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bowienerd_82 's review for:
The Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey
I'd been wanting to read this for awhile, as I spotted it as #1 on the Top 100 Crime Novels list. However, I felt like I had to read the first four books in the series, as I really don't like reading books out of order if I can help it.
I'm very glad I did, because all the previous books in the series were worth reading ([b:The Franchise Affair|243401|The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)|Josephine Tey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435079717s/243401.jpg|1620751] was probably was my favorite of the bunch). But while I really enjoyed The Daughter of Time, I wouldn't rate it as the best mystery of all time. It's up there, but I'm not even sure it would make my top ten list (though I think it could crack top 20).
I really like the juxtaposition of a modern detective investigating a historical crime, and I really enjoyed how well integrated the two sides were. I found the argument for Richard III quite convincing, and would rather like to read some of the primary source documents myself now.
I think my biggest critique is the odd detachment Tey as author has from some of her characters (especially because it's so sporadic, and she occasionally busts free and does an excellent job of character building). After 5 books, I still don't feel like I know much about Alan Grant at all, which is something I find frustrating.
But still, an excellent book, and one well worth reading.
ETA: I've just re-read this one after having read [b:The Sunne in Splendour|119829|The Sunne in Splendour|Sharon Kay Penman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361649213s/119829.jpg|2046265], and after reading nearly 1000 pages about Richard III, the information in [b:The Daughter of Time|77661|The Daughter of Time (Inspector Alan Grant, #5)|Josephine Tey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394326949s/77661.jpg|3222080] seems a bit shallow, but even so, it's still a good read, and a concise and charming argument for Richard.
I'm very glad I did, because all the previous books in the series were worth reading ([b:The Franchise Affair|243401|The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)|Josephine Tey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435079717s/243401.jpg|1620751] was probably was my favorite of the bunch). But while I really enjoyed The Daughter of Time, I wouldn't rate it as the best mystery of all time. It's up there, but I'm not even sure it would make my top ten list (though I think it could crack top 20).
I really like the juxtaposition of a modern detective investigating a historical crime, and I really enjoyed how well integrated the two sides were. I found the argument for Richard III quite convincing, and would rather like to read some of the primary source documents myself now.
I think my biggest critique is the odd detachment Tey as author has from some of her characters (especially because it's so sporadic, and she occasionally busts free and does an excellent job of character building). After 5 books, I still don't feel like I know much about Alan Grant at all, which is something I find frustrating.
But still, an excellent book, and one well worth reading.
ETA: I've just re-read this one after having read [b:The Sunne in Splendour|119829|The Sunne in Splendour|Sharon Kay Penman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361649213s/119829.jpg|2046265], and after reading nearly 1000 pages about Richard III, the information in [b:The Daughter of Time|77661|The Daughter of Time (Inspector Alan Grant, #5)|Josephine Tey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394326949s/77661.jpg|3222080] seems a bit shallow, but even so, it's still a good read, and a concise and charming argument for Richard.