An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey Series #1)

( 15 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback (Reprint)
$11.21
BN.com price
$13.99 List Price (Save 20%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.01
$13.99 List Price (Save 100%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (48)  
Used (35)  
New (13)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 5
Showing 1 – 10 of 48 (5 pages)
$0.01
(Save 100%)
Better World Books
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(50880)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!

Ships from: Mishawaka, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.01
(Save 100%)
OwlsBooks-TRM
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(22563)

Condition: Like New
Giving great service since 2004: Buy from the Best! 4,000,000 items shipped to delighted customers. We have 1,000,000 unique items ready to ship! Find your Great Buy today!

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.01
(Save 100%)
Discover Books Ltd.
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(3584)

Condition: Like New
Like new, very light shelf wear, we guarantee all purchases and ship all items via USPS mail.

Ships from: Sumas, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 93%)
WNYBOOKS
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(34)

Condition: Acceptable
2009 Paperback Fair ACCEPTABLE-Any or all listed conditions may apply: Covers may show wear( cracks, bends, rips, etc. )binding may show wear ( yet still intact) Pages May be ... worn, bent, dirty, yellowed with age, stained, etc. Item may include notations, underlining, highlighting, inscription. GOOD READING COPY-not typically collection worthy-USED CONDITION. We Love and Value Our Customers-WNYBOOKS Thanks You! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Buffalo, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.00
(Save 93%)
Sleepygirl's Used Books MO
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(375)

Condition: Very Good
2009 Soft cover Very Good Book A Josephine Tey Mystery. Back cover has a couple small creases.

Ships from: Joplin, MO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.49
(Save 89%)
FatCityBooks - Booksellers ca
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(3748)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 006145155X Good solid overall condition, mild to moderate general wear, clean inside.

Ships from: stockton, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
Alibris NV
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(20379)

Condition: Good
2009-06-16 Paperback Good Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 308 p.

Ships from: Sparks, NV

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
thriftbooks-com
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(5902)

Condition: Good
Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.

Ships from: Auburn, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
FatCityBooks
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(2013)

Condition: Good
006145155X Good solid overall condition, mild to moderate general wear, clean inside.

Ships from: Stockton, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
RiverCityBooks
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(2244)

Condition: Acceptable
ACCEPTABLE with noticeable wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders are generally shipped no later than next business day. ... We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Tualatin, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 5
Showing 1 – 10 of 48 (5 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.99
BN.com price

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

More About This Book

Overview

March 1934. Revered mystery writer Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to London for the final week of her play Richard of Bordeaux, the surprise hit of the season, with pacifist themes that resonate in a world still haunted by war. But joy turns to horror when her arrival coincides with the murder of a young woman she had befriended on the train ride—and Tey is plunged into a mystery as puzzling as any in her own works.

Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the killing is connected to the play, and that Tey herself is in danger of becoming a victim of her own success. In the aftermath of a second murder, the writer and the policeman must join together to stop a ruthless killer who will apparently stop at nothing.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Mystery writer Josephine Tey (The Daughter of Time) makes a convincing sleuth in British author Upson's debut, the launch of a new whodunit series. On a train journey from Scotland to London in 1934, Tey meets a fan, Elspeth Simmons, who's traveling to the capital to attend a performance of Tey's hit play about Richard II. When Simmons is found brutally murdered—stabbed with a hatpin, posed with some dolls and partially shaved—after arrival at King's Cross, Tey's Scotland Yard friend, Insp. Archie Penrose, investigates and soon learns that the victim was adopted under irregular circumstances. After another death, the evidence suggests that both crimes are linked to a murder committed amid the devastating trench warfare of WWI. While the heroine falls conventionally into the killer's clutches before a solution many will anticipate, the engaging prose will leave even readers unfamiliar with Tey's fiction eagerly looking forward to the next in the series. (June)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Library Journal

Some books just grab readers and never let go. Using classic mystery author Josephine Tey (The Daughter of Time; The Franchise Affair) as her detective protagonist, debut novelist Upson has written an original mystery as finely plotted as any of Tey's works. Set in 1934 London, when Tey was enjoying success as a playwright, the novel opens as she is traveling by train from Scotland to London for the final week of her hit play Richard of Bordeaux. But the murder of a young woman Tey meets on the train leads her into danger. Upson changed the names of the cast for her novel but interviewed the actual actors who performed (inclucing the late Sir John Gielgud), which gives her novel an authenticity that allows readers to wander through the streets of London and feel close to those who lived there. We can only hope that the next adventure of Miss Tey will be out soon. Fans of Tey, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and other writers of mystery's "Golden Age" (1919-39) will put this on their reserve lists. Highly recommended for all mystery collections.


