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The Death of Lucy Kyte

(Josephine Tey #5)

Nicola Upson (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 1,355 ratings · 186 reviews

In this atmospheric, intriguing historical mystery brimming with psychological tension, an unexpected inheritance plunges beloved British mystery author Josephine Tey into a disturbing puzzle of dark secrets eerily connecting the present and the past

When Josephine Tey unexpectedly inherits Red Barn Cottage from her estranged godmother, the will stipulates that she must per ...more

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Paperback, 368 pages

Published June 10th 2014 by Bourbon Street Books (first published July 30th 2013)

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· 1,355 ratings · 186 reviews

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Mar 15, 2018 Susan Albert rated it it was amazing

Shelves: british-mysteries, historical-fiction

I've been a big fan of the masterful mystery author, Josephine Tey, for decades and am delighted to discover Nicola Upson's series. Tey is just as I imagined her to be. Her biographical background is subtly introduced and serves to create the heavily atmospheric plots, both in the present time (1930s) and in the century-old murder mystery. The story develops slowly, which may frustrate readers who are looking for action. The important development, though, is in the character of Josephine, as she ...more

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Nov 08, 2013 Terry Gibson rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a beautiful literate book, which I was so looking forward to reading; so why have I been disappointed? Let me say first, that I’ve never read any books by Nicola Upson; maybe that is part of the problem. I know she has used the character of Josephine Tey in at least two other books, so, as a new reader, I expected some information about Josephine Tey, some idea of her as a person; but apart from the fact that she was a real person, rather than a fictitious character, I was left frustrate ...more

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Jul 11, 2013 Cheryl M-M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Kudos to the author for bringing attention to Josephine Tey aka Elizabeth MacKintosh, scottish writer of murder mysteries and a successful playwright.
Upson has created a main fictional character based on the image, I presume, that Upson has of Tey. That in itself would have been a challenge, as Tey was multifaceted and also elusive as a person. Tey actively avoided the pres and public attention.
The story suffered on occasion from drawn out descriptions and purple prose, which made it slightly lo ...more

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May 17, 2014 Lian Tanner rated it it was ok

Shelves: crime, historical, mystery

I felt pretty ho-hum about this, all the way through. The story was interesting enough, but I just didn't warm to the characters or feel as if they were particularly rounded. And the writing seemed oddly flat. Not sure where all the glowing reviews inside the front cover came from, but this is not a series I'll follow. ...more

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Mar 13, 2018 Niki rated it it was ok

a disappointment for me - I could give it 2.5, because the writing is beautiful, but I haven't found the atmosphere of the previous books by Nicola Upson ...more

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May 24, 2020 Harriet Steel rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, literary-fiction, romance, ghost-stories

Acclaimed author, Josephine Tey, who has a sideline in amateur detection, inherits an old cottage in Suffolk from her godmother, actress Hester Larkspur. Hester was a close friend of Josephine's mother but Josephine only met her once or twice as a child.
Hester's Will stipulates that she wants Josephine to dispose of the contents of the cottage as she sees fit, and it soon becomes apparent that the task is an unusual and daunting one, for Hester's possessions include memorabilia from the notoriou ...more

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Oct 15, 2017 Connie D rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, josephine-tey, ghost

You'll have to check out an official summary (or someone else's. This book has a fascinating mystery (including hauntings) and the MC's process in finding the truth was intriguing....but it would take too long to explain right now.

Incidentally, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read the previous Josephine Tey mysteries.

P.S. It took me so long because I only read it in bed.

