Shot with Crimson by Nicola Upson is a riveting addition to the Josephine Tey mystery series, offering readers a gripping tale of murder, deception, and artistic intrigue. It is a masterfully crafted mystery that will captivate fans of the genre. Nicola Upson's meticulous attention to detail, coupled with her gift for storytelling, makes this novel a must-read for anyone seeking an immersive and thrilling literary experience.

I absolutely loved this book. The whole story was fascinating from the back ground to filming in Hollywood, the conversion of a novel into a film and the background to the author Josephine Tey who I loved as an author. I have to say that the Daphne Du Maurier part was the icing on the cake.
It is a beautifully written sensitive book, thoroughly enjoyable. I will have to explore more of this author.

Another fantastic Upson to add to the rest! Love the use of Rebecca in this as its one of my favourite books ever and this was a wonderful homage to it. Mysterious and well plotted. A fun time

I really enjoyed this book, a fantastic murder mystery set in 1939 and featuring beloved sleuth Josephine Tey. If you have read any others in the series I think you are very likely to enjoy this one, however, I also feel it works well as a stand-alone. I think it will really appeal if you enjoyed Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and indeed the Hitchcock film as they all feature. The multiple points of view work well and tie together sublimely at the end. With action both in England and Hollywood it has that perfect period vibe mixed with real life characters and a wonderful fictional blend in the storytelling. Highly recommend!

A beautifully written book! I have loved everything I've read by Nicola Upson and so was really happy to have another of her novels to read. Her writing is so impressive - understated but packing a punch. The quality of the writing makes this a joy to read.

In Shot with Crimson, Josephine Tey, an author who has appeared in Upson's other detective novels, is travelling via boat along with the Hitchcock family to Hollywood, where Alfred Hitchcock is directing Rebecca. It's incredible how realistically Upson portrays these characters - we feel as though we know Hitchcock and Daphne du Maurier ourselves. Their characters are entirely believable.

It's the eve of war and the looming threat hangs over everything. But then the violence comes a bit closer to home courtesy of another worker on the set of Rebecca, James.

There is so much crammed into this book! James' story and the reasons he is pushed to violence are both poignant and shocking. The book takes up themes of homophobia, love, women's oppression and more. There are many instances when we think we've got a handle on an aspect of the story, only for it to turn out to be completely different.

The book genuinely felt 'real' - almost as if we are simply reading an account of factual events. And there's a lot of humanity in how the characters respond to events.

I would recommend Upson's books to anyone and will be waiting for the next one!

Rebecca by Daphne Maurier is one of my favourite books so I loved reading this murder mystery novel, partly set at the filming of Hitchcock's Rebecca. It was fascinating to read about Milton Hall (which inspired Manderley) and meet a young Daphne during the war. I thoroughly enjoyed the murder mystery. The characters were all such interesting individuals and the unique plot kept me turning the pages. The fictional and real life characters were so cleverly combined! I enjoyed the dual narrative with detective Archie Penrose and Josephine Tey both working together to solve the murder on either side of the Atlantic.
I'll definitely be looking up the back catalogue of Nicola Upson books as this is the 11th in the series!
If you enjoy cosy mysteries I think you would love this!

I read the book shot with crimson and throughly enjoyed the read . I have never read a book from this author in particular but enjoyed it . I was surprised and fascinated how the author has managed to combine film making and real life together. Had been hooked to the book from start to finish .thank you for the publishers ,author and netgalley for the opportunity to review a wonderful book

