ANGEL WITH TWO FACES

Angel With Two Faces

Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead...

Summer, 1935. Inspector Archie Penrose has invited Josephine Tey to his family home in Cornwall, a struggling but beautiful country estate on a magnificent stretch of coastline. Disillusioned with the London stage, Josephine is ready to begin work on her second mystery novel and finds much to inspire her in the landscape and its legends - in particular, a lake on the estate which is said to claim a life every seven years, and the nearby Minack Theatre, an open-air auditorium which overlooks the sea.

But death clouds the holiday from the outset: Josephine's arrival coincides with the funeral of a young estate worker, killed in a mysterious riding accident, and another local boy disappears shortly afterwards. When the Minack proves to be a stage for real-life tragedy and an audacious murder, Archie's loyalties are divided between his friends and his job, and he and Josephine must confront the violent reality which lies beneath a seemingly idyllic community - a community with one face turned towards the present, and another looking back to the crimes of the past.

"The portrayal of Tey is both sympathetic and perceptive... Upson is chillingly effective at showing how good intentions may lead to evil consequences... A fine addition to a promising series." Andrew Taylor, Spectator

"Within a relatively short period, Nicola Upson has established herself as one of the most inventive and unusual of crime writers... it’s easy to feel that Tey herself would be delighted with these fictitious imaginings of her life..." Barry Forshaw, author of The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction and British Crime Writing: an Encyclopedia

"Carefully plotted, full of historical information, local colour and meticulous psychological analysis." Literary Review

"Packed with lust and illicit passion." Sunday Times

"In a remote corner of Cornwall a body is dragged from a lake, bringing with it another sort of darkness. Josephine Tey shines again in Nicola Upson's Angel with Two Faces, the second in her series showcasing the detective fiction author... As befits a tribute to the Golden Age of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers et al, there are plot twists, plot turns and red herrings aplenty.' Time Out

Cover illustrations by Mick Wiggins. www.mickwiggins.com