Nicola Upson's Josephine Tey mysteries are always a riveting and gripping read, books that mixes historical characters with fiction.
This one is darker than usual and some parts were heart wrenching.
The author did an excellent job in describing the atmosphere of the days before the start of WWII, the emotions, the darkness at the center of the story. It's a historical mystery with strong gothic elements and the first pages could work well for the start of a horror.
Josephine and the cast of characters are fleshed out and well developed as usual, the plot is well created and the twists surprised me.
It was an excellent reading experience that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Britain is on the verge war against Germany, and, in anticipation of future German aerial attacks, London is evacuating schoolchildren to the countryside. The evacuation process is hectic, and is it no wonder that things go awry. Author and playwright Josephine Tey is spending time at her cottage in Polstead in the Suffolk countryside when the evacuees arrive—saving the children from one danger but delivering them directly into the hands of another. The town receives far more evacuees than expected, and chaos erupts as the residents scramble to provide accommodations for the homesick children. During the confusion, a local child goes missing. Because the girl's parents believed she was with her grandmother (and vice versa), Annie's disappearance is not discovered until the next day. With time against them, the townspeople work together to find the missing girl. As the bodies of other children unexpectedly turn up, the search for Annie brings to light small town secrets that have been harbored for decades.



After a slow start, the plot of DEAR LITTLE CORPSES accelerates to a breakneck speed when it is discovered that little Annie Ridley is missing. The second half of the novel is full of plot twists, secrets, and heartbreaks. It is decades old secrets that lead to the current tragedy. When those secrets are revealed, the extent of the horrors is finally revealed. This novel is proof that you can never truly know your neighbor—at least, not until you've done some digging in their backyard.

Having just read the previous nine novels in the Josephine Tey series—some of which I enjoyed more than others—I can say that DEAR LITTLE CORPSES is one of my favorites. I really enjoy how Upson combines fact with fiction, and throws in other real life people (including mystery author Margery Allingham and Alfred Hitchcock who both directly and indirectly affect this specific novel). Also, throughout the series, Upson also takes the reader to different areas of Great Britain as Josephine travels about for both business and pleasure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. London on the brink of a world war sends evacuees to safer villages. But a little girl goes missing.
I love books set in this era and this telling felt really authentic. I liked that it focuses on the plot and doesn’t just stray to a tale of the war.
I enjoyed the building of each character in the village and the setting really sounded idyllic but the secrets that unravel suggest it is anything but.
On the whole a different and interesting tale for this era, refreshing to have a different focus to the usual and really well told.

I got into this book without reading the previous ones in the series, but I feel that nonetheless, it was easy to understand and enjoy! I personally liked the writing, because it never felt boring or anything, it always kept the story flowing. I also liked the kids and the main character a lot, and the general vibes of a small town mystery where also really cool. I might actually start reading the other books because this one was very good!

London on the brink of WWII. Hundreds of young children are moved from the city to the country side. One little girl goes missing.
This is a gripping tale of historical circumstance not often covered. Yet the story focusses on the missing child and steers clear from turning into another WWII novel.
A well crafted twist solves this pleasantly paced mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

-- ‘Its shadow was already there, it was as if a storm had come bringing things to the surface that had remained hidden for years.’ --

The days of endless summers, homemade scones, plates of sandwiches and watercress and tea with ginger cakes, that is what I remember most of my childhood summers, when I lived in a small, pittoresque village in the South Downs (UK). But like Nicola Upson’s latest, atmospheric novel 'Dear Little Corpses' life is not necessarily a soft life when you are living in a tranquil and small community, - where everyone and everything is scrutinized and it can easily render a misleading image of tranquility.

The story starts when Operation Pied Piper is set in motion, and buses carrying the young evacuees arrive in the small village of Polstead.
The Herrons, - an odd lot shunned by the other villagers - take in a girl, Betty, but refuse to take in her brother Noah.

With the disappearance of a little girl from the village, matters take a turn for the worse.

The writing style is slow, atmospheric and beautiful, with great attention to details, the (historical) setting (s) and the characters. Much emphasis is given to life in a small town community, where people become involved in circumstances beyond their control. A person is wrongly accused of something, and a villager has done something wrong in the past that makes him scorned by the entire community.

This Hitchcockian drama, with its slow-moving plot, and its heart-rending ending, is a magnificent read. Loved the beautiful and detailed writing, and the foreshadowing to a suffocating and imminent doom, as if ‘the village were holding a collective breath’
Highly recommended. A 5 star rating for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for providing me with this advance read. This opinion is my own.