...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, alphabet-challenge-2, z2019-abc

I enjoyed reading this historical-mystery-within-an-historical-mystery, the former based on a true historical crime, the latter fictional. Nicola Upson's series consists of fictional novels featuring real-life crime writer Josephine Tey as the central character and amateur detective.
In this story, Josephine inherits a country cottage in Suffolk from her late godmother, a famous stage actress, of whom she has seen nothing since her childhood in Inverness. The cottage happens to overlook the site ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 Stephen rated it liked it

This has been a bit of a disappointing read. The crux of a good story is there because it unites the present in a town in the English countryside with a horrible murder from a century before.
Josephine Tey, a mystery writer is bequeathed a cottage by her Godmother, Hester Larkspur. Hester was a famous English actress, who appeared in many stage presentations with her husband, Walter. But when Walter died, Hester's life seemed to crumble. When Josephine starts to investigate her inheritance the ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Stephanie rated it liked it

If you are in the mood for a slow, but thoroughly detailed look into both the 1930s English countryside as well as the 1800s English countryside, this book may be for you. I've never been to England, but have always loved reading of/hearing of the countryside, especially the English coast. Josephine is a lovely character, and she came to life for me, as did those around her. There is a bit of a meta-quality to the story as we are reading a mystery about Josephine reading about a mystery, thus co ...more

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Jan 15, 2014 Laura Lee rated it it was amazing

A series, will be reading the rest! Josephine Tey is a successful playwrite who inherits a cottage in the Suffolk countryside. It was the home of her godmother Hester, an actress of past renown. Josephine did not really know Hester, her mother's best friend, except a few memories as a child. The cottage is seemingly haunted, sad and full of grief. Josephine follows in Hester's footsteps to release the house from its demons. Excellent story, wonderful writing, would be great book club book. I don ...more

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Mar 13, 2019 Lizpixie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: homelibrary, mounttbr, mounttbrshelvesofdoom

My favourite in the series so far. Rides that fine line between Murder mystery & ghost story with ease, bringing to life both an 1828 Murder & a suspicious death in the 1930s. Add in some doors opening on their own, the smell of smoke with no source for it & footsteps on the backstairs, going to a room with an atmosphere of sadness and you have a genuinely creepy mystery.

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Jul 29, 2018 Irma Myers-Donihoo rated it it was amazing

This Josephine Tey mystery was different in that a) it seemed more Tey centric and contained a 100 yo murder for her to figure out. Very descriptive passages of Suffolk. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

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Feb 19, 2020 Kathleen rated it really liked it

Shelves: mysteries, mystery-just-waiting-for-the-next-b, my-uk-etc-thing

This fifth book in the series based on the life of Josephine Tey, detective novelist and playwright, continues to develop the shy, private persona of the intelligent protagonist while revealing all her self-doubts and second guessing about her relationships. The reader learns more about Marta Fox whom Josephine had met two years before; Marta was involved with Josephine's good friend, Lydia, and had reluctantly fallen in love with Marta. Marta is as complex as Josephine; her experience with grie This fifth book in the series based on the life of Josephine Tey, detective novelist and playwright, continues to develop the shy, private persona of the intelligent protagonist while revealing all her self-doubts and second guessing about her relationships. The reader learns more about Marta Fox whom Josephine had met two years before; Marta was involved with Josephine's good friend, Lydia, and had reluctantly fallen in love with Marta. Marta is as complex as Josephine; her experience with grief and betrayal has marked but not destroyed her. Her son was executed for killing her daughter, but she steadfastly refuses to speak of all that lies beneath the surface, creating "a peculiar hybrid of barrier and bond between them."

Josephine has inherited Red Barn Cottage in a remote, small village in Suffolk, England, from her godmother, Hester Larkspur, a woman she barely knew, her mother's best friend. She understands their shared love for theater is the reason she has been entrusted with sorting through Hester's papers and the ephemera of her theater days. She also understands that the darkness that pervades the isolated cottage has its roots in something that deeply troubled Hester long before Hester began to lose her vision and independence.

Hester had been passionate/obsessed about Maria Marten's death over 100 years before. For years she and her husband had staged a melodrama about Maria, a servant girl who lived nearby, and her sad affair with William Corder. During the renovation of the cottage, Josephine discovers Hester's unfinished manuscript, a fictional account of the months of Maria's courtship with William Corder, her murder and the aftermath of the trial and execution, told through the eyes of an unnamed narrator, Maria's best friend. Then she discovers the diary of that friend, which strengthens her commitment to finding the truth about Hester's last months and the mystery surrounding the narrator.

