SORRY FOR THE DEAD

This is number eight in Nicola Upson's crime series, and narrator Helen Lloyd perfectly brings its setting and personalities into sharp focus. In the early part of the twentieth century, Josephine Tey was a popular crime writer. In Upson's series Josephine actually investigates crimes. Here, she is called to the horticultural school Moira House to help clarify the details of a death she witnessed 25 years before. Georgina Hartford-Wroe and Harriet Barker ran the school, and Dorothy, one of the students, accused the women of an "unnatural" relationship. Shortly after, Dorothy was found dead. Lloyd's tone can be coldly calculating or add depth and warmth where required. She sounds proper and persistent as Josephine uncovers myriad secrets in this labyrinthine, splendidly constructed plot. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2020]