Angel with Two Faces: A Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey (Josephine Tey Mysteries, 2)

Inspector Archie Penrose invites Josephine Tey down to his home in Cornwall so she can recover from the traumatic events depicted in 'An Expert in Murder'. However, Josephine's hopes of rest are dashed when her arrival coincides with the funeral of a young man from the village who had drowned when his horse leapt into the nearby lake.

Exhausted and disillusioned with the world of theater in May 1935, Josephine Tey has traveled to Cornwall to spend the summer with her friends the Motleys at their run-down but beautiful country estate. Ready to begin work on her second mystery novel, Tey finds much to inspire her in the landscape and its legends. Meanwhile, the Motleys have become involved in an amateur production at the nearby Minack Theater.

Detective Inspector Archie Penrose has returned to his roots in Cornwall to attend the funeral of a family friend, a young estate worker who died in a tragic riding accident. Penrose has a few questions about the circumstances surrounding the fatal occurrence. And when the Minack Theater proves to be the stage for a real-life tragedy, Penrose and Tey together must investigate an audacious murder and confront an evil suggesting that there are darker things than death.

Publishers Weekly

No classic detective fiction aficionado will want to miss Upson’s compelling sequel to 2008’s An Expert in Murder, which introduced mystery author Josephine Tey (1896-1952) as sleuth. In 1935, Tey’s close friend, Scotland Yard Inspector Archie Penrose, has returned on holiday to Cornwall, his childhood home, where he ends up attending the funeral of estate worker Harry Pinching, who drowned in Loe Pool, rumored to take a life every seven years. Most locals believe Pinching’s death was an accident, but Penrose and Tey, who joins the inspector in Cornwall, soon pick up on ominous undercurrents in the community that suggest otherwise. As the pair attempt to uncover the truth, Penrose witnesses another death that’s unquestionably murder. The subtle prose succeeds both at evoking the quiet splendor of the Cornish landscape and in capturing the tragedy and torment that plague many of the characters. The psychological sophistication will resonate with Charles Todd fans. (July)

“As befits a tribute to the golden age of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers et. al., there are plot twists, plot turns and red herrings aplenty.” —Time Out London Real-life British mystery writer Josephine Tey returns as a fictional sleuth in Angel with Two Faces—the second atmospheric mystery in Nicola Upson’s wonderfully inventive series. In this riveting sequel to Expert in Murder, Tey, in league with intrepid policeman Detective Inspector Archie Penrose, is called upon to help unravel a dark and perplexing crime at a Cornwall country house and backstage at a local theater. Fans of P.D. James and of British noir in general will adore Angel with Two Faces—a traditional mystery with a twist—and this writer whom Ms. James herself calls, “A new and assured talent.” Inspector Archie Penrose invites Josephine Tey down to his family home in Cornwall so she can recover from the traumatic events depicted in "An Expert in Murder". However, Josephine's hopes of experiencing a period of rest are dashed when her arrival coincides with the funeral of a young man who had drowned when his horse leapt into a lake. Scotland Yard Inspector Archie Penrose and mystery author Josephine Tey team up to solve the murder of estate worker Harry Pinching in Penrose's hometown of Cornwall