An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey, #1) in Lesbian Mysteries

Jan 19, 2016 Megan added it · review of another edition

Shelves: lesbian-mystery

This is a unique entry into the lesbian mystery canon in that its protagonist, Josephine Tey, has not yet come to terms with her sexuality when the book opens. In fact, we are told that as a young woman in Inverness she had a male “lover” who was killed in WWI. It is only as we read through the entire series that we begin to see her preference for female love and companionship. In other words, as her own perceptions grow, so does the reader’s.

In this book, Josephine Tey, a novelist and playwrig This is a unique entry into the lesbian mystery canon in that its protagonist, Josephine Tey, has not yet come to terms with her sexuality when the book opens. In fact, we are told that as a young woman in Inverness she had a male “lover” who was killed in WWI. It is only as we read through the entire series that we begin to see her preference for female love and companionship. In other words, as her own perceptions grow, so does the reader’s.

In this book, Josephine Tey, a novelist and playwright, is traveling from her home in Scotland to London, where her long-running play is finally coming to an end. On the train she meets pretty Elspeth Simmons, who is a great fan of Josephine’s. Josephine even introduces her to her friend Lydia, the leading lady in her play who, along with her new lover Marta Fox, has come to meet Josephine’s train. Minutes after the women part, however, young Elspeth is murdered and it is up to Josephine’s long-time friend, Inspector Arthur Penrose, to find the murderer before . . . well, you know.

There are a lot of things to like about this book, including the winding and unusual plot, Upson’s literary style, and the knowledge of the 1930s London stage that the reader is introduced to throughout. Upson is also an expert in Josephine Tey and her writings. Tey is not a particularly interesting character in this book, but—as odd as it sounds—I think this is deliberate. I think that Upson is in this for the long run and wants the reader to experience Josephine’s growth—both personal and sexual—as the series goes on. This bodes well for the series as a whole, but not necessarily for the initial volume.

Upson is a master of the long sentence; it is not unusual to find sentences over 30 words and I found one that had 83. Like in the work of John Lyly—who wrote in the late 1500s—the sentences are not only beautifully constructed, but easy to follow. Eventually, though—especially in a mystery, which is generally chosen for the lightness of its reading—convoluted sentences can become almost ponderous to today’s readers. Even I found myself more than once thinking, “Get on with it.”

Josephine and Marta barely get to know each other in this book. Marta is the lover of one of Josephine’s best friends and although Josephine is attracted to the woman as a friend, she never sees her in a sexual way. In fact, Josephine sees no one in that way—even Inspector Penrose, who is obviously in love with her. The way that Upson tries to involve Marta in the crimes is a logistical nightmare that she should never have attempted. She didn’t really have to; the murderer had all the reason he needed without Marta complicating the plot.

Another irritating thing to someone who loves lesbian mysteries is the fact that Upson relegates Josephine to a much smaller role than I would have liked. Not only does the author flit from point of view to point of view, but Inepector Penrose seems to be the main character. Josephine needs more screen time. Although I read this book avidly, because of the quibbles mentioned above, I can give it no more than a 3.5. I have, though, ordered the next three books in the series.

Neither this book nor its sequels are tagged as lesbian mysteries. In fact, no mention of Josephine’s same-sex preference is included in the any of the books’ back-cover descriptions. This irked some readers, who gave them a 1-star rating for making Josephine gay or for having the protagonist turn lesbian without warning. Invariably, these reviewers stopped reading at that point (or so they say) and gave their sad ratings despite having admiration for the excellent writing. This kind of reviewing is unforgivable. Unfortunately, it is also indicative of today’s reading audience—and in fact, of the rising divisions in our society. What is better, then, for an author: to mask a character’s sexuality hoping for more sales but realizing that they will receive more low reviews than normal; or to label the book more completely, getting higher ratings overall but losing a lot of sales—most sales, in fact—despite mostly glowing reviews by magazine and newspaper critics, who rarely let their sexual preferences interfere with their literary objectivity? It’s a hard choice, but I’m sure that Upson is earning a healthy bankroll from her sales. And based on my reading of An Expert in Murder, she has earned at least some of it.

Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors. ...more

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Jan 20, 2016 Mel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century-fiction, queer, lesbian, beatrix, library-2016

When I learned that there was a lesbian mystery set in the same time and period as all my theatre research I decided I really should read it. Reading "historical fiction" having read so many primary sources from the period seemed odd. There was nothing wrong with the setting of the book the writer had clearly done her research on how things were, but the book just lacked the cultural vibe of the 30s. There was none of the wit or introspection found in most of the 30s books I've been immersing my ...more

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