—Jo Ann Vicarel
More Reviews (2) Fewer Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
A detective inspector and a real-life writer team up to solve several murders in 1930s London. Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to attend the closing-week celebration of her successful historical drama Richard of Bordeaux. Aboard the train, she befriends Elspeth Simmons, an enthusiastic young devotee of the play. When Elspeth is murdered in the train carriage at King's Cross Station while Tey chats with friends, the writer is drawn into the investigation. Scotland Yard DI Archie Penrose was the best friend of Tey's lover, who died in World War I. Now Penrose, who'll become the model for Tey's policeman hero Alan Grant, has fallen in love with Tey. A second murder strikes closer to home when Tey's mentor, theatrical manager Bernard Aubrey, is found poisoned in his office at the theater. The killings may well be related and the murderer may be among the people involved in the play. Elspeth's boyfriend, who works backstage, some of the leading actors, even members of Elspeth's adopted family, have possible motives, many grounded in the war's bitter past. Penrose and Tey must deal with their own complicated feelings about the war and each other as they mine the past for clues. The actual Josephine Tey, of course, wrote the historical gem The Daughter of Time (1951) and seven other classic murder mysteries. Though not up to Tey's standards, Upson's debut is a most promising valentine. Agent: Karolina Sutton/ICM
Los Angeles Times
“[A] blithely spirited debut. . . . Upson clearly knows her way around pre-World War II London and the grimy backstages of Covent Garden, and delivers an ending shot through with palpable surprise and emotion.”

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780061451553
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 6/16/2009
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 214,683
  • Series: Josephine Tey Series , #1
  • Product dimensions: 5.31 (w) x 8.00 (h) x 0.72 (d)

Meet the Author

Nicola Upson has written for a variety of publications, including the New Statesman, where she was a crime fiction critic. She also regularly contributes to BBC radio and has worked in the theater for ten years. She divides her time between Cambridge and Cornwall.

Read an Excerpt

An Expert in Murder A New Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey
By Nicola Upson
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2008 Nicola Upson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780061451539


Chapter One

Had she been superstitious, Josephine Tey might have realised the odds were against her when she found that her train, the early- morning express from the Highlands, was running an hour and a half late. At six o'clock, when she walked down the steps to the south-bound platform, she expected to find the air of excitement which always accompanies the muddled loading of people and suitcases onto a departing train. Instead, she was met by a testament to the long wait ahead: the carriages were in darkness; the engine itself gravely silent; and a mountain of luggage built steadily along the cold, grey strand of platform. But like most people of her generation, who had lived through war and loss, Josephine had acquired a sense of perspective, and the train's mechanical failure foretold nothing more sinister to her than a tiresome wait in the station's buffet. In fact, although this was the day of the first murder, nothing would disturb her peace of mind until the following morning.

By the time she had drained three cups of bland coffee, the train appeared to be ready for its journey. She left the buffet's crowded warmth and prepared to board, stopping on the way to buy a copy of yesterday's Times and a bar of Fry's chocolate from the small news kiosk next to the platform. As she took her seat, she could not help but feel a rush of excitement in spite ofthe delay: in a matter of hours, she would be in London.

The ornate station clock declared that it was a quarter past eight when the train finally left the mouth of the station and moved slowly out into the countryside. Josephine settled back into her seat and allowed the gentle thrum of the wheels to soothe away any lingering frustrations of the morning. Removing her gloves and taking out a handkerchief, she cleared a small port-hole in the misted window and watched as the strengthening light took some of the tiredness from the cold March day. On the whole, winter had been kind. There had, thank God, been no repeat of the snow wreaths and roaring winds which had brought the Highland railway to a sudden standstill the year before, leaving her and many others stranded in waiting rooms overnight. Engines with snow ploughs attached had been sent to force a passage through, and she would never forget the sight of them charging the drifts at full speed, shooting huge blocks of snow forty feet into the air.

Shivering at the memory of it, she unfolded her newspaper and turned to the review pages, where she was surprised to find that the Crime Book Society's selection was 'a hair-raising yarn' called Mr Munt Carries On. They couldn't have read the book, she thought, since she had tried it herself and considered Mr Munt to have carried on for far too long to be worth seven and six of anybody's money. When she arrived at the theatre section, which she had purposely saved until last, she smiled to herself at the news that Richard of Bordeaux—her own play and now London's longest run—was about to enter its final week.