This one caught my eye immediately as it mentions my favourite book and film Rebecca. I was hook3d by this book and enjoyed it immensely. I loved all the mystery throughout this book and the undercurrents of creepiness as well. Loved this one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Shot with Crimson by Nicola Upson
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed other books in the Josephine Tey series and this one is no exception. I found this one particularly interesting as it is based around the filming of a favourite book of mine, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I loved the way the author wove into the story all the fascinating detail about the trials of filming in 1939 and the introduction of real characters into a fictional storyline was impressively done. In fact there was so much detail I had to keep reminding myself that this did not actually happen!
Shot with Crimson begins in a country house in 1917n where a very young Daphne du Maurier is set on a task by one of the medical orderlies in a large country house. We then move forward to 1939 when James a special effects artist returns to this house in order to research the manor house which was the inspiration for Manderley. He is driven to a desperate act and flees to America
Josephine then enters the story travelling to America with to meet up with her lover Marta who is working on the film. The storyline draws you in and you want to unravel the mystery of what happened in 1917 and also what caused the shocking events in 1939. Archie Penrose is then sent to investigate a murder at the manor house and he communicates with Josephine in America to attempt to solve the mystery.
The plot seems simple and we think we know who the perpetrator is but I should have realized that as this is Nicola Upson writing the story will be much more interesting and complicated as more and more secrets are revealed. I would thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone. You do not have to have read one of these books before to enjoy it but I would also recommend her other novels featuring Josephine Tey.
I would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

“Dear old Milton, the essence of Manderley – a fine country mansion, set in sprawling parkland and loved by one family for generations. Milton was as open as Manderley would be secretive, her life lived robustly in the present moment, but the spirit of those rooms found its way so easily to the pages of Rebecca”

My thanks to Faber & Faber for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Shot with Crimson’ by Nicola Upson.

This is Book 11 in her series of literary historical mysteries featuring a fictional version of the Golden Age mystery writer, Josephine Tey. Ages ago I had read a couple of the early books in the series and while I enjoyed them I wasn’t as interested in cosy mysteries as I am now.

Despite this gap I found that Nicola Upson provided enough background for me to slot easily into Josephine’s world.

Prologue. In the summer of 1917 ten-year-old Daphne du Maurier arrives at Milton Hall, a country estate in Cambridgeshire. It is serving as a military hospital and while there she has an encounter with James Bartholomew, a young Quaker working as an orderly. Later in her life Milton Hall becomes an inspiration for Manderley and its severe housekeeper for Mrs Danvers.

In September 1939 war has just broken out in Europe and Josephine Tey travels on the Queen Mary to join her friend, Marta, in Hollywood where she is working on the set of ‘Rebecca’. Also, on board are Alfred and Alma Hitchcock. Josephine later meets James, who is working on the production as a set designer.

When a shocking death reawakens shadows of the past with consequences on both sides of the Atlantic, Josephine and DCI Archie Penrose find themselves involved in a mystery that leads back to the house that inspired the young Daphne du Maurier and echoes Rebecca's timeless themes of obsession, jealousy and murder. No further details to avoid spoilers.

I found this a well crafted mystery that seamlessly incorporated plenty of period detail and information about the film business in this turbulent era.

It proved an engaging whodunnit and I was grateful for the background material on the film adaptation of ‘Rebecca’ provided by Upson in her Acknowledgments; including that Hitchcock and David Selnick had sent a second unit to scout Milton Hall. ‘Rebecca’ is one of my favourite classic films.

Overall, ‘Shot with Crimson’ had the same qualities that I had noted in my 2008 review of Book 1, ‘An Expert in Murder’, of being a genteel, character driven novel that honours the traditions of the Golden Age. I feel that I am now keen to dip back into the earlier books.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This is the eleventh of the Josephine Tey mysteries, taking the real life crime writer into imagined settings to solve crimes of passion. Each one is wonderfully atmospheric of the 1930s and boast evocative settings such as Portmeirion in Wales, Charleston farmhouse in Sussex, the West End theatre, the Cornish coast and the Red Barn Murders in Polstead, Suffolk.

Each book stands alone and this time Josephine has crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary to join her partner who is working as an assistant to the great film director, Alfred Hitchcock as he seeks to complete the final scenes of his film of Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca'.

As always, Josephine becomes involved in a mysterious death and, working with her old friend, detective Archie Penrose, she seeks to find the answers on both sides of the Atlantic.

