***May 2011 backlog post***
In an earlier post, I mentioned I’m really not a mystery reader. Now this could just be one of those psychosomatic things like a violent reaction to years of living in S-bury, Land of the Retirement Housing Developments For Rich People and every time you walked by the Mystery section of the library your eyes watered from the smell of old lady and cigarettes because this was the 1980s and all the old ladies in Fancy Retirement Housing Development had been smoking since a certain former First Lady was their classmate as Posh Girls School/Posh Girls College. True story that!
So you can understand why the only reason I know about most mystery writers is from refilling the mystery section or working the cashwrap at Barnes & Noble or Borders. as a younger Gwen. Sorry all you Patricia Cornwall and James Patterson and Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton and INSERT MYSTERY AUTHOR NAME HERE fans!
But I’m not a total savage. Remember, I really like Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine and Kate Atkinson! And now I can add Josephine Tey to the list of Mystery Authors I Like. See, I had heard of Josephine Tey but feared she might rather Agatha Christie or too twee for words. Yes, I ACTUALLY USE WORDS LIKE TWEE ON A REGULAR BASIS!
So I approached Miss Pym Disposes warily. Pluses: English writer, boarding school, hazy 1930s/1940s time frame. Minuses: could be twee as all frosted pop tart, could be all Preachy, might not be able to wrap head around hazy 1930s/1940s time frame.
But Miss Pym Disposes didn’t disappoint. Miss Pym, French teacher turned best selling psychology author does a favor for one of her old school mates. Said old school mate saved the young Miss Pym from teasing over her government first name. Grownup Miss Pym is still grateful to old school chum years later. Said friend asks Miss Pym to give a guest lecture at the college old schoolmate runs.
The lecture goes well but Miss Pym doesn’t have the most pleasant first impression of the college. Old School Chum’s college trains physical therapists, masseuses, dance teachers and the like. Not the place if you like a cozy reading in bed and cups of tea. The students are lean mean physical culture machines. <shudders>
But the students adore Miss Pym and against her better judgment, Miss Pym decides to stay for a visit and help one of the teachers with a schedule conflict. And thus seals someone’s doom. Because let’s face it, you can’t have a rip-roaring good mystery without something shocking, something sneaky AND high teas with clotted cream. Okay okay okay, you can all you American mystery fans but remember, I haven’t drank the grape Flavor Aid of the Cornwall/Patterson/Evanovich/Grafton school and I ain’t gonna anytime soon.
Things happen. There are twists and turns. Total awesome sauce. Will hunt down more Josephine Tey in a heartbeat and would even <cue pearl clutching> BUY THEM FROM AMAZON!(I know…my cheap rump roast PAYING retail for books!) And like any good English mystery, my tiny brain follows along, makes guesses and wishes Josephine Tey was around to ask questions. Because I am totally convinced Edward Adrian is Catherine Lux’s baby daddy. Little sister born when Catherine Lux was a teenager my foot!
Blacklight: “You watch WAY TOO MUCH MAURY POVICH!”.
Whatever, Blacklight, whatever. Shouldn’t you be reading Stephen R. Donaldson or watching some awful movie from the 1960s or reading Dungeons & Dragons game guides versus reading my blog?
whiskeytangowendymarie.com 