Rating: 
Summary: A mediocre mystery.
Review: A popular actress/singer's body is found on the beach. At first it is believed to be an accidental drowning, but soon it becomes apparent that this is murder. The novel begins well, and there are some interesting characters, but then it begins to go downhill. Instead of vintage Tey, we seem to have an Agatha Christie plot, and not the best Christie.There are red herrings galore, a false arrest, 2 escapes, supernatural overtones, and then an unexpected, unprepared for, and totally implausible ending. That the guilty one would have and could have perpetrated the crime in the manner indicated is just beyond belief. The author even has to make her turn out to be insane to create a strong enough motive--no, not nearly strong enough actually. If you want to read excellent Josephine Tey, try BRAT FARRAR or THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR. This one just isn't up to her later standards.
Rating: 
Summary: Silliness and Coincidences
Review: As an audio book, this is a great production. As a mystery, this was a disappointment. How convenient that people stumble onto critical clues, characters and evidence. It's as if all of England were no more than four acres large. I am still wondering what the motive of the killer was; the ending was abrubt and nonsensical. Please read "A Daughter of Time" if you want to experience Tey's best work.
Rating:
Summary: A Tey To Remember
Review: Brief and gentlemanly, Tey's 'Shilling' comes in the middle of the pack of Tey offerings. She's enjoying something of a rennaisance these days--most of her novels seem ahead of their time, and one can't help but picture a youthful PD James consuming them, with visions of a future Dalgleish in her head. If you enjoy leisurely mysteries with much more class than pace, you'll enjoy Tey.
Rating: 
Summary: Tey's detection masterpiece
Review: If you want actual detection, as opposed to character studies, this is the Tey book to read. Her later books have some interest, but more as straight novels than as mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Golden Age Detective Novel Formula
Review: Josephine Tey is a marvellous mystery writer, but she does use the Golden Age formula. In this book there are actually three plot strands (one of which is a murder). In true "Golden Age" fashion we don't get the answer to any of the three until the end when the murderer is unmasked. Even though she uses the formula, it is apparent in this book anyway that she likes to flout the rules. It's that hint of the unexpected that makes her books such a treasure. And her titles!! They say so much in so few words. In this book Inspector Grant is looking into the drowning death of a famous film star. There are no shortage of suspects, and there is so much extraneous information that he gets quite frustrated trying to unravel it. But he peseveres and discovers the murderer in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Golden Age Detective Novel Formula
Review: Josephine Tey is a marvellous mystery writer, but she does use the Golden Age formula. In this book there are actually three plot strands (one of which is a murder). In true "Golden Age" fashion we don't get the answer to any of the three until the end when the murderer is unmasked. Even though she uses the formula, it is apparent in this book anyway that she likes to flout the rules. It's that hint of the unexpected that makes her books such a treasure. And her titles!! They say so much in so few words. In this book Inspector Grant is looking into the drowning death of a famous film star. There are no shortage of suspects, and there is so much extraneous information that he gets quite frustrated trying to unravel it. But he peseveres and discovers the murderer in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Tey's detection masterpiece
Review: Tey is a brilliant writer of character studies, with her strength lying in her portrayals of younger women and girls. Unlike her later mysteries though, "Candles" has one of the weakest endings in the entire genre of mystery writing. Still, the characters are so brilliantly drawn, it is just plain fun to read about them. After the first five chapters, the mystery becomes immaterial though. For stronger mystery writing, Tey's 'Brat Farrar' or 'Daughter of Time' would be the ones to read. 'A Shilling for Candles' would come at the bottom of the Tey listing, I'm afraid.
Rating:
Summary: Loose Change
Review: Tey is a brilliant writer of character studies, with her strength lying in her portrayals of younger women and girls. Unlike her later mysteries though, "Candles" has one of the weakest endings in the entire genre of mystery writing. Still, the characters are so brilliantly drawn, it is just plain fun to read about them. After the first five chapters, the mystery becomes immaterial though. For stronger mystery writing, Tey's 'Brat Farrar' or 'Daughter of Time' would be the ones to read. 'A Shilling for Candles' would come at the bottom of the Tey listing, I'm afraid.
Rating:
Summary: Testamentary Bequest
Review: There is a dead body. Where is her car? Why is she swimming alone? It seems her body is expensively cared for. A young man appears on the scene, weeping. It seems that he had taken her car. The name of the drowned woman is Christine Clay. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is called to the scene by a worried constabulary. The young man, Robin Stannaway or Robert Tisdall, the name had been changed to Tisdall to please a relative, stayed with Chris. She had picked him up when hitchhiking, saying that she was alone. The boy clearly has charm. Grant and others determine that it is probable murder. Christine Clay had worked her way up from a lace factory in Nottingham. About every six months she was in a different social sphere. Her real name was Christina Gotobend. She was married to Lord Edward Champneis. There was a button in Christine Clay's hair and evidence of a struggle. Tisdall had lost his coat. It had been made in Los Angeles and was, therefore, in its absence, unsuitable for button comparison. Edward Champneis is very dignified. In her will Christine Clay left her brother Herbert a shilling for candles. When Grant discovers there is a codicil with a provision for Tisdall, he hastens to Scotland Yard. Grant regrets his inclination to like Tisdall. They seek to arrest him who appears to have no knowledge of the codicil in his favor. He escapes via a fire escape. Robert is befriended by another woman or girl, to be more precise. They think the solution to his problem is to find his missing overcoat to show there is no missing button. A clue is that an alcoholic china mender may have lifted the coat. The book suffers from having the most likeable characters mainly off-stage or dead. In other respects, of course, it is wonderful, given that Josephine Tey was one of the best people writing in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Testamentary Bequest
Review: There is a dead body. Where is her car? Why is she swimming alone? It seems her body is expensively cared for. A young man appears on the scene, weeping. It seems that he had taken her car. The name of the drowned woman is Christine Clay. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is called to the scene by a worried constabulary. The young man, Robin Stannaway or Robert Tisdall, the name had been changed to Tisdall to please a relative, stayed with Chris. She had picked him up when hitchhiking, saying that she was alone. The boy clearly has charm. Grant and others determine that it is probable murder. Christine Clay had worked her way up from a lace factory in Nottingham. About every six months she was in a different social sphere. Her real name was Christina Gotobend. She was married to Lord Edward Champneis. There was a button in Christine Clay's hair and evidence of a struggle. Tisdall had lost his coat. It had been made in Los Angeles and was, therefore, in its absence, unsuitable for button comparison. Edward Champneis is very dignified. In her will Christine Clay left her brother Herbert a shilling for candles. When Grant discovers there is a codicil with a provision for Tisdall, he hastens to Scotland Yard. Grant regrets his inclination to like Tisdall. They seek to arrest him who appears to have no knowledge of the codicil in his favor. He escapes via a fire escape. Robert is befriended by another woman or girl, to be more precise. They think the solution to his problem is to find his missing overcoat to show there is no missing button. A clue is that an alcoholic china mender may have lifted the coat. The book suffers from having the most likeable characters mainly off-stage or dead. In other respects, of course, it is wonderful, given that Josephine Tey was one of the best people writing in the genre.
| 
