Rather oddly, since I'm a big fan of the mystery genre, I'd never read any books by Josephine Tey. Two weeks ago I saw The Daughter of Time
on unabridged audiobook at the library, and decided it was about time I rectified that situation.Inspector Grant isn't out detecting like usual -- he's stuck flat on his back in a hospital room. To help alleviate his boredom, a friend brings him pictures of historical people. Grant flips through them, intrigued by one portrait in particular. He assumes that the man is a judge, then turns over the picture to read that he is in fact Richard the III, the notorious murderer. Grant prides himself on his ability to read faces, and is convinced that the portrait of Richard III doesn't show a killer. So he undertakes historical research to determine if, in fact, Richard III was guilty of murdering his nephews or if he has been maligned through the centuries. He approaches the "case" not as a historian, but as a detective, looking for motive, means, and opportunity.
I really enjoyed this book! It's the perfect mélange of my two favorite genres: mystery and history. I loved the detail of the background on the Wars of the Roses, the Plantagenet and Tudor familes, and on Richard III himself. If you're not normally a fan of mysteries I think you'd like this one anyway, because it's more about the nuances of historical figures and their possible motivations for creating such a terrible rumor about Richard.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Should I recommend this to my grandma? Absolutely. Recommend it to anyone and everyone!
Have you read much about the Wars of the Roses? Are you a fan of mysteries?
The cover image and title are Amazon affiliate links.