As the train moved south, effortlessly eating into four hundred miles or so of open fields and closed communities, she noticed that spring had come early to England—as quick to grace the gentle countryside as it had been to enhance the drama of the hills against a Highland sky. There was something very precious about the way that rail travel allowed you to see the landscape, she thought. It had an expansiveness about it that the close confinement of a motor car simply could not match and she had loved it since, as a young woman, she had spent her holidays travelling every inch of the single-track line that shadowed the turf from Inverness to Tain. Even now, more than twenty years later, she could never leave Scotland by train without remembering the summer of her seventeenth birthday, when she and her lover—in defiance of the terrible weather—had explored the Highlands by rail, taking a different route from Daviot Station every morning. When war broke out, a year later almost to the day, the world changed forever but—for her at least—that particular bond to a different age had stayed the same, and perhaps always would.

This link with the past was becoming harder to hold on to, though, as she found herself unexpectedly in the public eye. She had had thirteen months and four hundred and sixty performances to get used to being the author of the most popular play in London, but fame still tasted strange to her. Richard of Bordeaux had brought success, but success brought a relinquishing of privacy which, though necessary, was not easily or willingly given. Every time she journeyed south, she felt torn between the celebrity that awaited her in London and the ties which kept her in Inverness—and knew she was not truly comfortable with either. But during the miles in between, for a few precious hours, she could still remember how it had felt to be seventeen and sure of what you wanted.

Today, though, anonymity vanished even earlier than expected when a pleasant-looking young woman boarded the train at Berwick-upon-Tweed and slid back the door to Josephine's carriage. She struggled apologetically with her luggage, but a gentleman quickly stood to help her wrestle a large, beautifully embroidered travelling bag into the overhead luggage rack, and she smiled gratefully at him when he offered up his window seat. As the girl settled herself in, Josephine gazed at her in fascination, but it was not so much her features that drew attention as the remarkable hat that framed them—a cloche, made of fine black straw, which was accentuated on one side by a curled white ostrich feather, flecked with beige and brown and attached by a long, black-tipped hatpin. It was hardly the sort of thing that Josephine would ever wear herself, and it made her own plain velvet seem bland in comparison, but she admired its delicate beauty nonetheless.



Continues...

Excerpted from An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson Copyright © 2008 by Nicola Upson. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 15 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(6)

3 Star

(4)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(2)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

Sort by: Showing all of 15 Customer Reviews

  • Posted February 18, 2011

    Absolutely loved it!!

    I've just read four hours straight to finish this book. I just could NOT put it down! That's why I'm so surprised to see the less-than-stellar reviews for it. I love mysteries, and all things English, so give me a mystery set in London, throw in a slightly downtrodden Scotland Yard inspector, a train, and add the theatre to it...I'm THERE! And I must say I found none of the previously mentioned boring conversations, etc. I found it to be an intelligent, very well written story, with an intricately woven plot and cast of characters that would make Elizabeth George or Agatha Christie proud. Granted, I do think you might enjoy this a great deal more than others if you DO happen to love the theatre (and especially if, like me, you've spent time in and around the theatre that serves as a main setting for the book- along with neighboring pubs!) But in summary, if you love the things I mentioned above, I can't imagine you wouldn't love this book. Don't miss it!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted March 22, 2010

    I love Mysteries but not this one

    I picked this book up at the BN store thought it looked interesting. Boring, long winded and contrived. The book has long and I mean long spouts of unnecessary absolutley boring conversations between boring characters, which does not move the story along but is great for falling asleep at night. I plowed thru to find the most ridiulous ending. If you love mysteries pass this one by.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 7, 2009

    slow

    I love mysteries, but for some reason I just found this book slow going. None of the characters were particularily likeable.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 7, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Well worth reading

    An entertaining book for traditional cozy enthusiasts. Some passages were a little bit too slow for me which is why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 9, 2011

    Would not recommend

    I love mysteries, especially mysteries that take place in England. Purchased the book because of the book cover. That was the only good thing about the book. Just could not get into the story or plot. Read it to the end, thinking that it would get better but it didn't. The characters were hard to keep track of, conversations between the characters were long winded and not focused. If you want to read a good English mystery, read Jacqueline Winspear's Massie Dobbs series. Her Massie Dobbs series are very engaging and a good read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 22, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 6, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 24, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 9, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 31, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 17, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 16, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 8, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 23, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 15 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit