- Hardcover: 392 pages
- Publisher: Thorndike Pr; Lrg edition (Jan 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0786223456
- ISBN-13: 978-0786223459
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,791,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Man In The Queue
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Review
" Inspector Alan Grant... painstakingly, fascinatingly identifies the body, then chases suspects up to the Highlands of Scotland and all around the town." - "Daily Express"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
A classic mystery from the Golden Age of detective fiction.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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First Sentence
IT WAS BETWEEN seven and eight o'clock on a March evening, and all over London the bars were being drawn back from pit and gallery doors. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
IT WAS BETWEEN seven and eight o'clock on a March evening, and all over London the bars were being drawn back from pit and gallery doors. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The "Man in the Queue", by Josephine Tey, commences on London's West Side, where "Didn't You Know?", the hit musical, is in the last week of its run. Its newly famous star, Ray Marcable, who is London's darling, is leaving for America to seek even greater fame and fortune there. The show has been sold out for weeks, but there is a huge line (the queue of the title) outside, waiting for a chance to get same day only seats for the show. The people in line have been waiting several hours, on the whole good-naturedly, but there is considerable pushing and shoving and re-aligning as the line finally begins to move forward. When a middle-aged woman reaches the ticket booth, she indignantly turns to say something to the man who is pushing hard against her back and is horrified when he falls to the ground dead with a silver dagger sticking out of his back. No one can say when the dead man was stabbed, for the crush of the crowd has supported and carried him forward for some time
When his body is examined by the police, the young man is revealed to be carrying no identification, and has no tags or marks in his clothes. The only item of interest is a service revolver in his pocket, with fingerprints on it that prove not to be the victim's. Inspector Grant of Scotland Yard is assigned the case and the remainder of the book is an absorbing police procedural documenting the painstaking process of his quest to discover first the victim's identity and then his murderer. The search truly does become a quest for Grant, who is moved by something in the face of the victim and angered by the anonymity and callousness of his end.
Although The Man in the Queue was written almost 70 years ago, in 1929, it has aged amazingly well and will not be read as a quaint period piece, even though the war that many of the male characters fought in and the female ones nursed in is The Great War, WWI. One reason for the lack of datedness in the book is the fact that although Tey was writing in the Golden Age of British mysteries, her novels are driven more by the personalities and motivations of her characters than by the tricky kind of puzzles that depend on timetables and exotic poisons. What causes people to commit evil acts is more interesting to her than merely naming a villain. In fact, the subtext of The Man in the Queue is the question of whether there is a villain in the story at all.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Josephine Tey stands out among crime writers by her use of very normal and everyday explanations for her mysteries. I know of no better mystery writer or book that reminds me that the easily-overlooked and every day solutions are the ones that explain 90% of real life mysteries. Well done Josephine Tey. A disappointment? No, a refreshing blast of real life.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This classic crime novel was written in 1929and was Josephine Tey's first novel which introduced her detective Inspector Alan Grant. A nameless man is found stabbed to death in the queue before a popular London play. Though surrounded by people, no one manages to see the murder. Grant painstakingly identifies the body, then chases his suspect to the Highlands of Scotland and all around the town.
The book is a good example of the golden age of detective fiction. At times the pace might seem a bit pedestrian but the characters are well drawn and there is a good twist at the end. I don't think this is the best of Josephine Tey's novels but it is stylishly written and well worth a read.
The book is a good example of the golden age of detective fiction. At times the pace might seem a bit pedestrian but the characters are well drawn and there is a good twist at the end. I don't think this is the best of Josephine Tey's novels but it is stylishly written and well worth a read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Classic golden age crime novel
I love Josephine Tey for her sharp eye, fine writing, good characterisation and twisty-turny plots. This book is the first of the Inspector Grant series and while it doesn't quite... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Roman Clodia
Very clever crime novel
This is one of the most intriguing crime stories I've read. Alan Grant - Scotland Yard detective - is asked to investigate the death of a man in a theatre queue. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Damaskcat
A good read
Josephine Tey is an excellent author. This is an excellent book and is very funny in parts even though it is about a murder.
Published 7 months ago by Mrs. A. Robinson
Periodic drama
Well written and atmospheric of the time. An entertaining take on the detective genre. And enlightening as to the mores of the day
Published 8 months ago by B. Prentice
Evokes an era
I'd recommend trying Josephine Tey if you like Christie, Marsh or Allingham. The policeman, Grant, is well-thought out and a good character. Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2009 by snowqueen01
Damp squib in the tail..........
I love Josephine Tey. There is an euphoria in her style of writing which is quite delightful.
Inspector Grant, always the loner, sets out in his own inimitable way to track a... Read more
Inspector Grant, always the loner, sets out in his own inimitable way to track a... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2007 by L. Hay
Grrrr! This book really annoyed me
Fortunately, I've read two books of Josephine Tey previous to this one; otherwise I doubt I'd be back for more. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2004 by J. Metcalfe
A mystery is slowly unravelled - with a twist at the end
This book was first published in 1929,and it shows. The very un-PC references to the 'dago' grate somewhat on 21st-century readers, but attitudes were different in the 1920s and... Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2002
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