It's a fabulous novel. Just loved it! Of course having the links with Daphne du Maurier and 'Rebecca' and the film set with Alfred Hitchcock, how could it fail to delight and intrigue. Wonderful!

A masterly literary and filmic combination of Du Maurier, Tey and Hitchcock, which shouldn’t by rights work - but the author pulls off a stylish murder mystery leavened with well£researched historical detail. Highly recommended.

Another entertaining character driven mystery from Nicola Upson, I have only read one other in this series so I fear that I may have missed some of the subtleties, but still enjoyed this very much. A clever story that feels like a slice of history, not just fiction. I have definitely renewed my resolve to start at the beginning of the series.

While I have to admit that I may have missed a title or two, I can honestly say that I have loved Nicola Upson’s Josephine Tey mysteries since I first read An Expert in Murder thirteen years (13!) ago. Right from the start I’ve loved Upson’s attention to detail, gentle voice, vivid descriptions, clever introduction of real historical figures, and perfectly plotted mysteries and Shot With Crimson was filled with all those qualities.

This isn’t the first Josephine Tey mystery featuring Alfred and Alma Hitchcock and fortunately, the first one, Fear in the Sunlight, is among the previous titles I have read (click the title for my thoughts on that book). The quote below, taken from that older review could have been written today for Shot With Crimson.

In fact, there were times when I had to remind myself that I was reading a work of fiction featuring real historical figures. There is such detail in the descriptions in this story that it is quite possible to believe that all of it really happened.

Shot With Crimson starts with a prologue set in an English country house during WWI. The house is used as a hospital for wounded soldiers, and we are witness to a six-year-old Daphne du Maurier undertaking but not completing a task set by James, a medical orderly there.

Fast forward to the start of WWII and James is now a special effects artist working on Rebecca for Alfred Hitchcock. He is back at the estate where he worked two decades ago and discoveries about what happened then lead to him lashing out in the worst possible way.

When we meet James again, he is on his way back to America on the same boat as Josephine Tey who is on her way to visit her lover Martha in Hollywood. He is obviously distressed, and Josephine reaches out in the hope of calming him.

Meanwhile, back in England Josephine’s friend DCI Archie Penrose is sent to the country house to investigate the murder of a woman there.

Finding themselves on different sides of the Atlantic, Archie and Josephine are unaware that they are both dealing with the same case and, as they both dig deeper, the issue only becomes more complicated until it leads to its final, rather sad, conclusion.

For a long time, I thought this was the kind of story where the writer might have revealed too much information at the start of the book. Since I had read books by Nicola Upson before, I should have known better. Layer upon layer of secrets still waited to be exposed and absolutely nothing was quite as it seemed at first. In other words, this is a very cleverly plotted mystery.

Apart from Alfred Hitchcock, his wife Alma, and his daughter Pat, quite a few other famous people feature in this story: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, producer David O. Selznick, and du Maurier herself also make brief appearances. For film buffs, there was also quite a bit of detailed information about the making of a film in Hollywood in the late 1930s.

I loved the parallels between Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and the mystery. They added to the sense of realism and were all too plausible. As I said before, I had to remind myself occasionally that what I was reading was fiction.

Overall, I loved this book. The plot fascinated me, the writing was smooth, the conversations flowed naturally, and the mystery was intriguing, leaving me truly baffled before providing a very satisfying, be it devasting solution.

Shot with Crimson is my first Nicola Upson book but it won't be my last. I love that this felt like a was reading a piece of reality and every character felt true to life. Every part of the mystery was so interesting and instantly drew me in. Overall I highly recommend.

Nicola Upson has once again created an intriguing mystery featuring her fictionalised version of crime writer Josephine Tey. Using historical events and actual events from Tey’s life as a background, she skillfully weaves these into her reimagined character’s life as an amateur sleuth.

