Many thanks to Nicola Upson, Faber and Faber Ltd and Netgalley for this review copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book set in a part of the world very close to my heart. 13 strangers on and island cut off from the mainland on Christmas Day, what could go wrong...
Gripping

Death Interupts Festivities....
The ninth in the Josephine Tey series of historical mysteries, December 1938 and Christmas is approaching. Death interrupts festivities, however, as Josephine and friends gather hoping for a festive Cornish Christmas. With a wonderfully evocative setting, a colourful cast and a solid plot this is another thoroughly enjoyable read and a fitting entry into this excellent series.

Although not my favourite so far, this latest in Nicola Upson's most excellent series of Josephine Tey novels provides interesting fare for newcomers and old hands alike.

The setting is magnificent- St Michael's Mount- and is atmospherically evoked, While the plot is less convoluted and the construction in some ways simpler than previously, the interplay of the 1938-present with events of twenty years earlier is neatly handled. The immediate-prewar period is skilfully made real and the mingling  of historical and imagined characters is effective. There are nice touches-one character is reading his "Christie for Christmas", for instance, and the appearance of Marlene Dietrich allows some good and pertinent points to be made about support and opposition to fascism at that time.

Thoroughly enjoyable, literate and well-written. What could be better to recommend than this for a dark December evening?

Do spend time with Josephine, Marta , Marlene and Archie in this "Upson for Christmas".

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber& Faber for the digital review copy.

"it was the day that stripped the joy from christmas"

This is my first Nicola Upson novel, but unbeknownst to me it was actually the ninth in long running series. That is my fault for not checking beforehand, but luckily this can be read as a standalone. 

The Josephine Tey series follows, you guessed it, Josephine Tey. She was a real life crime writer, and this series blends fact and fiction in a really interesting way, where it become difficult to tell what is truth and what has been embellished. 

This book feels like what an Agatha Christie novel would be if it were set at Christmas on a Cornish island. We follow a large cast of characters, isolated on an island for Christmas in 1938. WW2 looms on the horizon, and the festivities are dampened by not only by the impending war but by two brutal deaths that took place in their midsts. There is a killer among them, but who?

That sounds like something I would absolutely adore, and at the beginning I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and characters. However, as the novel continued, I became more and more bored and couldn't even bring myself to theorise about the mystery. I must acknowledge that some of my feelings are almost definitely influenced by the time at which I read this. I was going through exams, and as such, quite stressed. I could only read between 10-20 pages of this a day, which definitely could have impacted the extent to which I became invested in the story. But at the same time, I never really felt the urge to read more than that, and most of the time felt like I just wanted to get it over with so I could move on to other things. 

This book felt quite simple and archetypical. I think my lack of enjoyment was partly to do with misplaced expectations. I have been reading quite a few modern mystery/thrillers recently, and have become accustomed to their twisty, dramatic nature. In comparison, this felt slow and unexciting. While I know it was meant to mirror the tone and pace of older whodunnits, it wasn't my cup of tea. If you have enjoyed more classic and old timey mysteries, I would definitely recommend this one! The Christmas element makes it perfect for the upcoming holiday season, but also introduces some darkness and grittiness for readers who want something more than a fluffy Christmas rom-com. 

As for the actual resolution, I found myself a little underwhelmed. Two murders take place, and the first I found a little predictable. The second, we experience near the beginning- meaning that we can't even try to guess what happened. The stakes didn't feel all that high, and as a result I never felt that underlying tension or suspense that keeps me going. 

Overall, I want to make it clear that this is by no means a bad book. In fact, I think it was written quite well. However, the execution wasn't done in a way that made me all that invested and I found the resolution to be a bit anticlimactic. I think this is definitely a case of its not you, its me. Other readers will undoubtably adore this, but I wasn't quite the target audience. 

