Josephine Tey: Daughter of Time (2022, Independently Published)
English language
Published Dec. 20, 2022 by Independently Published.
The Daughter of Time is a 1951 detective novel by Josephine Tey, concerning a modern police officer's investigation into the alleged crimes of King Richard III of England. It was the last book Tey published in her lifetime, shortly before her death. In 1990 it was voted number one in The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time list compiled by the British Crime Writers' Association. In 1995 it was voted number four in The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time list compiled by the Mystery Writers of America.
Fun especially for anglophilic history buffs. I couldn't really keep track of all of the characters and puzzles and motivations, but that's actual history for you.
Fans of inspector Grant will enjoy watching him analyze historical mystery as though it were a modern murder.
I read this because it is on several lists as being the best mystery ever. Well, it was a good book, with many points well known to most people with a small bit of education: history is written by the winners, Richard the III is a mysterious and interesting figure, what is true is what everybody thinks is true, and all truth crumbles with time but we believe what we want to believe. Perhaps this was the first book to address these now-institutionalized cliches, and it is a unique and noteworthy book. It just doesn't fit my bill of best mystery ever, being perhaps an ironic victim of its title, and lacking in the shocking plot twists and rich ambiance of later mystery writers. It is more like a good book that made more of name for itself in the smaller genre department, and would be an excellent requirement for …
I read this because it is on several lists as being the best mystery ever. Well, it was a good book, with many points well known to most people with a small bit of education: history is written by the winners, Richard the III is a mysterious and interesting figure, what is true is what everybody thinks is true, and all truth crumbles with time but we believe what we want to believe. Perhaps this was the first book to address these now-institutionalized cliches, and it is a unique and noteworthy book. It just doesn't fit my bill of best mystery ever, being perhaps an ironic victim of its title, and lacking in the shocking plot twists and rich ambiance of later mystery writers. It is more like a good book that made more of name for itself in the smaller genre department, and would be an excellent requirement for college freshman who are starting on their humanities courses.