It’s September 1939 and Britain once again finds itself at war. With her lover Marta working on Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’ in Hollywood, Josephine decides to take the risk of sailing for America on the last voyage of the ‘Queen Mary’. Also on board are Hitchcock’s wife Alma and young daughter Pat, who the real life Josephine met when Hitchcock adapted her novel ‘A Shilling for Candles’ into the film ‘Young and Innocent’ two years previously.

Also on board, are Hitchcock’s film crew who had been taking footage of Milton Hall, the stately home Daphne Du Maurier visited as a child and later used to depict Manderley in ‘Rebecca’. It’s also where she met the housekeeper who she would model as Mrs Danvers. After they leave for America, the body of a woman working at Milton Hall is found shot in the woods. Josephine’s good friend DCI Archie Penrose of Scotland Yard now has to find out if someone at Milton Hall or someone on the film crew was responsible. Fortunately, with Josephine now in Hollywood, they are able to work together across the Atlantic to solve the case.

The plot works well with a mystery full of secrets, lies and hate from the past playing out in the present. The historical details are well done with Britain in the early days of mobilizing and preparing its citizens for war, in contrast to the luxury on board the Queen Mary and business as usual in Hollywood. Details about the filming of ‘Rebecca’ were really interesting with cameos of the actors and actresses involved and descriptions of the models used for the house. Overall, a cleverly crafted historical mystery, especially if you are a fan of Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’.

Fact, fiction and fiction all merged together until I found nothing was completely clear anymore.
I read this book fairly quickly and this was possibly a mistake as I think I missed some of the nuances of the story.
I will reread this book as the author has been recommended to me, but on my initial read I can only rate it as 3.5.

I have not read any of the previous books featuring Josephine Tey but Shot With Crimson was intriguing. I know of Miss Tey from her own novels and I enjoyed reading about her exploits as imagined by Nicola Upson.

Shot With Crimson is likely to be a winner thanks to its twin storylines - a mysterious death in an old English mansion and Alfred Hitchcock's early days in Hollywood during the filming of the perennial Daphne du Maurier favourite, Rebecca.

Real life people, such as Hitchcock's wife and daughter and the film mogul David O. Selznick, are interwoven into the story when Josephine sails from war-torn Britain in 1939 to America to meet up with her lover, Marta, who is working on the film set. But the real mystery lies back at home at Milton Hall where DCI Archie Penrose is trying to solve a death that took place in 1917.

Shot With Crimson features the same themes that du Maurier wrote about in Rebecca: inequality, murder, jealousy, past misdeeds, hidden secrets. None of these ever go out of fashion. I must hunt out more of the books featuring Josephine Tey! Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

SYNOPSIS
September, 1939, and the worries of war follow Josephine Tey to Hollywood, where a different sort of battle is raging on the set of Hitchcock's Rebecca.
Then, a shocking act of violence reawakens the shadows of the past, with consequences on both sides of the Atlantic, and Josephine and DCI Archie Penrose find themselves on a trail leading back to the house that inspired a young Daphne du Maurier - a trail that echoes Rebecca's timeless themes of obsession, jealousy and murder …

MY THOUGHTS
As a massive fan of the book ‘Rebecca’ and and even bigger fan of the 1940’s Hitchcock film adaptation of ‘Rebecca’, I absolutely loved this book! I binged it in two days and couldn’t get enough of it.

I liked the part at the beginning with Du Maurier as a child, and seeing her inspiration for Manderley in the form of another grand house called Milton, and it gives you a sense of what’s to come.

The book is set with multiple POV’s, mostly being from Josephine & DCI Archie, but there is other characters as well, which I thought was great as you really got an idea of everything that was going on.

I though the story itself was really good, and there was so many layers too it which really helped to build a really great plot, and honestly it kept me hooked to the very end, with me being really surprised on how it ended.

I loved the chapters where the filming of ‘Rebecca’ was taking place, I honestly felt like I was fan-girling and behind the scenes of the movie, it was so good!

Really great murder mystery that I would definitely recommend to lovers of ‘Rebecca’!

Thank you again to @netgalleyuk for the ARC