★★☆☆☆.5 stars

Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd for this ARC

Release Date: 5 November 2020

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Dead of Winter is the ninth book in Nicola Upson’s intriguing Josephine Tey series. It can be read as a stand-alone. This series combines real people, places and events with fictional characters in a mystery that leaves you guessing as to how much of it is real and how much imagined. A house party charity fundraiser for refugees from Germany in December of 1938 has a diverse group of people gathering for Christmas on St. Michael’s Mount off the coast of Cornwall. When the weather cuts the castle off from the mainland, and it turns out that there are connections from the past between several of the guests, at least one of whom is not who they are pretending to be. Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose has more on his hands than escorting a famous movie star when the body of one of the guests is found on Christmas morning. The story follows the conventions of mysteries written by the likes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers but with a twist similar to those of Josephine Tey, who, of course, appears as a character in this book. I enjoyed it very much and do recommend it. Publishing Date: November 5, 2020 #TheDeadOfWinter #NicolaUpson #FaberAndFaberLtd #HistoricalMystery #MysteriesAndThrillers #MysterySeries #bookstagram #bookstagramer

There's something about whodunnits in wintery isolated settings this year. I've read The Guest List, Snow and One by One is the next book I've planned to read. 

The Dead of Winter also takes place on an isolated location, namely St Michael's Mount in Cornwall in 1938. An exclusive charity event has been planned by the owner of the Mount in order to support displaced Jewish children from Germany. 

The police officer Archie has been invited since he's an old friend of the owner Hilaria St. Aubyn. She has invited a celebrity to attend as well hoping that it would bring about some publicity for the Mount and its cause. Archie in turn invites his two friends Josephine and Marta. 

You might have guessed it. The guests all have their own backstories and as they arrive on their location one by one, they find out that the Mount will be isolated for a few days due to bad weather. They are ready to celebrate Christmas, so they don't mind until one of them ends up dead and the only one who could've done it has to be among them. 

I felt that this book was a little bit short. It's strange to say, but the action and investigation started half way through and it wasn't enough to fully grip me although I found the ending to be satisfying. 

The story is told through the eyes of around eight different characters, which means part of the first half you'll have to guess who was who. Then when the action gets going the novel has ended. 

I like that this novel is in a way based on real life. Josephine Tey is apparently the Agatha Christie of her time, the celebrity is also well-known and St Michael's Mount was in hands of Hilaria St. Aubyn back then. I didn't mind that there are 8 novels about Josephine prior to this one. Sure, I don't know the characters as well as fans of this series will do but I still enjoyed the story. 

All-in-all it's an OK read. The setting didn't feel as isolated or grim as I would've liked it to, and there are a few too many characters for such a short novel. It's an interesting whodunnit though with a few twists and turns I didn't expect.

This is the ninth book in the Josephine Tey mystery series. In this instalment Josephine and her lover Marta, join her close friend Chief Inspector Archie Penrose and an assortment of guests for Christmas on the island of St Michael’s Mount. 

What should have been the quintessential English country Christmas takes a far more sinister turn when two murders occur as bad weather leaves the island’s inhabitants cut off from the mainland. 

The character’s were well written and the mystery kept me in suspense until very near the end. All in all I should be able to give this book 5 stars however the ultimate pointlessness of the crimes left me feeling rather let down. 

***** VERY SLIGHT SPOILER HERE *****
Ultimately their deaths accomplished nothing and the perpetrator(s) gained nothing from their deaths so the whole thing left me wondering what the point had been!

I would certainly recommend the series and I thought the setting and the richness of the 1930s period setting was beautifully realised. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but I am quite willing to concede that that could be my personal tastes coming into play.

*** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

A lovely book. A traditional murder mystery, Christmas setting, historical, and gripping. I enjoy this series very much indeed.

When I started reading the book, I didn’t know it was a book in a series. But that doesn't stop you from enjoying the story.I don't know why the series is called Josephine Tey, because Archie played the main role in this book and he was awesome.I didn't care for J.Tey. The murder mystery was not a mystery, more like "why did you do it?". So I don't know if i will read other books in this series
It was a fun easy story before sleep and i enjoyed it :)

This is the first book I've read by Nicole Upson and I hadn't appreciated I was reading a book in a series. This though can be read as a stand-alone novel,

I absolutely loved the setting here - St Michael's Mount at Christmas. So atmospheric! The idea of characters being trapped in a castle on an island with very little connection to the outside world while a storm brews around them is what enticed me to read the book. I also loved the idea that author Josephine Tey, who wrote her own crime novels, might be there in Marple Mode to solve the crimes that take place on the island during the fateful storm. Added to these fantastic ingredients, Marlene Dietrich makes an appearance as one of the guests and therefore, suspects.

Overall, the novel was very readable and I wanted to keep returning to the story to see where it would lead. I would have ideally liked: more snow to add to the tension - it only lasted one night on the island so it wasn't quite the "relentless blizzard" I'd anticipated; to have Tey take the lead on solving the crime, rather Inspector Penrose and to not have had revealed so early-on the murderer in at least one of the deaths.