I really enjoyed this. Set in 1939 whilst the country is waiting for war to be declared, the story follows evacuees from London who are sent to a village in Suffolk. There is some confusion as more evacuees turn up than expected and then a girl from the village goes missing. The residents of the village and their stories is well covered and described. I loved the style of writing and how the characters were all very believable.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book through Netgalley. This was a well-crafted mystery story with nuanced characters that manage to really appeal to the reader’s emotions. It took a while for me to get stuck into this book as it felt as though I was missing context at times. The deduction on the side of the reader was immersive and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This is the first book I personally have read in the series, although this is Josephine Tey Mystery Book 10. I enjoyed the story, and the writing is tight. Nicola Upson is definitely a professional storyteller and a very strong writer. Having said that, I was disappointed by two things. First off, I did not realize that there was a fictional relationship in the book between Josephine Tey and an actress. This turned me off since I have seen no proof that any such relationship existed. I like my real historical characters to be real. Second, there was very little profanity in the book (that is not the disappointment). The profanity, when it was used, felt forced and out of place/out of character (there's that disappointment). Maybe if I had read books 1-9 first I would have had a proper warm-up for the things I encountered, but I really can't say I will read any others in the series. You can call me whatever name you want, I don't mind, but I know what I like, and I know what I don't.

During September 1939, thousands of children were evacuated from British cities to the countryside. Their parents are promised they’ll be much safer without the constant threats of bombs, but then a little girl vanishes and a small Suffolk village is suddenly full of secrets and suspicion.

I was drawn in by the fact that it took place during WWII and I love stories/shows about small villages with dark secrets. I think it did a great job showing how life was during that time in villages and how easily anyone can become a suspect.

The novel was a lot slower paced than I’m used to for mysteries. I really couldn’t get into it until I was about 40% in (about the point when the little girl went missing). Even then, there were parts for me that just slogged on. Then, once the mystery is close to being solved, it speeds right up and is over (pretty much in the last 10%).

There were a lot of characters being introduced and a lot of different POVs, that many times I had to pause and try to remember who everyone was and how they connected to the story. It didn’t mention that this was actually the 10th book in a series (though now I suppose it can be read as a standalone) but maybe that’s why I was more confused about the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't finish it because it was too well written for this time (March 2022) in history with the bombings in Ukraine and parents having to make the same kind of nightmarish sacrifices as in this historical novel set in England at the beginning of WW2. The writing is just too well done.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

*3.5
A slow-paced book set in the summer of 1939 England. As I have realized recently, mystery isn't really my genre but this blended with historical fiction and social commentary; not much what I expected. This novel is also not very straightforward, I think this would not be to some reader's liking but it was fine for me. I found this to be quite sad, so I can say it's up my alley.

After nine other good stories in this series, I don't think I need to say much about this other than recommend it to mystery fans. Very good stuff.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC of Dear Little Corpses.

On its face, the novel is a Josephine Tey, mystery, but I found it to be so much more. Set in the weeks prior to war being declared between Great Britain and Germany in August, 1939, the premise of the story centers around Operation Pied Piper, the forced migration of millions of children from urban areas of England to the countryside, deemed to be safer in the event of a direct attack on the homeland.

Soon after a group of evacuated children arrive in Josephine's adopted village, a. local child, Annie, goes missing. The ensuing search, led by Det. Archie Penrose, a staple character in the Josephine Tey franchise, raises disturbing questions about a local family that Archie must answer if he is to find the missing child before it's too late.

In a series of twists and turns in the plot, Annie is found, but her reappearance raises even more horrifying possibilities that the entire village must face. While the storyline unravels, Josephine is dealing with her own separation anxiety as her partner, Marta, prepares to leave for the United States.

Dear Little Corpses is a jarring and heartbreaking novel. It is not a pretty story with a HEA. It is, however, well worth the read as a mystery with labyrinthine plot lines that kept me up late to finish it. It also sheds light on a period in British history, that even 80 years later, raises questions about the efficacy of social initiatives during times of great national stress.

This book left me staring at the wall in silence for half an hour after I finished it because the one feeling it left me with was devastating emptiness.

Especially considering the current political climate (as of February 2022), I was very hesitant to pick up Dear Little Corpses, and rightfully so.