As the renovation continues, Josephine discovers a link to a book seller in London whom she believes has received stolen goods from Hester's cottage, relics of Maria Marten, which are extremely valuable. Following the clues, Tey learns the truth about all the women in the story but also uncovers terrible sadness and bitterness. Some readers might find the diary thread a bit tedious, and others might find the local villagers tiresome; no one could predict the plot threads coming together or the outcome.

A fun interlude in the rather dark plot involves Josephine meeting Chief Inspector Archie Penrose for his advice while Archie and his colleagues are guarding King Edward and Wallis Simpson in the weeks before the King's abdication of the throne. Not only did I enjoy being reminded of its importance and interest to the English but Archie also mentions the "Boston Globe," my daily newspaper!

...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Camilla rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was ok. It sadly bored me throughout the book. She writes very well. Her landscapes descriptions are amongst the best. I didn’t like the characters. Almost liked Miss Peck more than Josephine, or at least, cared more about her. Understood her. Josephine’s indecisiveness was too much.

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Jul 31, 2019 Laura Jayne Tricker rated it liked it

This one was slow to unfold. The writing was beautiful but lacked real bones and stretched out unnecessarily in some parts, while important plot reveals were brushed over. A little uneven for me but I did want to keep reading and untangle the mystery.

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Dec 30, 2018 Julie rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 23, 2014 Ryan rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-but-no-longer-own

Nicola Upson, Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, and Susan Elia MacNeal, now you may be asking why I'm just listing a bunch of authors at the beginning of a book review, well good question. For a reasons, I will get to in a second, these authors are all tied up together in my head. First of all, they are all set around the same time, in the same country. Basing mysteries in England, around the two World Wars, will automatically link them together. For me, it's more than that though. They aren't Nicola Upson, Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, and Susan Elia MacNeal, now you may be asking why I'm just listing a bunch of authors at the beginning of a book review, well good question. For a reasons, I will get to in a second, these authors are all tied up together in my head. First of all, they are all set around the same time, in the same country. Basing mysteries in England, around the two World Wars, will automatically link them together. For me, it's more than that though. They aren't the only author's who are writing about that time period, nor are they the only authors who are doing it with mysteries, but they are a group of writers who are doing it with a certain narrative style and "feel" to their books. I've said it about all their books before, but their is a "gentleness" to the narrative, even when they are talking about horrific murders and people destroying lives all around them. I'm not even sure, nor have I ever been able to, explain what I say, but if you have read their books, I hope you know what I'm talking about. The easiest way I can say it, these books, though they are mysteries, make me feel comfortable.

This is only the second book I've read in the Josephine Tey series by Nicola Upson. The first book was Two for Sorrows, and I read that way back in 2011. Going into it, I was a little hesitant, simply because the main character is a fictionalized version of a mystery writer. A lot of authors butcher that concept, either changing the character so much, that they have nothing in common with their real life counterpart. Or they do the exact opposite, keeping so faithfully to who they were in real life, that they just should have written a biography of them. A good author, which Nicola Upson is, will combine real and fictional, paying homage to the character, allowing them to come back to life for an audience who may not already be familiar with them.

Like Two for Sorrows, the narrative pace is slow and relaxed, which allows the past to mingle with the present. It allows the two time periods to meld together, which creates a smooth flow to the story. There is not harsh jumping back and forth, nor is there any sense of disharmony between the two plot points. For what it's worth, while there is a sense of danger and mystery to what's going on around her, it doesn't over shadow the story of the Red Barn murder, nor that of Lucy Kyte. It's actually made me want to read about the actual Red Barn murder case.