I am very grateful to have been offered the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Faber & Faber and Nicola Upson.

3.5*

Josephine Tay and Archie Penrose are together again. This time to solve two murders on the St Michael’s Mount, where they are spending Christmas. Full of interesting characters, including a very famous Hollywood actress and touching on the start of Nazism this is a very fascinating read.

The Dead of Winter contains everything you need from a classic Christmas whodunnit - a disparate group of guests at a castle, including a Scotland Yard inspector, a glamorous Hollywood film star and classic crime author Josephine Tey, cut off from the mainland by a snow storm, and a body found brutally murdered on Christmas morning. This is an excellent mystery, perfect for curling up with in front of a roaring fire on a winter’s evening.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy of The Dead of Winter, the ninth novel to feature Josephine Tey and DCI Archie Penrose.

Christmas 1938 and Josephine, her lover Marta and Archie have been invited to the castle on the island of St Michael’s Mount, off the coast of Cornwall. Archie is there to escort a world famous film star, but these duties are interrupted by the discovery of two dead bodies. Cut off from the mainland by snowstorms, Archie is on his own.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dead of Winter which is a fascinating tale, both for the murder mystery and the seamless incorporation of real life historical figures. I’m not naming the famous film star but it certainly made me look at them in a completely different light. The author has a knack for humanising these distant figures, although Wikipedia supplied the real detail. I couldn’t help but to want to know more.

The plot held my attention throughout and while the reader learns early on what happened in the case of one body and makes it more a study of guilt and self betrayal, the second body is much more of a puzzle. It has a couple of clever twists, a convoluted motive and again involves guilt, but of a different kind. I had no idea and blindly followed the author’s path. I thought it was really clever that the movie star points Archie in the right direction.

I don’t read this series primarily for the plot. I love the marriage of fiction with real people and places as it’s always a guessing game as to who’s real and who’s fictional. The author helpfully fills in some of these blanks in her afterword. There is a certain wistfulness in this novel as the characters can feel the winds of war and don’t know if this will be their last Christmas. It is well done in that it is there, as is the spectre of Nazism, but not over gilded. It gives a good sense of the era.

The Dead of Winter is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.   A nice old fashioned 'who dunnit',  great characters and a great storyline.

Thanks to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for a copy of this to review.  
Josephine Tey and Marta Fox are asked to a charity Christmas event by Archie Penrose.  He is to accompany a world famous actor to the event, in the ancestral home of one of his Cornish childhood friends.  
From the beginning, the atmosphere for a golden age mystery builds- romantic remote setting with a dark history, glamorous and not so glamorous strangers, secrets and lies galore, inclement weather cutting off the protagonists and hampering the investigation of suspicious death.
The metaphorical storm clouds are also brewing with Britain and Europe on the brink of war.  


This is the ninth in the series of books featuring a fictionalised detective writer and playwright Josephine Tey and her friends, which weaves historical figures and events with fiction to create a real feel for the period and the people inhabiting. This may be the best of them yet. 
This can definitely be read as a seasonal stand-alone, ideally by the fire while the storm rages outside.

Snowy Christmas gathering in a castle on Cornish island Mount St. Michel just before the WWII begins. What a great atmosphere! 
And characters; from nobility, famous actress, detective to people who may not be who everybody think they are.
And then the murder. Past can sometimes catch the future. Whose secrets are kept and whose reputations are destroyed?

Is in our psyche there is the pressure to make every Christmas unforgetable and a happy one that even murder couldn't get in the way?


Marvellous whodunnit crime novel, I highly recommend it.

This is the ninth in the Josephine Tey series, and whilst you don't need to have read previous books to understand this one it will certainky enhance your reading experience if you have. Although the story takes place at Christmas, and features a famous film star, this is one of the darkest in the series so far. Josephine takes a back seat in this story and Archie Penrose is front and center solving some horrific murders past and present.
If you're a fan of the series, or like a darkly disturbing festive tale, then you'll find plenty to enjoy here. When's the next instalment due? :)
(Would love to see this series adapted for TV as well!)

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber for the opportunity to read the ebook arc.

I really like this series, centred around a fictionalised version of Golden Age crime writer Josephine Tey (real name Elizabeth Mackintosh, although here she's Josephine). The Dead of Winter is the ninth, and a very good addition to the series.

