Dear Little Corpses: 'Genius.' The Times

by Nicola Upson

'More than just a brilliant mystery . . . wonderful.' Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants
'Kept me guessing. Bravo!' Martin Edwards, author of The Lake District Mysteries

It takes a village to bury a child.

1 September, 1939. As the mass evacuation takes place across Britain, thousands of children leave London for the countryside, but when a little girl vanishes without trace, the reality of separation becomes more desperate and more deadly for those who love her.

In the chaos and uncertainty of war, Josephine struggles with the prospect of change. As a cloud of suspicion falls across the small Suffolk village she has come to love, the conflict becomes personal, and events take a dark and sinister turn.

'A class above the usual crime fiction.' Independent

• ISBN10: 0571353282
• ISBN13: 9780571353286
• Publish Date: 19 May 2022 (first published 17 May 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 18 December 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Faber & Faber
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Dear Little Corpses is the 10th Josephine Tey mystery by Nicola Upson. Released 9th Aug 2022 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

The series is written around real life history, with verifiable political and news stories of the time seamlessly interwoven into the narrative. I have been most impressed with Ms. Upson's ability to place her characters peripheral to real history and really allow the reader to feel like they're there. There are distressing themes of child disappearance and the mass evacuations which took place in England at the beginning of the second world war.

Although it's the 10th book in the series, the mystery is self-contained in this volume. There are a number of character arcs which are developed in previous books which will be spoiled by being read out of order; and the series as a whole is so well done that it will repay being read in order (but it's not strictly necessary)

Having read the series (and looking forward to new installments), one thing that has impressed me very much is the author's facility with a really well planned and executed story arc. They're all well written, enjoyable books. The dialogue is pitch perfect, the characters and setting are stellar, the writing is great, and the plot adheres to the 10 commandments of detective fiction (the reader gets all the info to 'solve' the crime, no hidden perpetrators, no heretofore hidden 'evil twins' etc etc).

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours and 3 minutes and is beautifully narrated by Helen Lloyd. Her voice is well modulated, precise, and very easy to listen to. She does a virtuoso job of the wide ranging dialects for the characters and the dialogue is crisp and well delivered. Sound and production values are high quality throughout. 

Four and a half solid stars for the narrative, five for the audiobook.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.