Start gifting
Libro.fm for Business
Start a membership, get two free audiobooks
Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create account
Shop the sale
In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks from April 22nd-28th. Don’t miss out—purchases support your local bookstore!
Shop nowThis audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreAt once a compelling murder mystery and a moving exploration of love and grief, critically acclaimed author Nicola Upson’s eighth Josephine Tey mystery is a force to be reckoned with.
In the summer of 1915, the sudden death of a young girl brings grief and notoriety to Charleston Farmhouse on the Sussex Downs.
Years later, Josephine Tey returns to the same house—now much changed—and remembers the two women with whom she once lodged as a young teacher during the Great War. As past and present collide, with murders decades apart, Josephine is forced to face the possibility that the scandal which threatened to destroy those women’s lives hid a much darker secret.
Nicola Upson is the author of nonfiction works and several novels, including An Expert in Murder, winner of an Escalator/Arts Council England award.
Helen Lloyd is a classically trained actor who has a keen ear for accents and loves to bring characters to life. The narrator of books in numerous genres, she delights in new challenges.
Reviews
"[A] superior mystery…about the insanity of war, the muddle and panic of middle age, and the corrosive effects of loneliness. The end comes with an avalanche of shocking revelations.”
“The skilled writing evokes a deep sense of place; the complex character development intrigues.”
“Explores thorny social themes with acute insight and polished prose, while ensnaring readers with a gripping plot that keeps them guessing until the last page.”
“Narrator Helen Lloyd perfectly brings setting and personalities into sharp focus…Lloyd’s tone can be coldly calculating or add depth and warmth where required. She sounds proper and persistent as Josephine uncovers myriad secrets in this labyrinthine, splendidly constructed plot.”
“A challenging murder mystery, a look at the social pressures on those who were nonconformists, and a strong sense of place combine to make this a fascinating read.”
“Magnificent…Upson couples an engrossing plot with a nuanced and poignant look at human passions and frailties. Fans of golden-age mysteries will be more than satisfied.”
“Achingly perceptive about forbidden relationships and the unreasoning hatred they can provoke, then as now.”
“Intriguingly combines murder with stories of love in the face of hateful bias. A notable addition to this fine series.”
“Pays homage to the ‘Golden Age’ traditions of the genre and is particularly perceptive about the role of women in that era.”
Expand reviews