This is the second book in a row I've read with a Cornish setting - funny how that happens. Here, Josephine and her lover Marta are invited by their friend, DCI Archie Penrose, to attend a Christmas gathering - a fundraiser for refugees - at St Michael's Mount, an island off the coast of Cornwall, accessed at low tide via a causeway. As ever, Nicola Upson has woven real historical people into her narrative - here, Hilaria St Aubyn, the owner of the island and a childhood friend of Archie, and a certain *very* famous German-born Hollywood actress who is among the guests.

The story is set in 1938 and the looming threat of Nazism is very much felt - and indeed seen - providing a darker counterbalance to the supposedly festive atmosphere. (Not that festive, as it turns out.) It's set at Christmas, but it hardly turns out to be a season of goodwill - the story opens with a younger Archie, eighteen years earlier, discovering the horrific deaths of a mother and her children on Christmas morning - "the day that stripped the joy from Christmas, or so he thought afterwards". There are more murders to come once the characters arrive at St Michael's Mount, although only one is a mystery - the reader, at least, knows exactly what happened to the other victim from the outset. As the snow falls and the island is cut off from the mainland, though, Archie must uncover who among the assembled guests is a murderer.

The setting is very atmospheric, making great use of the island and its medieval church, and setting it at Christmas, in "the dead of winter" is perfect.

Josephine and Marta, who have now settled into their often long-distance relationship, actually don't have that big a role to play in this one, remaining on the sidelines with Archie taking more of the centre stage. 

There's a nice nod to Agatha Christie, with one character reading the newly published 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas'.

I enjoyed this very much, though I'm not sure it's the best in the series, although I did love the setting. The plot is ultimately quite straightforward and there is no mystery about one of the deaths, and it somehow all seemed to be resolved quite quickly, with the famous actress - a fascinating person in real life - perhaps a little underused. I would have liked to know more about what became of some of the characters. Nevertheless an excellent read.

I was slightly worried when I started this book as I had not enjoyed the last book in this series although I had enjoyed all the previous ones. I am very happy to say that this book was a joy to read. The story evokes the time of the year it is set in and the descriptions brought to mind the location brilliantly. 
The characters are so real and in each reading are more fleshed out and the situations they find themselves in do not seem contrived but are a true reflection of how people behaved in the olden days. 
I am looking forward the next installment again. 
A really good read thank you Netgalley, the publisher and of course Nicola Upson.

Set in 1938, Nicola Upson's latest in Scottish author Josephine Tey series echoes Agatha Christie's golden age of crime era, indeed it references her with Hercule Poirot's Christmas in the novel. Instead of the country house, we have a Cornish Castle on St Michael's Mound island, owned by the St Aubyn family, with a party of house guests invited for exclusive Christmas festivities by Hilaria St Aubyn to raise funds for a Jewish Refugees Charity. With the ominous clouds of WW2 hanging heavily in Britain and Europe, the Nazis are pushing famous film star Marlene Dietrich to return to Germany, but she is courageously supporting the Jewish Refugee Charity with a large donation, and accompanied by DCI Archie Penrose, is the star guest at Hilaria's gathering.

They are joined by Josephine and her partner, Marta, Reverend Richard and Angela Hartley, Gerald and Rachel Lancaster, Nazi sympathiser Barbara Penhaligon, Mrs Carmichael, and The Times photographer, Alex Fielding. The weather is atrocious, and there are unprecedented heavy snow blizzards which provide the requisite White Christmas, but ensures that locals and guests on the island are cut off from the mainland with a killer amongst them. There are two murders, one discovered by climbing to the top of the church to St Michael's Chair, a local landmark that symbolises dominance, prayer and judgement, a murder that brings back echoes of one of the most gruesome murder scenes he had ever seen in London at Christmas time in 1920 for Archie. The other murder is one that takes place in the local museum and readers are made aware of who the killer is here.

This is the first in Upson's series that I have read, and I found it a hugely enjoyable, fun and entertaining historical Christmas murder mystery, fantastically atmospheric, with the perfect Cornish location and castle, a locked room created by the dangerous and life threatening snow blizzards and a group of guests where not everyone is as they seem. No festive season is complete without a helping of a murder or two, and this fits the bill wonderfully for those crime readers in search of just such a read, and served with all the tropes of a classic golden age of crime, set in the turbulent times, just prior to WW2. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.