This edition published 2nd June 2015 by Faber & Faber.
From the cover of the book:
May, 1937. Josephine Tey is in London to oversee a BBC radio production of her play,. Meanwhile, the country is preparing to crown a new king.At the height of the Coronation celebrations, Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose is called in to investigate the murder of one of the BBC's best-known broadcasters. A second victim - his mistress, Queen of Scots and the play's leading actress - suggests that the motive lies close to home, but Josephine suspects that the killings are linked to a decade-old scandal.
With Archie's hands tied by politics, and his attention taken by another, seemingly unrelated death, it is left to Josephine to get to the truth - and to confront at first-hand the deadly consequences of love, deceit and betrayal.
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1937. Josephine Tey is in London to see her play, Queen of Scots, performed on BBC radio as part of the celebrations to mark the coronation of George VI. Coronation fever is at its height, and Josephine's friend , Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose, has the unenviable task of ensuring events run smoothly. But Archie is given a massive headache when the murder of one of the BBC's most famous radio presenters takes place on coronation day. Events are complicated when the presenter's mistress, who had been cast to star in the production of Queen of Scots, is also found murdered.
Scandal erupts when the wife of the radio presenter is arrested for the murders. Archie is unconvinced by the rushed case being put together against her under pressure from the BBC, but he has been moved sideways to another case. Josephine shares his doubts, and begins to question whether the murders could actually be related to a much older case...
Book six of Nicola Upson's excellent Josephine Tey mysteries opens with Joesphine back in London for the honour of seeing her play adapted for radio, which brings her into contact with many of the characters who become involved in the murders that follow - including one of the victims, and the wife of the other.
Set against a beautifully imagined back-drop that ties the historic coronation of George VI with the early days of the British Broadcasting Corporation (and Radio Times), this mystery has Josephine deliberately getting stuck into the role of unofficial sleuth on one of Archie's cases, with perilous consequences.
As is Upson's forte, the historical detail that anchors the story in time and place is an atmospheric joy, and has a big part to play in the parallel storylines that encompass the murders, and Josephine and Archie's personal lives - with Josephine reaching an emotional water-shed moment in her relationship with Marta, and Archie unaware of a shocking secret related to his re-kindled relationship with Bridget.
The twists are first class in this instalment, with Upson playing a blinder with her final surprise, and as ever, the central roles her female characters have in the story are wonderfully insightful. Complex facets of love, betrayal, and astonishing deceit lay at the heart of this mystery, and, as usual, murky motives make for a thought provoking outcome - with an especially bitter taste when it comes to the scandal avoidant behaviour of the fixers at the BBC, and their authority figure paymasters (nothing changes).
I enjoyed every moment of this one just as much as I did first time around - via Sandra Duncan's excellent audio book narration.
My revisit to book seven, Nine Lessons, awaits...
London Rain is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.
About the author:
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Nicola Upson is the author of four 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.
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