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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This was a really fun mystery to read. Much more compelling than [b:Brat Farrar|243397|Brat Farrar|Josephine Tey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348065821s/243397.jpg|1003711], the one other book of Tey's that I've read. No great writing or world-changing plot, just another example of what a pleasure reading a book from the the golden age of mystery novels is. And that's no small thing, to be clear. Just one thing that bothered me. The maid said she heard Mrs. Sharpe say something like 'you should be more careful' to her daughter the night she heard the screams coming from the house. That was never picked up again later. I was hoping the Sharpes were involved in some kind of unrelated sinister activity, like in [b:Rebecca|12873|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327871977s/12873.jpg|46663] or something, or that Marion had some kind of painful condition. That would have raised this book to a 4-star level. As it is, the plot is really not very interesting in the end. I like my mystery novels with twists and turns, not as straight-forward as this one.
Really good! Some golden age mysteries can feel a little plug-and-play with characters and mystery details, but Tey actually brings a lot of complexity to the genre here. She addresses a number of topics, including the tumult of post-war Britain, the role of the press in influencing public opinion, persecution of the accused before conviction, and more. Tey definitely has some dated opinions about things like criminals being identifiable by their eye color, and conservative ideas about crime and personality. A very satisfying read with a lot of depth, this definitely would have appeal to any mystery fan.
adventurous
mysterious
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The cosy life of solicitor Robert Blair is irrevocably disturbed by a phone call from a Marion Sharpe. She and her mother needing legal advice as they have been accused of kidnapping and abuse of a 15 year old girl.
Very enjoyable mystery, I also remember seeing the film.
Very enjoyable mystery, I also remember seeing the film.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read all of Josephine Tey's books as a teenager in the 60s. Reading them now the mysteries and the plots still stand up, but you have to try to put yourself back in time and ignore all the aspects of class and snobbery that are so evident. These books are period pieces, reminiscent of Agatha Christie and almost as good. And while five of the books feature Alan Grant, he is not central to this one at all.
As a Josephine Tey fan, it was with great anticipation on this mystery not credited to Inspector Grant (though he does make an appearance in the story). Overall, it was a book which gripped, tantalized but did not really deliver.
First, let me set that all you love about Tey's writing remains valid in this book too - a true genius for turn of phrase. Many a times through the book, I found myself re-reading a sentence that with minimum words just conveys a wealth of information. Brilliant ! The mystery is not a murder but very interesting. A claim to kidnapping has been made against two ladies by a young, apparently innocent girl. The book is around the lawyer trying to decipher the facts behind the problem.
Actually, its not the discovery of the "facts" behind the problem. Its more the lawyer's crusade to prove the innocence of the accused. This is where I had a problem with the book and it is not something unique to this book. I have found and bemoaned Miss Tey's tendency to have her chief protagonists heavily opinionated based on physical traits. In this book, I was frustrated by how Mr Blair, the lawyer in question, so blindly accepts the innocence of the accused women though all evidence is proven to the contrary. We are never given to understand why this is so. The whole investigation is based on the assumption that there is a false accusation. That doesn't necessarily mean that the book is bad but it leaves me with the feeling that not all is uncovered.
This has been a tendency in other Tey books as well, most famously in "The daughter of time" where Inspector Grant builds up a whole case simply based on the facial looks of a person. The arguments are all ingenious but that the basis is on physical traits rather detracts from the arguments. The same here. The author puts up a case for blue eyed people vs cross eyed ones blah..blah. All very interesting but not surely to drive the solution of a mystery.
The characters are all well fleshed out and you enjoy their company through your time with the book. It is eventually the rather simplistic and "miraculous" way in which the finale is reached that leaves you unsatisfied and with open questions on the nature of the investigation. Thankfully, Mr Blair catches a plane to Canada at the end of book and hopefully was not called in by Josephine Tey to indulge in criminal investigations again.
