Rating: 
Summary: History Is Written By The Victors!
Review: Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant is bored out of his mind. Due to an unfortunate fall and multiple injuries he is bed ridden in the hospital and the long healing process and subsequent inaction are driving him crazy. A friend, knowing of the Inspector's passion for faces, brings him a portfolio of historical portraits thinking to distract him. She hopes he will involve himself in solving a "classic" historical mystery, since he seems to know all the facts of the Scotland Yard cases by heart. Grant homes in on the portrait of King Richard III, the supposedly wicked uncle who murdered his nephews, the boy princes, in the London's Tower. He remembers how Richard was portrayed in elementary school history and certainly recalls Shakespeare's vivid portrait of the evil hunchbacked king. However, try as he may, Grant cannot reconcile the face in the painting with that of a tyrannical childrens' murderer and usurper of England's throne. He sees conscience and integrity in the face of the painting's subject. And his curiousity is aroused for the first time since his accident.Grant asks for historical books and reads everything he can get his hands on. He finally comes into contact with a young research student from America who also becomes caught-up in the hypothesis that Richard III was framed. Author Josephine Tey, with the skill of the best in Scotland Yard, conducts an objective investigation of a centuries-old crime. She evenly portrays both side of the story, Richard III's and King Henry VII's (the other suspect), with all its twists and turns, reveals compelling evidence and comes to an amazing conclusion. The reader is literally taken back in time to examine the accusations, testimonies and material relating to the death of Richard's brother, King Edward IV in 1483, the known history of his sons, Princes Edward and Richard after their father's death and their mysterious disappearance, the behavior of Edward's widow and children, including his eldest daughter Elizabeth, who becomes Henry's bride, Queen and mother to Henry VIII. Tey provides an extraordinarily well researched profile of Richard III, pieced together directly from historical documents, and another profile of Henry Tudor. The author also examines the 1934 exhumation of the two children who were first dug up in 1674. Motives are examined and finally, conclusions are drawn, proving, once again, that history is written by winners. This is a riveting piece of detective history. Usually historians are detectives. In this case we are introduced to a detective who becomes a historian. Step-by-step, Grant plays out his theories according to evidence and comes up with logical deductions. One may already know what the conclusions are, but that is not the point of this mystery novel. The book provides the opportunity to go back in history and view a more three-dimensional side to well known characters, examine documents, and understand the rationale of those who lied or who closed their eyes to the truth. In this case, a mistrust of the official version of "the truth" brings the truth to light. Alan Grant and the supporting cast of characters are wonderful, as is the witty dialogue. The young American, Brent Carradine, is hardworking and touching in his zeal to do something meaningful. This excellent mystery by Josephine Tey is a delight and a remarkably riveting read.
JANA
Rating: 
Summary: THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE...
Review: This is a wonderful genre bending book...part mystery, part history. Written by Scotswoman Elizabeth MacIntosh, who wrote under the pen name Josephine Tey, it was first published in 1951. It is tragic that the author died in 1952 and was never to know the pleasure that this book would bring to generations of readers and that the Mystery Writers of America would ultimately rank it fourth among the one hundred best mysteries ever written. The title of the book is derived from a historical source, as it is attributable to Sir Francis Bacon, "For truth is rightly named after the daughter of time, and not of authority." The book itself is not a traditional mystery but rather an application of deductive reasoning to an actual historical event. The event in question is the murder of the princes in the tower, sons of King Edward IV, allegedly by their uncle, Richard III, who eventually usurped the English throne after the death of his brother. It has been widely held that Richard III did, indeed, murder the two young princes, his nephews, in order to secure his claim to the throne. The reader is introduced to Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant, who is hospitalized and recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty. While convalescing, he becomes intrigued by a picture of a portrait of Richard III, a likeness with which he is unfamiliar. Grant is puzzled that someone with such a sensitive face could have been such a monster as to murder his two nephews in cold blood. So, our intrepid Inspector decides that he will reconsider the evidence upon which such a dastardly assumption has been based. With the help of an American researcher doing the necessary legwork, Grant compiles enough archival historical fact that incrementally helps him formulate a new theory as to who actually may have murdered the princes in the tower. This analysis and reformulation is done as though it were being argued to a jury. Indeed, so persuasive is Inspector Grant through the application of some insightful deductive reasoning and clever dialogue that the reader comes away thinking that Grant has solved one of the most intriguing historical mysteries of all time. This is certainly an unusual book conceptually but one that succeeds brilliantly. It should appeal to those readers who enjoy having a mystery unraveled, as well as to those who harbor a love of English history. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: History or hogwash?
