FICTION

Unlike her Golden Age contemporaries, particularly the uber-prolific Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey's output was minimal: eight mysteries in 23 years.

But what priceless works they are. With elegance and humanity, Tey -- a Scotswoman whose real name was Elizabeth Mackintosh -- fashioned literate, intelligent and affecting novels.

If "An Expert in Murder" -- the first in a projected series -- is any indication, the same can be said of Nicola Upson, a longtime Tey fan who uses Josephine as the protagonist in this skillful blend of fact and fiction.

It's March 1934, and Josephine is traveling by train from Scotland to London, where her popular play, "Richard of Bordeaux," is nearing the end of its run. Seemingly by chance, she meets 17-year-old Elspeth Simmons, a devotee of the play who is on her way to London to visit her aunt and uncle.

The two strike up a travelers friendship and part at the King's Cross station, where Josephine is met by friends. No sooner do the author and her party leave than Elspeth falls victim to a fatal stabbing in the train compartment she had shared with Josephine.

Assigned to the case is Detective Inspector Archie Penrose, a cousin of Tey friends and the best pal of Tey's lover, who was killed in France during World War I. Archie is quick on the uptake that Elspeth's death must be connected to Tey's play, and the suspects include the aging if beautiful leading lady, her lover, the leading man, two supporting actors, a stagehand, the prickly stage manager and the play's producer. But when murder strikes again, Josephine and Archie begin to realize that the killer's motive may lie in the more distant past.

With flair and compassion, Upson lays out this clever whodunit against the vividly evoked London theater world during "the long weekend" -- the period between world wars. She plays fair with clues, uses the form of the Golden Age detective novel while infusing it with contemporary sensibilities and crafts memorable characters.

An obvious work of love, "An Expert in Murder" is also a distinguished debut with great promise. Tey fans will want to devour it in one long night. And who could blame them, for in Upson's deft hands, the Golden Age is recalled to life with authenticity and civility.
Contact Jay Strafford at (804) 649-6698 or jstrafford@timesdispatch.com.