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nekreader's review against another edition
3.0
A Shilling for Candles is another classic English mystery by Tey. The novel and Inspector Grant reminds me more of P.D. James' work than Agatha Christie's. Whereas Christie's characters seem a bit one-dimensional at times, Tey's have depth and lives that seem to extend beyond the boundaries of the story. At time Tey's writing seemed a bit overdone, taking you out of the story, but not in a good way. I occasionally found myself thinking, "Wow. That was a lot of big, flowery words in one sentence." Yet at other times, Tey creates wonderful images. Overall, a good classic mystery for fans of the genre.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Josephine Tey was so good! I forget when I don't re-read her for awhile! This one is a very surprising murder!
kerensa2108's review against another edition
3.0
I’m enjoying this series of books by Josephine Tey, written before the days of forensics, mobile phones, and all sorts of other modern crime-solving tech. Good old-fashioned police detective work, and some ideas that seem very odd to a modern reader, but which are entirely appropriate for their time! You do have to adjust your mindset a little bit when reading these books, but they are well worth the trouble. A good storyline and engaging characters made this an enjoyable read. I gave it three stars as I found the ending a bit contrived - how did Inspector Grant make the jump to solving the crime just from reading an article in a magazine?! Maybe I missed something but even when it was explained later, I didn’t get it. But it was a good read nonetheless, and I’m looking forward to starting the third in the series.
lgpiper's review against another edition
3.0
A famous movie actress is found dead, washed up on the shore of Kent. The only thing to indicate it might not have just been an accidental drowning is that the police found a button from a dark overcoat tangled in her hair. But, virtually no one knew that the actress was at this isolated cottage, save for her husband, apparently a fellow actor, and the young man she picked up off the street to spend some time with her (but all on the up and up: no funny business, so to speak).
Inspector Alan Grant from Scotland Yard gets the case. He is showered with red herrings, but gets his person (one needs to be gender neutral in these things, right?) in the end.
Not a great story, and some of the action doesn't always make the best sense. But the characters are well drawn and the overall story line is engaging enough to keep one's interest the whole way through.
Inspector Alan Grant from Scotland Yard gets the case. He is showered with red herrings, but gets his person (one needs to be gender neutral in these things, right?) in the end.
Not a great story, and some of the action doesn't always make the best sense. But the characters are well drawn and the overall story line is engaging enough to keep one's interest the whole way through.
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
2.0
Not as clever a set up as the other Tey I read; I was left with the impression that she deliberately didn't give the readers enough clues to solve the mystery, which I consider cheating. Besides that, solid and enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
eb2114's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
female_scriblerian's review against another edition
3.0
A solid mystery, with enough twists and turns to keep me interested which is why it earned three stars. But it's not a patch on The Daughter of Time by the same author, in my opinion.
Now for the perennial debate I have with myself each time this happens. I appreciate that literature from the past often comes with outdated views but one or two phrases here had me asking "did people really say that?!" and which felt unnecessary to the plot. My conundrum is always whether to continue with the book or decide that these views spoil it for a modern reader.
A shame because I like Tey's writing style and her gruff but fair Detective Grant. I did decide to finish the book but it did prompt some internal wrangling.
Now for the perennial debate I have with myself each time this happens. I appreciate that literature from the past often comes with outdated views but one or two phrases here had me asking "did people really say that?!" and which felt unnecessary to the plot. My conundrum is always whether to continue with the book or decide that these views spoil it for a modern reader.
A shame because I like Tey's writing style and her gruff but fair Detective Grant. I did decide to finish the book but it did prompt some internal wrangling.
jennylimmy's review against another edition
4.0
Having read every Agatha Christie novel and story, I needed to branch out. This is a worthy follow up, featuring multiple suspicious threads, stolid investigators, and a dash of old-fashioned prejudice.
robynryle's review against another edition
3.0
Daughter of Time was much more interesting, but an enjoyable enough mystery. Alfred Hitchcock made a movie based on this. The story is about a young British starlet whose body turns up drowned. There's a cute little teenage character who appears to have a crush on the Scotland Yard detective, and I'm not sure if they appear again, or if it's just an odd kind of aside. I find Tey even more British than Agatha Christie, and in a way that's sometimes less penetrable to a Yank.