Tey, Josephine -- The Man in the Queue

D

Tey’s first novel—and very weak. It’s much more of a straightforward detective story than the later books, almost entirely seen from Grant’s perspective.  The early sections of the book, in which he establishes the identity of the man stabbed to death in a theatre queue and constructs a circumstantial case against “the Dago”, are satisfying.  For much of the book, there is only one suspect.  Manhunt across Scotland halfway between Crofts and Buchan.  Seems to be a warning against circumstantial evidence—Grant arrests his man based on material clues and logic, but his intuition tells him that the man he arrested is innocent.  Ending extraordinarily bad: murderess is a very minor character who barely appears (Grant has to struggle to remember her name) and helpfully confesses, much to Grant’s astonishment.

Tey doesn’t like either Dagoes or people who live in suburbs.

Nick Fuller.