First, let me set that all you love about Tey's writing remains valid in this book too - a true genius for turn of phrase. Many a times through the book, I found myself re-reading a sentence that with minimum words just conveys a wealth of information. Brilliant ! The mystery is not a murder but very interesting. A claim to kidnapping has been made against two ladies by a young, apparently innocent girl. The book is around the lawyer trying to decipher the facts behind the problem.
Actually, its not the discovery of the "facts" behind the problem. Its more the lawyer's crusade to prove the innocence of the accused. This is where I had a problem with the book and it is not something unique to this book. I have found and bemoaned Miss Tey's tendency to have her chief protagonists heavily opinionated based on physical traits. In this book, I was frustrated by how Mr Blair, the lawyer in question, so blindly accepts the innocence of the accused women though all evidence is proven to the contrary. We are never given to understand why this is so. The whole investigation is based on the assumption that there is a false accusation. That doesn't necessarily mean that the book is bad but it leaves me with the feeling that not all is uncovered.
This has been a tendency in other Tey books as well, most famously in "The daughter of time" where Inspector Grant builds up a whole case simply based on the facial looks of a person. The arguments are all ingenious but that the basis is on physical traits rather detracts from the arguments. The same here. The author puts up a case for blue eyed people vs cross eyed ones blah..blah. All very interesting but not surely to drive the solution of a mystery.
The characters are all well fleshed out and you enjoy their company through your time with the book. It is eventually the rather simplistic and "miraculous" way in which the finale is reached that leaves you unsatisfied and with open questions on the nature of the investigation. Thankfully, Mr Blair catches a plane to Canada at the end of book and hopefully was not called in by Josephine Tey to indulge in criminal investigations again.
***3.85 Stars***
This is the first book of hers that I read. And in 1990 it was considered the 11th greatest mystery of all time by the Crime Writer’s Association (British) - that’s higher than all of the Sherlock Holmes stories and all but one of Agatha Christie’s! Originally published in 1948, it’s so different from other mysteries that I’ve read from the same time period. First off, there’s no murder or a dead body! A teenage girl accuses two women of kidnapping her to become their maid. (This was written in the 1940s, post WW2 and well-to-do women could no longer find help, so this sort of actually made sense back then.) And then from there it basically becomes a she said/she said situation. The story follows the lawyer for the two women as he tries to prove their innocence.
I thought the book started off slow, but once I got into it, it really started to move. And I really enjoyed the dialogue. Tey also has a really lovely way of writing the physicality of her characters around the dialogue as well. At times, I thought Tey was overly descriptive and lovely as those descriptions are I really just wanted her to get on with the actual plot.
But the book is extraordinarily of its British time period. There is a proper noun in the story that I had never heard of before and the context was not helpful. A quick Google told me that it was a British court/trial system that no longer exists. It’s a super specific reference if you aren’t particularly knowledgeable of that place and time. There are only a couple of things like that though.
The characters get a little snobby, political, and judgy and since I have never read any of Tey’s other books, I’m unclear if this is Tey’s personal feelings being pushed onto her characters or if it was a specific choice for those characters.
But overall, this was cleverly done and very different from everything else I’ve read in the genre. A Vanity Affair article says, “No wonder Josephine Tey never belonged to the Detection Club [Christie, Sayers, etc...]. During her career as a crime novelist... she broke almost all of the commandments.” Her books don’t follow the standard mystery novel formula and that is refreshing.
Also, this is the third book in a series. My husband gave this to me for Christmas and I had never heard of it, much less had read any of Tey’s other books. While reading it, I kept wondering who is the lead in the series’ other books. Our lawyerly lead mentions this is his first case and he is really the only character that it would make sense for it to be, but in the same breath, it makes no sense at all. I was shocked to find that the series is called “Inspector Alan Grant.” Grant is barely in this book and you never get his point of view. I would have never guessed. So even though this is the third in the series, it really does work as a standalone.
