Published 2nd July 2020 by Faber Books.
Audio book narrated by Sandra Duncan.
From the cover of the book:
Summer, 1915: a young woman falls to her death at Charleston Farmhouse on the Sussex Downs.
But was it an accident?
Twenty years later, Josephine Tey is faced with the accusation that it was murder and that she was complicit in the crime.
Can she clear her name and uncover the truth, exposing the darkest secrets of that apparently idyllic summer?
***********
Cambridge, 1938. Josephine Tey is enjoying life in the city where her lover Marta has settled, but the past intrudes in the form of a newspaper article suggesting Josephine was complicit in the murder of a young girl at Charleston Farmhouse in 1915.
The girls' death had been ruled an accident at the time, despite a scandal surrounding goings on at Charleston. Now Josephine must clear her name, before old secrets derail her life in the present.
The story unfurls in three beautifully wielded timelines, and a number of related perspectives that shone light upon events. Nicola sets the scene with a poignant prologue set in 1948; segues to the moment when a the newspaper article sets Josephine on a slow-burn course to the truth in 1938; then dives back to 1915 to explore a past that shaped Josephine's life in more ways than one, before bringing things full-circle.
This is the most fragmented book in the series in terms of timelines and the voices that make up the glorious whole of the story, but Nicola pulls all the threads together with consummate skill through her echoing themes of forbidden love, prejudice, guilt, shame, and revenge. The way the plot touches on Josephine's life at each stage makes for compelling reading, and I adored how Nicola introduces Josephine's close friend DCI Archie Penrose (only a fleeting appearance for Archie in this one) and her future fiancé Jack through their accidental meeting in 1915 (absolute gold if you have read the previous books), and examines how the shattered hopes of first love under stressful circumstances affected so much for Joesphine in the years that follow.
As is Nicola's forte, each part of the story thrums with evocative vibes fitting to time and place, particularly when it comes to the role of women, the expectations place upon them, and the ever-present theme of sexuality and societal judgment. I think this is probably the most affecting book of the series when it comes to the insidious impact of hatred on so many women, simply for choosing to follow their hearts. The shadow of the First World War on the men in the trenches, and those left behind, is intensely moving too. And, the twists are literally to die for!
I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying my reread journey through the Josephine Tey books - via the eminent voice talents of Sandra Duncan in the audio books. This one was just as powerful as the first time I read it, and the different perspectives make it an ideal vehicle for the spoken voice.
Onwards to book nine, Dead of Winter, one of my absolute favourites!
And a heads up for fans of the series... book twelve, the brand new Voices of the Dead, hits on 5th November, and I already have a copy in my hot little hands. I cannot wait to read it!
Sorry for the Dead is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.
About the author:
Nicola Upson was born in Suffolk and read English at Downing College, Cambridge. Her debut, An Expert in Murder, was the first in a series of crime novels to feature Josephine Tey - one of Britain's finest Golden Age crime writers - and was dramatised for BBC Radio 4.
Nicola is a member of the Detection Club, and several of her novels have been listed for the CWA Gold and Historical Daggers. Sorry for the Dead and her latest book, The Christmas Clue, were both Waterstones Thrillers of the Month.
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