Review: The mystery of the two small nephews of Richard III of England, supposedly murdered on his orders, has become the stuff of British history. Richard has come down to us as an evil monarch, most notably through Shakespeare's eponymous drama and the writings of Thomas More. But Shakespeare wrote his play based on More's book, and More was hardly a reliable eyewitness to events, being only five years old when they happened. In this highly original novel, Josephine Tey explores the mystery of whodunit from the point of view of a fictional detective, Alan Grant, laid up from a bad fall and bored out of his gourd; Grant tackles the problem from the cui bono standpoint, namely, who benefitted most from the young princes' murder? It surely wasn't Richard, who probably had more to lose than to gain from their deaths; but it did benefit the one whom Tey strongly suspects did have the princes put out of the way, one who had no legitimate claim to the crown at all. Grant and his young American research associate, Brent Carradine, work out the puzzle step by step, coming to a conclusion that satisfies them both. Whether or not it will satisfy the reader will depend on if the reader can let go of some preconceptions that have become engraved in stone. Grant asks himself, can 400,000 history books be wrong? They probably can, given that history is written by the winners, and Richard III ended his days as one of history's major losers. If Richard was indeed innocent, then whoever is guilty of having the princes murdered had everything to gain from traducing Richard's reputation to secure his own place in history and on the British throne. Tey's book is a well-written, engaging detective novel shedding light in some of the darker corners of the history of the kings of Britain.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Mystery for Historians
Review: I admit I had my doubts about this book for two reasons. First, I am not a big fan of Mystery novels (I prefer Si-Fi, and History) and second, it was required reading for a History class. After two days of reading though I found that I completely enjoyed the book. I already had known that Richard III was not really responsible for the death of his nephews, but had not read anything connecting Henry VII. The book was fun to read because it shows how we historians can get sucked into proving or disproving a historical inaccuracy. The only negative part about the book would be that it in no way untangles the mess of the War of the Rose and for people who do not have that background it may be a little confusing. Though written over fifty years ago it is good to see that from a fictional sense, the drive behind research has not changed much. You have an idea, in the book's case the rumor of the Princess' death, and one goes of to find evidence of the rumors. The one thing that the book did not consider was that a lack of evidence does not mean there is none. The evidence the characters were searching for just may not have survived, forcing them to the same conclusion. Overall the book was great and fun to read, even for historians. I would highly recommend this book for people that wanted to read history without suffering through a dry textbook.
Rating:
Summary: The Mystery of History
Review: Since the winner writes the history books, it's not surprising most people believe that Richard III was evil. According to Sir Thomas More and Shakespeare, he had various members of his family killed, including his poor little nephews, so that he could be king. It's important to remember that much of what we think we know about Richard was written during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I -- who were on the throne as the direct result of the defeat of Richard. To justify the Tudors (Henry's father, I believe) seizing power, Richard had to be cast as the bad guy. We may never know what actually happened, but Josephine Tey presents a different look into history using actual letters and documents from that time. It all starts with a modern-day homicide detective who prides himself on being able to read faces. When he sees Richard's portrait (without knowing who it is), he doesn't pick it as the face of an evil murderer. I've seen Richard's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery in London -- and I think Tey's character, although fictional, may be on to something.