Aside No. 1: I read the 2001 Folio Society edition with an introduction by Antonia Fraser. I suffer from a particular affliction where I feel massive guilt if I don’t read introductions even though I hate reading introductions, forwards, and the like. It has something to do with actually having to read the WHOLE book. I’ve often put a book down because I can’t get through the introduction. This one thankfully is short enough, but it is written with the expectation that the reader has read other books by Tey. Fraser kept referencing characters and bits of story with no context in order to elaborate upon a point. And I just wanted to throw the book across the room because I had no idea what she was talking about. If you’re like me and this is the first book of Tey’s that you read, read the beginning about her life and skip the rest. I’m sure the it makes sense if you’ve read her other novels.
Aside No. 2: “The Daughter of Time,” Tey’s fifth book in the series is also supposed to be very good. It’s #1 on the same mystery list that I mentioned earlier! I picked up a lovely used Folio Society copy over the weekend and can’t wait to start reading it.
This is the first book of hers that I read. And in 1990 it was considered the 11th greatest mystery of all time by the Crime Writer’s Association (British) - that’s higher than all of the Sherlock Holmes stories and all but one of Agatha Christie’s! Originally published in 1948, it’s so different from other mysteries that I’ve read from the same time period. First off, there’s no murder or a dead body! A teenage girl accuses two women of kidnapping her to become their maid. (This was written in the 1940s, post WW2 and well-to-do women could no longer find help, so this sort of actually made sense back then.) And then from there it basically becomes a she said/she said situation. The story follows the lawyer for the two women as he tries to prove their innocence.
I thought the book started off slow, but once I got into it, it really started to move. And I really enjoyed the dialogue. Tey also has a really lovely way of writing the physicality of her characters around the dialogue as well. At times, I thought Tey was overly descriptive and lovely as those descriptions are I really just wanted her to get on with the actual plot.
But the book is extraordinarily of its British time period. There is a proper noun in the story that I had never heard of before and the context was not helpful. A quick Google told me that it was a British court/trial system that no longer exists. It’s a super specific reference if you aren’t particularly knowledgeable of that place and time. There are only a couple of things like that though.
The characters get a little snobby, political, and judgy and since I have never read any of Tey’s other books, I’m unclear if this is Tey’s personal feelings being pushed onto her characters or if it was a specific choice for those characters.
But overall, this was cleverly done and very different from everything else I’ve read in the genre. A Vanity Affair article says, “No wonder Josephine Tey never belonged to the Detection Club [Christie, Sayers, etc...]. During her career as a crime novelist... she broke almost all of the commandments.” Her books don’t follow the standard mystery novel formula and that is refreshing.
Also, this is the third book in a series. My husband gave this to me for Christmas and I had never heard of it, much less had read any of Tey’s other books. While reading it, I kept wondering who is the lead in the series’ other books. Our lawyerly lead mentions this is his first case and he is really the only character that it would make sense for it to be, but in the same breath, it makes no sense at all. I was shocked to find that the series is called “Inspector Alan Grant.” Grant is barely in this book and you never get his point of view. I would have never guessed. So even though this is the third in the series, it really does work as a standalone.
Aside No. 1: I read the 2001 Folio Society edition with an introduction by Antonia Fraser. I suffer from a particular affliction where I feel massive guilt if I don’t read introductions even though I hate reading introductions, forwards, and the like. It has something to do with actually having to read the WHOLE book. I’ve often put a book down because I can’t get through the introduction. This one thankfully is short enough, but it is written with the expectation that the reader has read other books by Tey. Fraser kept referencing characters and bits of story with no context in order to elaborate upon a point. And I just wanted to throw the book across the room because I had no idea what she was talking about. If you’re like me and this is the first book of Tey’s that you read, read the beginning about her life and skip the rest. I’m sure the it makes sense if you’ve read her other novels.
Aside No. 2: “The Daughter of Time,” Tey’s fifth book in the series is also supposed to be very good. It’s #1 on the same mystery list that I mentioned earlier! I picked up a lovely used Folio Society copy over the weekend and can’t wait to start reading it.