Even though I'm reading this series out of order, which is making the relationship between Josephine and Marta a little confusing to me, I love the fact that the author is not shying away from Tey's sexuality. Until recently there has been this habit of whitewashing or ignoring the sexuality of famous gay or bisexual people. I'm glad that we seem to be correcting that wrong, which allows us to fully understand our past, and our literary history. ...more

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Jul 01, 2013 Valerie Campbell Ackroyd rated it liked it · review of another edition

I took a long time to read this book. The beginning was so slow that I had actually put it aside, thinking I would just not finish it. I didn't enjoy the portrayal of Josephine Tey, whose novels I had so enjoyed in my teens. A private person in real life, I felt that Tey would be incensed at Upson's commandeering of her, adding details that no one could possibly know the truth about. However, about a week ago, I looked at it on my Kindle again and realized that, having read about 30% of it, I ha ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Terry rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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Sep 10, 2013 Noodles78 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It was a lot slower than her previous novels, and I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it. Then, I suddenly realised I was loving it and didn't want to put it down. It was subtle, tense and incredibly atmospheric. Loved it. ...more

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Mar 05, 2018 Corinne rated it liked it · review of another edition

The story started out so slowly that I almost gave up on it. Finally, toward the end of the audiobook, the pace picked up and tied up a lot of the loose threads. The use of the F word was unnecessary and jarring in contrast to the otherwise peaceful writing.

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Jul 19, 2020 Heidi rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There are some things I liked about this book, and some things I didn't. Things I liked include wonderful descriptions of the locale (Suffolk village), the cottage, the countryside. I am a sucker for all things English and old, and fortunately, since I was listening to this rather than reading it (all that description might've felt a bit draggy had I been reading it while doing nothing else) I was able to just be swept along, enjoying the atmosphere. Liked the country folk in the village, was in There are some things I liked about this book, and some things I didn't. Things I liked include wonderful descriptions of the locale (Suffolk village), the cottage, the countryside. I am a sucker for all things English and old, and fortunately, since I was listening to this rather than reading it (all that description might've felt a bit draggy had I been reading it while doing nothing else) I was able to just be swept along, enjoying the atmosphere. Liked the country folk in the village, was intrigued with the ghostly aspects manifested themselves in the house, etc.

Upson is a good writer, though she does tend to "run on" a bit.

Generally like stories that combine the past with the present. Though the story in the past was a lot less interesting than some I've read, I thought the ending tied things up satisfyingly.

Things I didn't like: this is my second book about the fictionalized Josephine Tey, and I have mixed feelings about her. For one thing, she spends a lot of time telling us how much she doesn't like spending time with people. In both books, there was a lot of dwelling on how if she was friendly she would find herself imposed upon and forced into social interactions she didn't want. I'm not the most sociable person in the world, but somehow reading about a character who is so reclusive and suspicious of friendliness was not fun. She also dwells a lot on the fact that she is to a certain extent tied down to taking care of her father, even though he still seems pretty healthy and able to take care of himself, and that motif – fear of having to give up her life to take care of someone else – grates. She was close to her mother, but when her mother dies all she can think of is, "Oh, dear, now there's no one else to take care of dad." It's all to a certain degree understandable, and I get it that back in the day women were expected to become caretakers when they didn't want to, but she just dwells on it to a degree that feels stifling. She doesn't somehow feel terribly positive.

Finally, since this is a cozy, and since it does take place in the 30s, I find having characters say "f***ing" jarring. As in, "So and so was f***ing unhappy." Why do you have to use the more vulgar term when you could have used something milder? This is a book my mother-in-law might've enjoyed, but the occasional, (and in my opinion, given books from that era that I've read, not realistic) swear word would pull me out of the mood jarringly.

Although I like stories from the past, I didn't find the diary that she shares in its entirety to be particularly compelling. The author of the diary, Lucy Kyte of the title, is the best friend of a woman who was murdered in the 1800s (apparently a true story) and although she, Lucy, is married, she is obsessed with the murdered woman. I didn't find it realistic, unless she was actually gay and in love with her and that is not overtly said. In fact, her semi-obsessiveness with her dead friend's fateis the cause of much tragedy, and I didn't buy it. Plus, Josephine is apparently really captivated by Lucy Kyte and her diary, but I thought her life seemed rather ordinary and was a bit bored by the diary itself.

