The Josephine Tey Collection: 6 Alan Grant Novels; Brat Farrar; & Miss Pym Disposes

The Man in the Queue; A Shilling for Candles; The Franchise Affair; To Love and Be Wise; The Daughter of Time; The Singing Sands; Miss Pym Disposes; Brat Farrar

By: Josephine Tey

Narrated by: Karen Cass

From gripping psychological suspense to classic whodunnit, this captivating collection of golden age detective fiction by Josephine Tey comprises unabridged recordings of the author’s major novels, eight elegantly woven mysteries that showcase her masterful ability to create richly layered narratives that combine sharp wit with profound psychological insight.

The novels included here are:

The Man in the Queue: When an unknown, unidentifiable man is killed in a queue outside a London theatre, Inspector Alan Grant is called in to unravel the mystery. His search for the identities of both victim and murderer lead to the discovery of a tangled web of suspects and secrets and culminates in a breathless manhunt leading from London all the way to the Scottish highlands and back.

A Shilling for Candles: When the body of a young woman is washed up on a beach in Kent, she’s believed to have accidentally drowned. But the presence of a button in her hair and signs of a struggle on her hands lead Inspector Alan Grant to believe she may have been murdered.

The Franchise Affair: In a quiet English village, Marion Sharpe and her mother, two seemingly ordinary women, find their lives upturned when a young girl accuses them of kidnapping and abuse. When even Inspector Alan Grant is baffled, the women enlist savvy barrister Robert Blair to help clear their names.

To Love and Be Wise: Grant investigates the baffling disappearance of a charismatic American photographer from a picturesque English village—and uncovers a web of secrets, lies, petty jealousies and hidden motives.

The Daughter of Time: In Tey’s most enduringly popular story, a bed-ridden Alan Grant attempts to solve a five-hundred-year-old mystery – was Richard III really responsible for the deaths of his nephews, the Princes in the Tower?

The Singing Sands: Inspector Alan Grant, suffering from stress and anxiety, takes leave from Scotland Yard and plans a tranquil holiday in the Scottish Highlands. But after stumbling over the body of a young man on the train and finding a cryptic poem scribbled in the margins of a newspaper, he finds himself drawn into an unofficial investigation. Who wrote the poem and what does it mean? Who was the passenger? And was his death accidental—or was it murder?

Miss Pym Disposes: Former teacher and best selling psychologist Lucy Pym is thrilled at the invitation to lecture at the prestigious Leys College for young women. However, a tragic accident in the gymnasium reveals a darker side to the school, and Miss Pym finds she must draw on her psychological expertise to trace who, of all these wholesome girls, has violence on the mind.

Brat Farrar: A stranger named Brat Farrar arrives at the Ashby estate claiming to be Patrick Ashby—the long-lost heir who vanished years earlier and was presumed dead. Carefully coached in Patrick’s history and mannerisms, Brat seems poised to pull off the perfect impersonation and claim the family fortune, but as he becomes entangled in the lives of the Ashbys, old secrets begin to surface, threatening not only his plan but his life.

Josephine Tey (1896-1952) was a renowned author and one of the most celebrated figures in detective fiction. Tey initially pursued a career in theatre, writing plays before shifting her focus to novels, and her writing is characterised by psychological depth, strong character development, and a subversion of traditional crime fiction norms. Her most notable works include The Daughter of Time, Brat Farrar, and The Franchise Affair, and despite her relatively small output, her influence is significant, inspiring future generations of mystery writers.

In 2015, Val McDermid argued that Tey "cracked open the door" for later writers such as Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell to explore the darker side of humanity, creating a bridge between the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and contemporary crime novels.

This audiobook is fully indexed. Once downloaded, each book and chapter will be listed so you can easily navigate to the individual section.

Public Domain (P)2023 SNR Audio

Stylish classical mystery writing

Excellent plots, well developed characters by a master of the Golden Age of women mystery writers. Josephine Tey deserves a far wider audience and the kind of films being made of other writers like Agatha Christie. She was gone far too soon, as these stories demonstrate.

Total excellence

The beautiful writing was enhanced about the amazing g talent of the narrator. I wish that Josephine Tey had written more!

Excellently read

I enjoyed the character of Alan Grant. I especially liked “the daughter of time”. Wonderful piece of historical fiction.

The Grant stories were good

The Grant stories were good, I couldn't get into the other two stories. I never heard of these stories so I took a chance, I do not regret that.

excellent work

Narration was clear and crisp and each story was fantastic! and difficult to put down