Sorry for the Dead

In the eighth “Josephine Tey” mystery from Upson (after Nine Lessons), Josephine is directing a play in Cambridge in 1938 when events that occurred during World War I return to haunt her, placing her reputation and her current relationship with screenwriter Marta at risk. At Marta’s suggestion, Josephine travels to Sussex to revisit the horticultural college where she taught briefly. The story flashes back to 1915, a stormy night, and an accidental death that may not have been an accident. At the college, Josephine first acknowledges her attraction to women and then sees the consequences of such a relationship as the two women who run the college are vilified in the aftermath of a student’s death. As she unravels the mystery of that death, Josephine must also come to terms with her own actions toward another teacher.