208 reviews for:

Brat Farrar

Josephine Tey

3.98 AVERAGE

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No

3.5 / 4 stars

I discovered [a:Mary Stewart|15590|Mary Stewart|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1210367214p2/15590.jpg] as a teen and so found this restrained and proper mid-century English mystery was very much to my taste. I have read other books with a similar trope so it wasn't as fresh for me, but the writing was fun and I found myself second guessing how it would end. However, the hideous cover reminds me of corporate art from the late 80s / early 90s. Bleh.

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Oh, Josephine Tey... Why you gotta be so dark? You write such interesting people, and then there are the psychos. I mean, I like mysteries, but this is too sad and evil.
dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous dark funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Brat Farrar thought he'd had an exciting life. He was only 21 years old and lived plenty of adventures. He'd traveled to the USA and worked with horses until he felt the need to come back to the land he was born in. Once he arrived in England, he met a man who confused him with someone else. This man encourages him to pose as Patrick Ashby, who disappeared eight years ago and was believed dead because of a note he left which was understood as a "suicide note", though they never found his body.

After learning everything he needed in order to pose as Patrick, Brat is ready to meet the Ashby family in order to claim his inheritance. How would the family react, especially Patrick's twin? And what really happened to Patrick?
hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I miss the deliciously 70's cover of my mother's paperback copy of this book. This book isn't really much of a mystery novel. It's actually more about relationships and english manners and horses. The murder was obvious from the start. I kept being like HE OBVIOUSLY KILLED HIM PEOPLE. So much so that I have to assume surprise was not the point. Though the method I did not figure out. It was surprisingly compelling for a book where not all the much happens besides people eating breakfast at an English manor, it is basically Downton abbey with a poorer family. In fact thie particular plot line of this book (return of a presumed dead heir) was actually in a couple Downton episodes and was terrible, but it was good in this book.