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« And the winner is... | Main | Italian Grammars and Porcupine Papers »

April 10, 2009

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I've been dying to read this one ... maybe this summer my TBR pile will have decreased a bit and I can add to it!

I'm thisclose to reading this. I had planned on starting it but it was bumped in favor of PD James. If I didn't already have too many books started I would pick it up now. But after reading your post --especially the last paragraph it's at least waiting next in line!

I'm a bit wary of books which use real authors as their detectives, so was unsure about this. I love Tey and Marsh, so you've convinced me to try it.

Would you recommend reading any Tey before you read this as I have been sent a copy and dont know whether to go in knowing nothing of Tey's works or if I should have sampled a bit? Sounds like its a great book!

I've had this sitting on my TBR pile for a while now - moving it up after reading your post. It sounds right up my alley.

Ooh, I like the sound of that.

My wish list is getting stupid-long.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Simon - no you don't ned to have read any Tey novels. The book works mainly around her play rather than her novels, and the play is expalined where necessary as you go along.

I loved this when it was on Radio 4, so thanks for reminding me about it. Another to be added to the tottering tbr pile.

This does sound good - I'm another with a tottering TBR pile, but on it shall go.

I enjoyed the book and loved all the theatrical side of it, but I'd agree with you about the excess of scene-setting after the very good beginning, and some idioms struck me as too modern for the period; also, the back-story was a bit convoluted and less than fully plausible. I'd be keen to see how the character of Josephine Tey is developed in the next book(s).

You might be right about the idiom - that's the kind of thing that I don't pick up on a first read, expecially in lighter fiction where I am wizzing along. I think the Tey connection means it has the potential to disappoint, just for not being Tey, and it is of course not Tey at all. Like you I will be interested to see where the series goes.

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