Hardcover, 437 pages
English language
Published July 10, 2000 by Thorndike Press.
In this tale of mystery and suspense, a stranger enters the inner sanctum of the Ashby family posing as Patrick Ashby, the heir to the family's sizable fortune. The stranger, Brat Farrar, has been carefully coached on Patrick's mannerism's, appearance, and every significant detail of Patrick's early life, up to his thirteenth year when he disappeared and was thought to have drowned himself. It seems as if Brat is going to pull off this most incredible deception until old secrets emerge that jeopardize the impostor's plan and his life.
I think Miss Pym Disposes is still my favorite Tey, but this one is so good. She really was a fantastic writer. There's something about that early-to-mid-century novel style that is so satisfying: prose that's pleasurable but lucid and emotional insights that are subtle but striking.
Cozy and neat
