Dear Little Corpses: A Josephine Tey Mystery

"The novel is set in September 1939, when mass evacuation begins to take place across the UK, and for me it captures the fear and uncertainty of the early days of World War II very vividly. In a small Suffolk village, the organised chaos of shepherding the evacuees to their allocated homes descends into terror when it is discovered that one of the children has disappeared. Crime novelist Josephine Tey arrives in the village to help her friend DCI Penrose investigate the child’s disappearance. I was intrigued by the way Upson blends fact and fiction in this novel. Josephine Tey was elusive, and little is known about her private life, but this reimagining builds a complex and likeable protagonist. Margery Allingham , another Golden Age crime writer, also makes an appearance. It’s an evocative read with regards to place and time, which calibrates very well mistrust and suspicion in a small community. It’s set in 1953, in the shadow of World War II, when people were trying to rebuild their lives. This was a time of changing gender roles when the old order was gradually changing. I have previously written historical fiction set as far back as 1629, but with this time period, I really enjoyed being able to use photographs in my research. I’m a visual writer, so having pictures of the Kent coast at this time was really evocative. This was the heyday of the British seaside holiday, a time of interesting tensions between post-war austerity and the hope of better days to come, when everyday rules were relaxed, but not too much. Gulls Nest is a boarding house which brings together characters from different backgrounds, some trying to reinvent themselves. In a sense, they are flotsam and jetsam – who has washed up here out of season? It’s challenging and requires careful plotting. Murder at Gulls Nest is the first book in a series, whereas my previous novels have been standalone. So, I think what is really enjoyable for me is creating a time, place and cast of characters that I want to return to again and again. I’ve just finished the first draft of Murder at the Spirit Lounge , the second book in the series, and it’s been an absolute joy to return to Gore-on-Sea."