Fear In The Sunlight (Josephine Tey Book Four) by Nicola Upson

 

Fear in the Sunlight (Josephine Tey Book Four) by Nicola Upson.

Audio book narrated by Sandra Duncan.

This edition published 4th February 2021 by Faber and Faber (originally published April 2012).

From the cover of the book:

Summer, 1936. The writer, Josephine Tey, joins her friends in the holiday village of Portmeirion to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, are there to sign a deal to film Josephine's novel, A Shilling for Candles, and Hitchcock has one or two tricks up his sleeve to keep the holiday party entertained - and expose their deepest fears.

But things get out of hand when one of Hollywood's leading actresses is brutally slashed to death in a cemetery near the village. The following day, as fear and suspicion take over in a setting where nothing - and no one - is quite what it seems, Chief Inspector Archie Penrose becomes increasingly unsatisfied with the way the investigation is ultimately resolved. Several years later, another horrific murder, again linked to a Hitchcock movie, drives Penrose back to the scene of the original crime to uncover the shocking truth.

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Summer, 1936. Josephine Tey arrives in the holiday village of Portmeirion for a get together with her friends in celebration of her fortieth birthday. It will also be a chance for Josephine to meet with Alfred Hitchcock, and his wife Alma Reville, to discuss the film rights of her novel, A Shilling for Candles, something that she is more than a little apprehensive about.

Although Josephine is delighted to be back in company with Inspector Archie Penrose and her other close friends, and more particularly, Marta (who Josephine now acknowledges she is in love with), it is clear that the presence of the Hitchcock couple and their retinue will mean this is rather less of a relaxing break than planned.  Before long, the toll of Hitchcock's famous psychological games start to tell on the holiday guests, with grisly results: one of Hollywood's famous actresses is found murdered near the village, and other deaths soon follow...

Eighteen years later, Archie receives information about another murder that draws him back to Portmeirion, even though he is now retired. He was always dissatisfied with the direction of the murder investigation all those years ago, and believes it is now time for the truth to be uncovered...

I am back on the reread trail of one of my favourite book series, with book four of the Josephine Tey Mysteries by Nicola Upson, Fear in the Sunlight. This is the first book in the series where Upson ramps up the complexity of her story-telling game to weave a tale that is, for the greater part, a retrospective - and for this reason it is tinged with sadness. 

The action begins in 1954, with Archie feeling at a bit of a loss now he is retired. Following an unexpected visit, he is thrown back in time to the shocking events surrounding Josephine's fortieth birthday celebrations, and the murders that he feels were never investigated properly. Josephine herself has now been dead two years, taken too soon at only fifty-five, so revisiting the scene of the crimes is especially hard for Archie - and he is not the only one suffering from the weight of ghosts of the past.

The story then unfurls in classic Upson style, taking you through the heady summer visit of Josephine and co to Portmeirion, a setting that makes the perfect backdrop for the Hitchcock-esque shenanigans that play out. Upson beautifully blends the more intimate sides of the story, following the developments in Josephine's relationship with Marta and the lovely meanderings in her friendship with Archie, with the dramatic twists and turns of characters hell-bent on twisting the knife both metaphorically and quite literally. This is all gorgeous stuff, wreathed in suspense, psychologically fascinating, and as tense as you like, but the elusive truth of what really happened that summer is only finally revealed when Archie finds himself back in Portmeirion in 1954 - here Upson ties up the threads of the story with lashings of emotion, and bitter scenes that cut right to the quick.

There is a lovely Hollywood flavour to it all that delves into Hitchcock's character and working methods behind the scenes, as well as his relationship with Alma, the acting talent, and the direction of his career. Upson has a great time getting into the nitty gritty of the lives of actors, film production staff, and the acting profession of the era - particularly when it comes to the secrets they keep, simmering rivalries, ambition, and the hatred that lies deep within their hearts. Of course, Upson being Upson, she also knows how to expose the rawness of feelings that relate to the location where her story is set. Complex family relationships, and the long shadows of sins that colour the lives of those tied to this small community provide rich, and deliciously dark themes, which weave into the stories of all the characters - both locals and outsiders. 

Anyone who has read Upson's latest glorious book in this series, Shot with Crimson (book eleven), which revisits Josephine's bumpy track record with Hitchcock, should certainly read this one. It charts exactly why Josephine was wary of having her work adapted given the treatment A Shilling for Candles received at Hitchock's hands, resulting in a film called Young and Innocent, which bore little resemblance to the original book. This is a storyline that resonates well with both authors and book lovers alike, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way Upson uses pathos and humour in exploring it. 

Another fine Josephine Tey story, consumed through the accomplished voice talents of Sandra Duncan, confirms exactly why this series has a place in my heart. Onwards to some self-indulgence with a revisit to book five, The Death of Lucy Kite. I cannot wait.

Fear in the Sunlight is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

Nicola Upson is the author of three previous 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.