just from the fear of German U-Boats lurking beneath the Atlantic waves. Josephine finds herself worrying for the safety of Hitchcock's wife and daughter, who she bumps into on board, after an upsetting incident with a grieving young woman. Her concern grows all the way across America to their final destination, glamorous Hollywood.

Meanwhile, back home in Blighty, Archie is called to Milton Hall, the very house that inspired du Maurier to write Rebecca after she visited it as a child, to investigate the murder of a member of the household staff. Although this seems a simple crime at first sight, Archie gradually comes to see that the murder might be the result of events that actually took place at Milton Hall some twenty years ago... events that somehow involve a troubled young man who has been befriended by Josephine on the Rebecca set in LA. And just like du Maurier's compelling tale that was inspired by this place, this is a tragedy that revolves around obsession, jealousy, and revenge.

"The sky above our heads was inky black. But the sky on the horizon was not dark at all. It was shot with crimson, like a splash of blood. And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea."

Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier

Nicola Upson's Josephine Tey books make up one of my absolute favourite series. Upson's skill at combining the perfect period setting, with great characters, and devilishly sophisticated plotlines that evoke everything I love about the Golden Age of Crime, is a joy to behold - and she always contrives to weave the most delicious themes within her stories to cut you to the emotional quick. 

At the beginning of the tale, Josephine gives us a glimpse of the fears of a nation adjusting to living under the shadow of war, but this is actually a story that mostly concerns itself with the echoes that resound from the losses of the earlier Great War. Upson sows her unsettling seeds in events that took place at Milton Hall around World War One, and she threads the resulting shoots throughout a novel that layers menace and suspicion on both sides of the Atlantic, to bring in parallel storylines for Josephine and Archie that link to du Maurier in all manner of spellbinding ways. 

Before you know it, Josephine and Archie are embroiled in different sides of the same story which plays out in classic Upson style, keeping you guessing right up to the eleventh hour. As usual there are appearances from a cast of famous faces, who spring from the page in that magical way Upson has of bringing them alive, and this instalment is packed with stellar names like never before: from Hollywood royalty, to Hitchcock's entourage, all the way to beloved author Daphne du Maurier no less - who has an intriguing role in solving the crime at Milton Hall. 

The details behind the scenes of the making of Rebecca immerse you completely in the world of movie making in the 1930s, especially when it comes to Hitchcock's way of working - and the man behind the myth. The in-infighting between Hitchcock and blockbuster producer David Selznick (who was also working on Gone with the Wind at the same time) is especially fascinating. And I love the way Upson runs with the theme of conflict between the authors of best-selling books and the movie makers who adapt them for the screen, which is made all the better by Josephine's previous run in with Hitchcock earlier in the series.

Eleven books in and this series continues to make my heart sing. Shot with Crimson might just be my favourite one yet. 

Shot with Crimson is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Faber Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Nicola Upson is the author the Josephine Tey mysteries, including An Expert in Murder, and two works of nonfiction. She has worked in theatre and as a freelance journalist. A recipient of an Escalator Award from the Arts Council England, she splits her time between Cambridge and Cornwall.