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A review by lgpiper
The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey
4.0
So, it seems that Inspector Alan Grant has had a nervous breakdown and has taken a leave of absence from Scotland Yard. He's off to Scotland to stay with his best friend from his school days Tom Rankin, and Tom's wife, Laura, who is also Grant's cousin. He plans many lovely days fishing in the streams and rejuvenating himself.
But, as he is leaving the train, he sees the conductor trying to wake up an apparent drunk in one of the sleeping compartments. Grant knows instantly that the man is dead. The man has a rather arresting countenance, which haunts Grant. Grant also discovers later on that he had lifted a news paper from the man's compartment with a rather intriguing fragment of a poem written in a blank spot.
Well, Grant can't seem to let the vision of the young man in the compartment, nor his poem, go. So, he calls up an old friend from Scotland Yard to fill him on. Allegedly, the young man is one Charles Martin and he fell over in his compartment and cracked his skull on the sink. Somehow, he'd managed to crawl onto his bed before he expired.
As for the singing sands and such like, perhaps they refer to one or several of the islands west of the coast of Scotland. Singing sands, walking rocks and the way to paradise all appear to have a place in Gaelic folk lore. So, for a few days Grant goes off to the most likely island to have a look around.
But, he also places an ad in the London papers asking for information about the poem. He gets lots of crank replies, of course, but also one seemingly serious one from a young flyer named Tad Cullen. It seems that the poem stirred a rembrance of Cullen's best buddy, Bill Kenrick. It seems that Cullen and Kenrick were to meet in Paris the day the dead young man was found in Grant's train. Furthermore, Kenrick looks somewhat like the dead young man, allegedly a Frenchman, Charles Martin.
Cullen seems to think the poem might have something to do with Arabia, so Grant goes off interviewing experts in Arabian exploration.
Well, I've already droned on too long, so I'll stop. This is really a quite interesting and well written story. I think it's the third by Tey that I've read, and her work is a cut above the standard "mystery" novel. I'll surely read more of her work.
But, as he is leaving the train, he sees the conductor trying to wake up an apparent drunk in one of the sleeping compartments. Grant knows instantly that the man is dead. The man has a rather arresting countenance, which haunts Grant. Grant also discovers later on that he had lifted a news paper from the man's compartment with a rather intriguing fragment of a poem written in a blank spot.
The beasts that talk,
The streams that stand,
The stones that walk,
The singing sand,
...
...
That guard the way to Paradise
Well, Grant can't seem to let the vision of the young man in the compartment, nor his poem, go. So, he calls up an old friend from Scotland Yard to fill him on. Allegedly, the young man is one Charles Martin and he fell over in his compartment and cracked his skull on the sink. Somehow, he'd managed to crawl onto his bed before he expired.
As for the singing sands and such like, perhaps they refer to one or several of the islands west of the coast of Scotland. Singing sands, walking rocks and the way to paradise all appear to have a place in Gaelic folk lore. So, for a few days Grant goes off to the most likely island to have a look around.
But, he also places an ad in the London papers asking for information about the poem. He gets lots of crank replies, of course, but also one seemingly serious one from a young flyer named Tad Cullen. It seems that the poem stirred a rembrance of Cullen's best buddy, Bill Kenrick. It seems that Cullen and Kenrick were to meet in Paris the day the dead young man was found in Grant's train. Furthermore, Kenrick looks somewhat like the dead young man, allegedly a Frenchman, Charles Martin.
Cullen seems to think the poem might have something to do with Arabia, so Grant goes off interviewing experts in Arabian exploration.
Well, I've already droned on too long, so I'll stop. This is really a quite interesting and well written story. I think it's the third by Tey that I've read, and her work is a cut above the standard "mystery" novel. I'll surely read more of her work.