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The daughter of Time by Josephine Tey* is yet another book I read and enjoyed ages ago, but didn’t blog about it. I was reminded about it when I read Sovereign (by C.J. Sansom) last week as they have similar subject matter.

At first glance The daughter of time would seem to have a fairly standard basis for a mystery novel – a bored cop solves an unsolved crime while in hospital. However, this is not your average crime but rather an unsolved mystery of the past – who killed the princes in the tower? The detective starts off from the generally acknowledged fact that Richard III killed his young nephews in order to further his claim to the throne, but soon discovers there is little historical evidence to support the case. Tey brings in lots of historical evidence to argue (fairly convincingly to someone not familiar with the period!) that someone else was responsible.

Although the story centred around the invalid, a cast of other characters swoop in and out of the story and are quite vividly drawn despite their brevity. Although never directly featured, Richard himself emerges as an engaging character. Indeed, it seems like Josephine Tey wasn’t his only defender. My local librarian confessed that she has always thought Richard III hard done by and as a result thoroughly enjoyed this book.

All of this was of great assistance when I picked up the third Shardlock mystery Sovereign. This book’s main characters deal with a secret that could undermine the throne of Henry VIII. A lot of it revolved around Richard III’s time, and thanks to The daughter of time I was able to nod wisely when things like the Titulus Regius were discussed. Sovereign was an enjoyable read, with lots of interesting characters, but I admit I wasn't surprised by the ending.

*Thanks to colliemommie for recommending this author! I have already other books on hold. Although, as is often the case, once I’d heard of Tey I saw people talking about her books all over the place!

I’m slowly making my way through genres: today, historical mysteries! I’ve recently read the first two Shardlake books by CJ Sansom, which follow the investigations of a lawyer in England during Henry VIII’s reign. The first book, Dissolution, sees Shardlake look into a murder of a government official in a monastery. The second, Dark fire features two investigations, one into the disappearance of the recently re-discovered formula for the dreaded Greek fire, and the other into a teenage girl accused of murdering her young cousin.

This period was so unsettled (monasteries were being dissolved, new Queens constantly on the horizon) that it provides a lot of scope for suspense. Sansom gives a vivid account of the political turmoil of the time and the atmosphere at both the monastery and London. To my largely ignorant mind the books appear to be well researched.

While some of the side characters are well done (I admit a fondness for the sidekick in Dark Fire who swears a lot) others were a bit more stock standard (such as the Wise Moorish Medicine Man). And while I’m complaining, although it becomes clear that Shardlake is starting to lose faith in the righteousness of the reformation, a lot of his feelings are left to be constructed by the reader. I wouldn’t mind a greater focus on this through the stories, though I can see that other people might not appreciate the slowing down of the whole investigation part of the novels.

I think Dark Fire had better pacing and a more intriguing storyline. It would work fine as a standalone novel so have no qualms about recommending people jump straight to it.

Those who've purchased Novel Deviations, volumes 1 and 2, have a more convenient means of revisiting the better New Beginnings than scrolling through the blog. But at least a dozen authors of openings decided they didn't want excerpts from their works appearing in a book. Which means those who own the books might never see these again, unless I make it easy by labeling my six favorites so that you can simply click on the label below.