Rating:
Summary: The Correct Portrait
Review: A book that is great fun. Unfortunately the portraic on the cover is not tho one the book is about. The correct one can be qbtained by going to the National Portrait Gallery London on line and calling up that of Richard III. It can be printed out and proves of value in enjoying the book.
Rating:
Summary: ???
Review: I am not a particular fan of the history of the British Monarchy or of mysteries, but "Daughter of Time" is an intensely intellectual read, albeit fiction. This is not a story for the passive reader, as it randomly visits different points in time, both "present" and past and invokes a series of questions which are ultimatley never answered. The most intiguing element is the supposition that history's account of King Richard III is flawed, either by purposeful acts of those who opposed him, or by mere consequence of events. "Daughter of Time" is quite difficult to follow at times and is best read when one is fully alert; a nice pot of hot tea or coffee will help. Not recommended for junior readers unless mystery is their forte'; the story is severely lacking in action although the tale is quite adventurous. See if you can unravel the mystery, if at all possible, then read "Spring Moon" by Bette Bao-Lord for a refreshing look at the opposite end of the world/political spectrum.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Historical Mystery
Review: I first read this book many years ago, and it remains one of my favorite books ever. I just re-read it, and, though it was written in the 1950s, it does not feel dated. Only the length of Grant's recuperation (physical therapists will cringe at the length of time he is made to lie in bed) and the absence of computer resources make it seem a bit old.
In this book, Josephine Tey, a mystery novelist, acquires credibility in historical circles. She, using the conceit of her Grant character's being laid up and needing an occupation to keep him from boredom, presents the revisionist theory of the fate of the "Princes in the Tower" in an extremely readable, interesting way. It is history presented as fiction. The revisionists believe that Richard III has gotten a bad rap from the Tudors and their tame historians and that he was framed for the death of the princes. Certainly, we end Tey's book being totally in accord with her, and Grant's, opinions.
If you want some other reading to follow up after this book, I strongly recommend that you read "Royal Blood" by Bertram Fields and that you read Appendices I and II of Paul Murray Kendall's "Richard III". Those appendices deal with the accuracy (or, rather, inaccuracy) of historical sources and with the death of the princes in the tower.
I have just sent this book, with Field's book, to my law student daughter. I recommended it to her, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries and history.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow reading...
Review: This book was a required summer reading book. It seemed like it took me the entire summer to finish it. It took a very long time to get through it, and I was confused at many times during the novel. Not recommended unless you're up for a challenge.
Rating:
Summary: super real mystery!
Review: Confined to a hospital bed, Josephine Tey's inquisitive Inspector Grant is given a handful of portraits to study while recuperating. Grant prides himself in being able to "read" people's faces. When he shows one picture to his surgeon, the doctor surmises the man had been a victim of polio, perhaps a merchant. Grant's nurses know better & declare the man to be England's Wicked Uncle, Richard III. This surprises the good Inspector because when first setting eyes upon the portait, he had opined that it was perhaps a judge. Only upon turning the paper over does he discover it was indeed England's most reviled king -- he who had killed his nephews in the Tower of London & died at the Battle of Bosworth bellowing for a horse, as per The Bard in his play penned a century later. In search of facts, Inspector Grant discounts the records of two of histories greatest luminaries (& gossips, for neither Thomas More nor William Shakespeare were there), to discover the truth about this much-maligned king, who was mourned by his subjects & ruled his short reign with a fair & generous hand. Learn from THE DAUGHTER OF TIME about how to look for the real history behind the winners' versions -- the incoming Tudors -- who survived, what families were killed off, what were the coverups & what the Wars of the Roses was all about. Revisit the real far past, as well as 1950s England (long before cell phones & computers), when this little mystery rattled many a historian's cage. Vastly entertaining & beautifully read by the great thespian Derek Jacobi, of GADFAEL & I CLAUDIUS fame.
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