When British novelist Josephine Tey inherits her estranged godmother's home Red Barn Cottage, murder and intrigue from a century ago still haunts the village and could be connected to the mysterious benefactress Lucy Kyte.
2 of 2 copies available
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
June 10, 2014 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781494521325
- File size: 326982 KB
- Duration: 11:21:12
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Wanda McCaddon's narration perfectly reflects Britain in the period between the Wars. Set in mid-1930s England and Scotland but also recounting events from a century earlier, this audiobook is a mystery from a more genteel era. Upon inheriting a country cottage, Upson's Josephine Tey soon finds herself investigating not only a recent death, but also the disappearance of a previous occupant of the cottage a century before. McCaddon is ideally suited for delivering the lead character's Scottish brogue, and she skillfully fleshes out the other players in the story as well. Her rustic accents appropriately portray the tough rural life of the nineteenth century. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from April 14, 2014
Lyrical prose (“sheaves of corn stood abandoned, like the forgotten tents of a retreating army”) and subtle plotting make Upson’s fifth novel featuring real-life mystery writer Josephine Tey a worthy successor to Fear in the Sunlight, a PW Best Mystery of 2013. Tey, who’s struggling with writing a biography, is surprised to learn of a bequest from her godmother, actress Hester Larkspur (who was a close friend of Tey’s mother), as she herself barely knew the woman. Larkspur has left her a Red Barn Cottage in Suffolk located near the site of a notorious murder, and the will gives the writer the choice of sorting through its contents, including the actress’s papers, or having them all destroyed unseen. Tey decides to take a look at what she’s inherited, and, in the process, learns some unsettling details about the circumstances of her godmother’s death. In addition, the cottage may be haunted. Upson lays out the suspicious events gradually, but amply rewards her readers’ patience with a satisfying resolution that feels true to life rather than pat. Agent: Gráinne Fox, Fletcher & Co.
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