My list of favorite authors is growing daily, the latest addition being Nicola Upson, who has written An Expert in Murder, A Josephine Tey Mystery. (Thanks, Sarah, for the recommendation, and yes, it's another mystery, but I love them!!!)
It is 1934, and Josephine Tey is a mystery writer and play write with a smash hit on the London stage. Long running Richard of Bordeaux is in it's final week of production and emotions are running high. The actors are worrying about their next jobs, disgruntled stage hands are nurturing their resentments, and the fans are lining up in hope of seeing the show one more time. Josephine is taking the train from Scotland to London for this last week when she meets Elspeth Simmons, a huge fan and admirer of both the play and Josephine. Josephine is enchanted by Elspeth, but this being a British puzzle mystery we need a dead body to get things going, and Elspeth gets the part. Enter stage right a handsome Scotland Yard detective, murders with props carefully arranged, secret passageways, hidden identities and an atmosphere of danger around every backdrop and set. (This would make a great script for Mystery! on PBS.) All is revealed before the final curtain, of course, but the most revealing bits are in the author's note at the end of the book. Josephine Tey was a real person! At least Elizabeth Mackintosh was, and Elizabeth Tey was one of her pseudonyms. She really did write Richard of Bordeaux, which ran for 463 performances in London before closing on March 24, 1934. And get this: the part of Richard was played by John Gielgud! It made him a star overnight.
So, this is a work of fiction, but it is based on real people and real events. And the truth always makes for a great and strange story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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