So there we are. I feel that there are themes and language in this series that are not true to life given the era, and this fact takes me "out of it" and frankly makes me a bit uncomfortable. Probably will not read another one of these, although the mysteries have been interesting.

...more

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Dec 07, 2018 Susan rated it it was amazing

This was a rather fascinating story, including a 'story within the story'. Josephine inherits an isolated cottage from her godmother, with the proviso that she clear it out and take care of her papers. There is also a bequest to Lucy Kyte, but the solicitor is having trouble finding her. While staying at the cottage, Josephine discovers her godmother was obsessed with a murdered girl called Maria Martin - she had starred several times in a play (where she is called Maria Marten) about the girl. ...more

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Dec 04, 2018 Vic Lauterbach rated it liked it

I didn't realize this novel was the fifth entry in a series when I started it, so I finished it out of obligation after taking a break to read the first installment. This one is better overall than An Expert in Murder in which Ms. Upson's fictitious amateur sleuth named Josephine Tey debuted because here she takes on the central role while D.I. Archie Penrose makes only a token appearance. The plot, which is very loosely based on a real 19-century crime, is nicely developed (although the superna ...more

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Jun 14, 2017 Charlene Roberson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, mystery, relationships, historical-fiction

I was not familiar with the Red Barn murder, nor with Josephine Tey, except through a previous novel, but neither of those affected my enjoyment of this book. Set in Suffolk, England sometime in the 1930s, Nicola Upson has managed to give the author a rich life, which seems to be all fictional! Josephine Tey is a novelist and playwright, involved with the theater in London, although she is originall Scottish. When she inherits a cottage in Suffolk from a godmother she was barely acquainted with, ...more

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Dec 09, 2017 Miriam rated it really liked it

Shelves: mysteries, historical-fiction

This complex mystery / gothic mystery features mystery writer Josephine Tey as detective and heroine. This series is part of a trend that features authors or fictional characters as detectives in other tales. Upson creates an interesting literary tale cum mystery that will keep you interested until the very end.

The story is set in the 1930s when Tey was at her height as author and playwright. After inheriting a house in the rural Suffolk countryside from her godmother, she begins reading about t ...more

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Mar 10, 2018 Christine rated it liked it

I'd never heard of Maria Marten or the Red Barn Murder, committed in 1827 in Polstead, Suffolk, England--but the local fascination with all things to do with the tragic crime and its aftermath brought to mind parallels (and differences) with the notorious Borden murders of Fall River, MA, my home town.

Upson gives her 1930s heroine Josephine Tey plenty to investigate when she has the author/sleuth inherit the Red Barn Cottage overlooking the scene of the earlier crime. Upson weaves together deta ...more

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Sep 17, 2020 Linda Amos rated it it was amazing

Josephine's godmother, Hester, has passed away and in her will Josephine is left her cottage in Suffolk. The co-beneficiary is a mystery. It is on the edge of the village and is somewhat dilapidated, but Josephine decides to stay the night. The villagers don't seems particularly friendly, nor does the house. There is a feeling of overwhelming sadness and grief about the place. As Josephine starts to find out why, the Red Barn Murder plays a prominent part, as does Hester's choice of husband.
As ...more

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May 22, 2017 Verity W rated it liked it

Shelves: the-library-book-shelf

This is the second in this series that I've read - and is the book before the other one. So I'm definitely missing out on a lot of backstory here, but this is an engrossing read which ties a real life crime fiction author in to a real life historical crime (one which I heard all about when I worked down Suffolk way). I still can't make up my mind what I think about the series though - I think I need to try and get hold of one of the earlier books in the series to fill in some gaps. I didn't like ...more

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About Nicola Upson

Nicola Upson

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Nicola Upson was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and read English at Downing College, Cambridge. She has worked in theatre and as a freelance journalist, and is the author of two non-fiction works, and the recipient of an Escalator Award from Arts Council England. She lives with her partner and splits her time between Cambridge and Cornwall.

Nicola is currently writing the sixth book in the 'Jos ...more