Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

This book, published in 1948, is the first of Josephine Tey's mysteries. It isn't a typical mystery, as the body only appears in the last fraction of the book. The ending is wonderfully ambiguous.

General rating: 3 of 4. It cannot be considered uplifting (can any mystery?), but it's a great book.

1. Is it plausible? Yes. Josephine Tey herself attended a girls school just such as the one she writes about in this book. And her characters in this book are very well developed, very real.

2. Is it thought provoking? Unlike most mysteries, this one is indeed thought provoking. The title, "Miss Pym Disposes" is based on the saying "Man proposes; God disposes" and the book discusses "playing God", among many other things. It is the kind of book, too, that stays in the mind for a long time after reading--one of my personal indicators of a gifted author, one who writes a memorable book.

3. Is it engaging? Yes, it is engaging. I couldn't describe it as "gripping" (except maybe towards the end), but it is very pleasantly engaging.

4. Is it uplifting? Well, it's not depressing, but it's definitely not uplifting. The ambiguous ending makes this book a bit unsettling at the end, in fact.

Language: none
Sex: none

My recommendation: I am a great fan of "vintage" mysteries (I like "vintage" romances too). I wax nostalgic of a time in fiction where the writer had to depend on actual good writing and witty dialogue, rather than sensational details and smutty histories, to seduce the reader. Josephine Tey (and Dorothy Sayers too, as a matter of fact), is this kind of writer--strong on clear characterization, conversation, subtleties, ideas, emotion and setting. I love being drawn into a book on the basis of thought rather than sensation. I value an author who, with a light hand, invites the reader into thought and emotion, and who doesn't rely on shoving salacious situations down the reader's throat in order to elicit emotion. This is one of those books that invites rather than abducts. It adds to my collection of thoughtful, interesting, re-readable books. I highly recommend it.