#josephinetey

Reading….

I’ve just started listening to this Audio-Book. The photograph is of Richard the III, remembered in history as the murderer of his two young nephews, and in this novel he is the subject of a new investigation by Inspector Alan Grant. This novel, by Josephine Tey, is ranked as the 4th Best Mystery of all time by the Mystery Writers of America.

Murder/mysteries are not my normal, go to, genre. What got me interested in this one is the fact that Derek Jacobi is the Narrator. It’s a perfect example, as far as I’m concerned, of what an audio-book should be.….well read! 

Derek Jacobi is an accomplished actor of both stage and screen and one of my favourites. His voice is captivating and a delight to listen to, his use of pause and inflection is perfect. I could listen to this man read for hours, let’s face it, he could read a shopping list and make it sound interesting! The story and his narration had me hooked from the first chapter. I’m looking forward to hearing how the story unfolds…...

Last month my book group discussed The Daughter of Time, a 1951 mystery novel with a twist. Inspector Grant is in the hospital with a back injury, bored out of his mind, when a friend brings him an intriguing case: Did Richard III really murder his young nephews, the famous "Princes in the Tower"?

Using as many primary sources as he can have his friends tracks down he goes about breaking apart the case in his mind and comes to the conclusion that Richard III was very different from the king portrayed by Shakespeare and in popular history.

I thought this book would generate a hearty discussion and it mostly did. However, about half of the group had never heard of Richard III and, therefore, the emotional impact of Grant's deductions didn't hit them as hard as it did others. I think this book would be more suited to book groups whose members are history buffs, Anglophiles or fans of historical fiction. Or English people.