Fear in the Sunlight
In Upson’s fourth Josephine Tey mystery, starring the real-life mystery author, the lead character is less sleuth than featured player. To celebrate her fortieth birthday in 1936, Tey, along with her good friend Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Archie Penrose, goes to the fairytale-like Welsh resort of Portmeirion at the same time Alfred Hitchcock and his film company are there. Here Tey meets Alma Reville, Hitch’s wife, and agrees to the filming of her novel A Shilling for Candles. But sunny Portmeirion turns dark, even gothic, as the tangle of blood and emotional relationships between characters leads to the murders of two women, one of whom is film star Bella Hutton. Her death is followed by the presumed suicide (interpreted as a confession) of actor Leyton Turnbull. These events are bracketed by scenes from 1945, as the retiring Penrose learns the truth about what happened in 1936 and acknowledges, once again, that Hitchcock is a master of suspense. A deft and agreeably darker addition to the series featuring Tey, who is an underappreciated author in the eyes of Upson. --Michele Leber