Even though the prologue left me very intrigued, it did take quite some time for me to actually get into the rhythm of the book after that.
With the constantly changing points of view it's very hard to keep track of the characters and their individual storylines - which might be the point, but makes it hard for the reader, anyways.
The plot only really gets going about half ways into the book, but from then on it's one plot point after the other, so you really won't be able to put the book back down.

Upson's characters are written in a way that's so up close and personal and so very human, you'll find yourself rooting for them, hating them, feeling your heart break for them.

I am taking one star off due to a few grammatical errors and the fact that it took me quite a while to really get into the story.

I haven't read any other works by Nicola Upson besides Dear Little Corpses, so it might just be this one book, but I'm reminded of Donna Tartt's writing in the way that you have no idea what's going on until 75% into the book it all starts coming together all of a sudden - so if you like Donna Tartt, I can imagine Dear Little Corpses might be for you, too.

Another great entry in a long running series featuring mystery author Josephine Tey. Set in the English countryside as England waits to declare war on Germany. Story is about the evacuation of children from London to the countryside and what could go wrong.

Dear Little Corpses is not your typical murder mystery. It’s a smooth blend of mystery, social commentary, and historical fiction topped with a quasi-real life character—the protagonist Josephine Tey is the pen name of deceased mystery novelist Elizabeth MacKintosh.

The novel tells the story of a young girl who goes missing during the evacuation of children from London as World War II begins. During the search, the reader discovers there is more than more child’s corpse in this quaint Suffolk village.

Though this book is tenth in the series, it stands on its own, albeit with hints to stories past and present. While the plotting is good and the red herrings are clever, the novel started a bit slow for my taste. But I would recommend the book to fans of Agatha Christie who are looking for a modern take on an old classic.

The mass evacuation in September 1939 from London to the countryside of thousands of children was a lesson in
planned logistics. Of course like all plans something has to go wrong somewhere and one isolated incident did
Two children went missing, one got misplaced due to sheer mischief and families all around and a community went
to pieces.

In a small Suffolk village Josephine has to come to terms with the onset of war, and that her partner and lover
Martha is leaving to go to America. In such uncertain times when she will come back is unknown. On top of that
with the missing girl from a fair in open view of all the villagers is something that has to be tracked down carefully
to find out what happened to the little girl.

As usual in Upson's novels, nothing is as straight forward as just a missing girl and when the story is unravelled we
find one missing girl, two missing girls and then bodies. Complicated in its telling you have to follow the stories
of several families who try to deal with the trauma of separated families - husbands at the warfront, wives alone without
the emotional support children can give you and not knowing whether your children are happy, settled and safe.

I was also thinking of how in the present context of what my grandson was told "stranger danger" how we would deal
with this forced separation. Anti vaxxer protests will be nothing compared when parents take to the streets! I dont
blame them either. (the parents not the anti vaxxers!)

The story made one think and drew the reader into the emotional morass of it. Like Nicola Upson always does.

Set in 1939, a small village receives their evacuees - though with four times more children than planned, chaos ensues and a child goes missing.

I absolutely loved this book - I started it in the afternoon and stayed up till 2am to finish it - I was completely hooked.

A relatively fast paced book, wonderfully descriptive - I felt completely immersed in the village - but more than that, I cared for the characters and felt genuine heartbreak - for the family who lost their child, but also for the families who had been separated from their children in the evacuation process. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that must have been; it's something which has stuck with me and that's a credit to the author.

The core of the book is a who-dunnit with plenty red herrings and twists and turns and it had me guessing right to the reveal. Its the tenth book in a series - I haven't read any of the previous but it made no difference to my enjoyment.

A 5/5 for me.

Josephine and Marta are looking forward to a quiet weekend in their country cottage. Their arrival in the village coincides with busloads of children evacuated from London due to the impending announcement of war. Among the group is a boy without identification who is accompanying his small sister. When the children are united with the families who will care for them Noah is left standing. When the family who agreed to take his sister refuse to take him Josephine and Marta step in and give him shelter. In the confusion of sorting out the evacuees, a small local child disappears. The search for Annie rips open the heart of the community when old secrets are exposed and two evacuee children are found to be missing as well. The damage of long ago crimes kept secret for years is exposed. This is a page-turner and a nice change of pace for Josephine as she pieces together clues that help solve the crimes. The village setting is a far cry from sophisticated London but the tragedies are the same.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Publishers for the opportunity to read this title.